Whats a low blood sugar reading?

Are you feeling dizzy, anxious, or shaky? Do you have sudden hunger pangs or headaches that don’t seem to be going away? Chances are your blood sugar levels could be low. But what does that actually mean and why do we need to pay attention to it?

Understanding Your Blood Glucose Levels

Before we dive deeper into the world of low blood sugar readings, let’s first understand what our blood glucose levels are all about.

Blood glucose is simply another way of saying blood sugar, which refers to the amount of glucose (a type of sugar) circulating in your bloodstream at any given time.

Glucose is an essential source of energy for every cell in your body – from your muscles and brain cells down to those tiny little cells in your toenails. Without enough glucose, the human machine will start breaking down as fast as if someone has swapped out its engine oil with McDonald’s French fry grease.

Luckily for us, our bodies are supremely equipped with some smart control mechanisms – mainly insulin – that help keep our blood sugar levels within a healthy range. Insulin is produced by specialized cells called beta-cells located inside the pancreas gland situated just behind (and possibly slightly beneath?) one’s stomach!

With these basics covered, let’s move onto exploring what actually constitutes “low” when it comes to blood sugars.

Defining Low Blood Sugar Readings

Different groups tend to use different thresholds when defining low blood-sugar readings (aka hypoglycemia) but generally speaking:

Group Threshold
American Diabetes Association Below 70 mg/dL
Mayo Clinic Below 70 mg/dL

In non-diabetics people without pre-existing abnormal metabolism patterns), however,

Not only this data can differ from person-to-person but also depends on whether you’re suffering from pre-existing altered metabolism patterns, such as diabetes or other metabolic conditions.

The Signs and Symptoms of Low Blood Sugar Levels

Sometimes you can feel when your blood sugar is too low. Common symptoms of hypoglycemia include:

  • Lightheadedness or dizziness
  • Sweating profusely, especially in the hands and feet
  • Shakiness
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Anxiety or irritability (possibly affecting others adversely)

Often people also have changes in their vision – experiencing blurred, double vision while feeling unsteady on one’ legs are commonplace with a ‘low’.

However (and here comes the tricky part), different individuals experience different signs and symptoms depending on how much glucose supplementation their body needs. Some folks may experience episodes so severe that they lose consciousness; others might have little-to-no adverse symptoms at all.

Pro-tip: If you suspect a “low” measured by proper testing kit even but don’t actually feel any overt physical symptomatology particularly above mentioned ones) be sure to treat it regardless!

What Causes Low Blood Sugar Readings?

Low levels of blood sugar can occur for various reasons:

Taking Insulin

(and certain other medications)

If you are diabetic this could be quite likely if you’re taking insulin injections . Medications like sulphonylureas can further lower one’s glucose threshold, making it increasingly more challenging to maintain stable levels throughout the day.

Skipped Meals

(so-called ‘breakfast’)

Skipping meals = expelling yourself into uncertainty where your already-dwindling glucose reserves plummet downwards rapidly without resupply!

Remember..please give breakfast its due diligence!

Serious Exercise sessions without fuel

Those morning cardio workouts empty-stomached? A bad idea Big Time what with natural mechanisms driving typically between glycogen stores…prone towards not maintaining satisfactory disposition given lack supplemented carbs…Yikes!

Alcoholic Binges

Drinking large quantities of alcohol may lead to reduced production or output of glucose, leading one rapidly towards ‘the low’.

How to Treat Low Blood Sugar Readings?

If you suspect that your blood sugar levels are dipping below standard ranges, it’s imperative for you to act fast. The trick is not ingesting more than needed (this can result in hyperglycemia – high blood-sugar readings).

  1. Consume Fast-Acting Carbs
  2. By opting for fast-absorbing carbohydrates like those found in bars designed specifically treating lows or other sugary snacks and drinks such as non-diet soda.

Definitely shoot for lower-fat besides complex carb combo though!

  1. Re-test Your Blood Sugar

    • Test your glucose about 15 minutes after absorbing the carbs; this estimate can help gauge how much additional supplement therapy is helpful.
  2. Consume Additional Carbohydrates (- but also protein)
    Gradual addition of normal food intake comprising usually mild-carb alongside smaller amounts of healthier-ish high-protein supplementation feed into systems ready and capable on resisting plummeting back into hypoglycemia

To Sum Up…

Low blood sugar readings do not always produce obvious symptoms so having a regular means measuring becomes a must-do! Best advice emerges from early diagnosis & competent handling.

If were diagnosed with diabetes or any other metabolic syndrome condition, recognize events that could hospitalize yourself seek help at earliest convenience!

But what am I? A doctor? Nuh-uh…but seriously keep tabs on sugars with diligent frequency via recommended testing supplies/methods = PLEASE!

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