What happens when blood sugar gets too low?

Sugar cravings happen to everyone. There is nothing like a delicious pastry or a sugary drink to make you feel alive and energized again. But what happens when the craving stops being just that, and starts causing some serious trouble? Yes- we’re talking about blood sugar.

Maintaining healthy levels of blood sugar is vital for your well-being, but sometimes things can go haywire. In this article, we’ll look at what happens when your blood sugar gets too low and how you can keep it in check.

The Sweet Science of Blood Sugar

Before we delve into what happens when our precious glucose levels take a dip, let’s understand the basics.

Our body needs fuel to function efficiently throughout the day. Carbohydrates are one such source of energy that break down into glucose upon digestion. This glucose then enters our bloodstream as ‘blood sugar’ which travels around the body providing energy to cells for various activities all day long.

But there’s more! Hormones called insulin and glucagon help regulate these blood-sugar levels by telling our liver when to store excess glucose or release more in times of need (or during snack time).

Signs That Your Blood Glucose Levels Are Dropping

As with most health issues, getting ahead of it before it becomes bigger is key. Here are some signs and symptoms that could indicate low blood glucose levels:

• Fatigue
• Shakiness
• Irritability
• Sweating
• Anxiety
• Dizziness
• Hunger pangs
• Blurry vision

If any (or all) of these seem familiar whenever you’re feeling hungry or skipping meals (guilty!), chances are good that they might be related to dipping blood-sugar levels – especially considering how often I’m grabbing candy bars at odd hours…hmm!

What Could Cause Your Blood Sugar Levels To Drop

Now that we’ve gone through the basic signs of low blood glucose, let’s look at some common causes behind it:

Skipping Meals or Fasting

When you don’t consume enough carbohydrates throughout the day (guilty again!), your body will eventually run out of energy to burn off. This can leave you feeling depleted and laggy since your body would need to start breaking down muscle tissue for energy.

Medications

Some medications like insulin injections taken by people with diabetes (cue melodramatic music) can cause their blood sugar levels to lower beyond normal ranges. Besides insulin, there are other drugs too like warfarin and propranolol which could invoke a similar reaction if not monitored carefully.

The Impacts Of Prolonged Low Blood Sugar Levels

Like anything else in life- Too much of anything isn’t good, but when it’s too little then even that is bad news! Here are few outcomes followed by low blood-glucose levels across varying levels of severity:

Mild Hypoglycemia

This level usually happens due to excess physical activity or skipping meals, and these side effects don’t typically cause any long-term impacts. However, sustaining yourself on chocolate bars all day every day just might (but please try anyway…I won’t judge!) have mild hypoglycemic symptoms thrown in there as well!

Moderate Hypo-glycemia

Moderate hypoglycemia can be more severe than its milder counterpart; It may result from excessive intake of certain types of medication or alcohol consumption without ensuring proper nutrition beforehand ( I mean..who am I kidding though!)

Prolonged moderate hypos jeopardizes one’s health by causing difficulty concentrating during work hours coupled with anxiety attacks among several other things .

If this issue goes un-noticed over an extended period , one could end up suffering from diagnosed hypoglycaemia, which may require hospitalization!

Preventing Low Blood Sugar

Now that we’ve seen some of the impacts of low blood sugar and possible causes let’s look at ways to keep our precious glucose levels in check.

Plan Your Meals

It’s always smart to carry a snack with you wherever you go. Try packing snacks or healthy mini-meals (e.g., carrots, plain nuts etc) ([Just don’t bring stale food (we’ve all been there!)]), Or even better yet- try planning out your meals in advance! You wouldn’t start on a trip without GOOGLE maps – similarly, extend same thought process when it comes with self-care!

Exercise Regularly

Physical activity can help lower your blood-sugar levels and provide much-needed energy boosts throughout the day (hmmm gym time is looking more and more attractive right now); this is why it’s important that folks are sure to get enough exercise every week. Whether through team sports or solo workouts —the choice completely depends on what appeals most individually to each person!.

Conclusion:
In conclusion, low blood glucose levels aren’t anything new but they shouldn’t be taken lightly either. The minimal side-effects from mild hypoglycemia do not cause any serious harm so long as folks maintain proper nutritional intake for sustained periods without over-indulging too excessively often… However, if the condition goes unnoticed over extended periods coupled with moderate hypoglycemic symptoms it could lead into several health issues requiring medical attention urgently!

Remember- nothing should compromise one’s well-being including our sweet cravings! It’s important for everyone interested in maintaining their bodies’ equilibrium between varying basic needs like hunger & satiety while keeping up strenuous activities such as work-life balance….and occasional indulgences where required((wink-wink!).