What should I do if I start feeling hungry, shaky, sweaty, dizzy, sleepy, confused, anxious or weak and have difficulty seeing or speaking?
A It is likely that you have hypoglycaemia (or ‘hypo’ for short), also called low blood sugar. This occurs when your blood glucose (blood sugar) level drops too low to provide enough energy for your body’s activities. Whilst the above symptoms usually occur when awake, hypoglycaemia can also happen while you are sleeping, when you may cry out or have nightmares, find that your nightclothes are damp from perspiration or feel tired, irritable or confused when you wake up. If you think your blood glucose is too low, use a blood glucose meter to check the level. If it is 3.1 mmol/l or below, have a ‘quick fix’ food right away to raise your blood glucose level. Such foods include 2 or 3 glucose tablets, half a cup of any fruit juice or regular (not diet) soft drink, a cup of milk, some sweets or chocolate or 1 or 2 teaspoons of sugar or honey. After 15 minutes, check your blood glucose again to make sure that it is no longer too low. High carbohydrate foods will have a longer-term impact on
