How do I know if I have Hypoglycemia?
First symptoms
It is easy to see why hypoglycemia patients are often sent for psychiatric counseling instead of treating them with diet.
Since hypoglycemia is a disorder of the body's ability to handle sugar, it's not surprising that many hypoglycemics also notice symptoms around food and eating.
- sudden or constant hunger
- craving for salt
- lack of appetite
- indigestion
- craving for sugar
- alcohol intolerance
The cravings for sweets are common and sometimes overpowering, and many hypoglycemics struggle with weight problems as well.
There are fairly strong links between hypoglycemia and alcohol related problems, and many studies suggest that many cases of alcoholism can result from unchecked hypoglycemia.
Severe hypoglycemia-seen most often in diabetics whose insulin intake has been inappropriate for their diet or exercise-is an emergency medical condition and must be treated with immediate ingestion of sugar followed by a trip to the nearest emergency room. Symptoms could include:
- convulsions/seizures
- unconsciousness
- coma (Often called diabetic coma, but it can
- happen in other cases of hypoglycemia as well.)
- retrograde amnesia (retrograde: moving backwards to a worse state)
- death