What is Low Blood Sugar?
Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) means that the level of sugar, or glucose, in your child’s blood has dropped below what his or her body needs to function normally. When your child’s blood sugar level drops below 70 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), he or she most likely will have symptoms, such as feeling tired, weak, or shaky. A very low blood sugar level (below 20 mg/dL) can develop quickly and is an emergency requiring immediate care. The sulfonylureas—such as glipizide (Glucotrol), glimepiride (Amaryl), and glyburide (DiaBeta)—and insulin injections can cause low blood sugar levels. Low levels from sulfonylurea medicines usually cause only symptoms of mild low blood sugar, unless a child also takes insulin. Sometimes people with diabetes develop low blood sugar levels during the night. This is not likely to happen unless your child takes insulin injections. If it does happen, your child may wake up in a cold sweat and feel weak. But your child may sleep through it because his or her
Low blood sugar means that the level of sugar (glucose) in your child’s blood has dropped below what his or her body needs to function normally. When your child’s blood sugar level drops below 70 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), he or she most likely will have symptoms, such as feeling tired, weak, or shaky. Very low blood sugar levels (below 20 mg/dL) can develop quickly and are emergency situations requiring immediate care. You can give your child a glucagon shot to bring his or her blood sugar back up. Follow the instructions that come with the glucagon kit. Without immediate care, a very low blood sugar level can lead to coma and death. Sometimes people with diabetes develop low blood sugar levels during the night. If your child’s level drops during the night, he or she may wake up in a cold sweat and feel weak. However, some children sleep through it because the body uses stored sugar to raise their blood sugar level back to a safe range. If this happens, your child may wake up i
Hypoglycemia is low blood sugar. It occurs when the level of sugar, or glucose, in the blood drops too low to fuel the body. The two main types of low blood sugar are fasting and non-fasting. Fasting low blood sugar occurs when you have not eaten for many hours, such as overnight. Non-fasting low blood sugar develops within 3 to 4 hours after eating. Patients being treated for diabetes are particularly at risk for hypoglycemia.
Low blood sugar, from a medical perspective, is called hypoglycemia and refers to low blood serum glucose levels. Glucose is the “sugar” which is low in this case, and when it drops below 70 mg per deciliter of blood, a person is concerned hypoglycemic. People may also use the term low blood sugar much more casually to express hunger, or feelings of faintness or irritation that come over them when they skip meals. Some people will feel a little nauseous if they don’t eat regularly and may attribute this to “low blood sugar” even if they’re not technically hypoglycemic. True hypoglycemia has numerous causes. Most commonly people prone to hypoglycemia are those with Diabetes Type I. The balance of insulin and glucagon, which produces glucose, can get off easily. This could be a result of skipping meals or accidentally injecting too much insulin. Other condition that might result in low glucose levels include absence of human growth hormone, certain antibiotics or other medications, skipp
Low blood sugar means that the level of sugar (glucose) in your child’s blood has dropped below what his or her body needs to function normally. When your child’s blood sugar level drops below 70 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), he or she most likely will have symptoms, such as feeling tired, weak, or shaky. Very low blood sugar levels (below 20 mg/dL) can develop quickly and are emergency situations that require immediate care. You can give your child a glucagon shot to bring his or her blood sugar back up. Follow the instructions that come with the glucagon kit. Without immediate care, a very low blood sugar level can lead to coma and death. Sometimes people with diabetes develop low blood sugar levels during the night. If your child’s level drops during the night, he or she may wake up in a cold sweat and feel weak. But some children sleep through it because the body uses stored sugar to raise their blood sugar level back to their target range. If this happens, your child may wake
