Archive for April 21st, 2010
Diabetes – Symptoms of Hypoglycaemia
April 21st, 2010 | 
Author: Hypoglycaemia is the term applied when the glucose levels in the blood are low. In diabetics, because, diabetes is raised levels of blood sugar, hypoglycaemia can occur because of medication bringing sugar levels too low.
Glucose is what gives the body energy, and is absorbed by the cells of the body. Insulin is the gatekeeper to the body’s cells, being the hormone that lets the glucose into the cells. When a person has no insulin, as in type 1 diabetes, no energy is provided to the body.
In type 2 diabetes, the person is “insulin resistant” and needs either drugs to make the insulin the body generates work harder, or extra insulin to allow the glucose to be properly absorbed.
Although your doctor will have prescribed drugs and perhaps insulin to combat high levels of blood sugar, it is not a precise science. Exercising or missing a meal for example can cause your blood sugars to drop dramatically, resulting in a “hypo”.
All people are all different, and diabetes is no exception. However, it is thought that, in general, a blood sugar level of 3.3mmol/l or less is a hypoglycaemic state for most people.