How do I know if I have Hypoglycemia?
Hypoglycemia, or Low Blood Sugar, can cause a myriad of symptoms, and ALL of them could also be caused by something else. I hesitate to list the symptoms and strongly caution you against self-diagnosis. If you do have hypoglycemia, you will find that your symptoms improve when you follow the diet suggestions you find in the literature (and in future articles on this web site), but that does not guarantee that hypoglycemia is your only problem. Sometimes hypoglycemia is caused by other, sometimes serious, conditions that you MUST see your doctor about.
In spite of the previous paragraph, no discussion of hypoglycemia would be complete without a symptoms list, so here goes:
First symptoms
If you suffer from chronic hypoglycemia, you will experience a drop in your blood sugar level some period after eating. Sometimes, the sugar level dropping too quickly, dropping too low, or even just dropping too much from your normal level can cause symptoms.
When your blood sugar level drops to below your tolerance level (different for everyone, and it may even be higher than the minimums prescribed in the tests), you will start to experience symptoms
Many of the initial symptoms are caused by your body's attempt to slow the rapid fall of sugar in the blood by releasing adrenalin. Adrenalin is the same hormone released when you are afraid-it signals an emergency condition. A sudden release of adrenalin results in the following symptoms, approximately the same symptoms you probably experience when you have just avoided a car accident.
- trembling and shakiness
- sudden sweating
- heart palpitations
- sweaty palms
- overall clamminess
- nausea
- inner trembling
- cold hands and feet