Learn About Low Blood Sugar

What is the definition of Low Blood Sugar?

Low blood sugar is a condition that occurs when the body's blood sugar (glucose) decreases and is too low.

Blood sugar below 70 mg/dL (3.9 mmol/L) is considered low. Blood sugar at or below this level can be harmful.

The medical name of low blood sugar is hypoglycemia.

What are the alternative names for Low Blood Sugar?

Hypoglycemia; Insulin shock; Insulin reaction; Diabetes - hypoglycemia

What are the causes of Low Blood Sugar?

Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas. Insulin is needed to move glucose into cells where it is stored or used for energy. Without enough insulin, glucose builds up in the blood instead of going into the cells. This leads to symptoms of diabetes.

Low blood sugar occurs due to any of the following:

  • Your body's glucose is used up too quickly
  • Glucose production by the body is too low or it is released into the bloodstream too slowly
  • Too much insulin is in the bloodstream

Low blood sugar is common in people with diabetes who are taking insulin or certain other medicines to control their diabetes. However, many other diabetes medicines do not cause low blood sugar.

Exercise can also lead to low blood sugar in people taking insulin to treat their diabetes.

Babies born to mothers with diabetes may have severe drops in blood sugar right after birth.

In people who do not have diabetes, low blood sugar may be caused by:

  • Drinking alcohol
  • Insulinoma, which is a rare tumor in the pancreas that produces too much insulin
  • Lack of a hormone, such as cortisol, growth hormone, or thyroid hormone
  • Severe heart, kidney, or liver failure
  • Infection that affects the whole body (sepsis)
  • Some types of weight-loss surgery (usually 5 or more years after the surgery)
  • Medicines not used to treat diabetes (certain antibiotics or heart medicines)
What are the symptoms of Low Blood Sugar?

Symptoms you may have when your blood sugar gets too low include:

  • Double vision or blurry vision
  • Fast or pounding heartbeat
  • Feeling cranky or acting aggressive
  • Feeling nervous
  • Headache
  • Hunger
  • Seizures
  • Shaking or trembling
  • Sweating
  • Tingling or numbness of the skin
  • Tiredness or weakness
  • Trouble sleeping
  • Unclear thinking

In many people with diabetes, low blood sugar causes nearly the same symptoms every time it happens. Not everybody feels low blood sugar symptoms the same way.

Some symptoms, like hunger or sweating, occur when blood sugar is only slightly low. More severe symptoms, such as unclear thinking or seizure, may occur when the blood sugar is much lower (less than 54 mg/dL or 3.0 mmol/L).

Even if you do not have symptoms, your blood sugar could still be too low (called hypoglycemic unawareness). You may not even know you have low blood sugar until you faint, have a seizure, or go into a coma. If you have diabetes, ask your health care provider if wearing a continuous glucose monitor can help you detect when your blood sugar is getting too low to help prevent a medical emergency. Some continuous glucose monitors can alert you and other people that you designate when your blood sugar decreases below a set level.

If you have diabetes, keeping good control of your blood sugar can help prevent low blood sugar. Talk to your provider if you're not sure about the causes and symptoms of low blood sugar.

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What are the current treatments for Low Blood Sugar?

The goal of treatment is to correct your low blood sugar level. It is also important to try and identify the reason why the blood sugar was low to prevent another low blood sugar episode from happening.

If you have diabetes, it is important that your provider teaches you how to treat yourself for low blood sugar. Treatment may include:

  • Drinking juice
  • Eating food
  • Taking glucose tablets

Or you may have been told to give yourself a shot of glucagon. This is a medicine that raises blood sugar.

If low blood sugar is caused by an insulinoma, surgery to remove the tumor will be recommended.

Who are the top Low Blood Sugar Local Doctors?
Elite in Low Blood Sugar
Pediatric Endocrinology | Pediatrics
Elite in Low Blood Sugar
Pediatric Endocrinology | Pediatrics

Yale University

1 Long Wharf Dr, 
New Haven, CT 
Languages Spoken:
English

Stuart Weinzimer is a Pediatric Endocrinologist and a Pediatrics provider in New Haven, Connecticut. Dr. Weinzimer and is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Low Blood Sugar. His top areas of expertise are Type 1 Diabetes (T1D), Low Blood Sugar, Diabetic Ketoacidosis, and Congenital Hyperinsulinism.

Simon R. Heller
Elite in Low Blood Sugar
Elite in Low Blood Sugar
Sheffield, ENG, GB 

Simon Heller practices in Sheffield, United Kingdom. Mr. Heller and is rated as an Elite expert by MediFind in the treatment of Low Blood Sugar. His top areas of expertise are Low Blood Sugar, Type 1 Diabetes (T1D), Type 2 Diabetes (T2D), and Acute Coronary Syndrome.

 
 
 
 
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Richard M. Bergenstal
Elite in Low Blood Sugar
Elite in Low Blood Sugar
3800 Park Nicollet Blvd, 
St Louis Park, MN 
Languages Spoken:
English
Accepting New Patients

Richard Bergenstal is an Endocrinologist in St Louis Park, Minnesota. Dr. Bergenstal and is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Low Blood Sugar. His top areas of expertise are Low Blood Sugar, Type 2 Diabetes (T2D), Type 1 Diabetes (T1D), and Gestational Diabetes. Dr. Bergenstal is currently accepting new patients.

What are the possible complications of Low Blood Sugar?

Severe low blood sugar is a medical emergency. It can cause seizures and brain damage. Severe low blood sugar that causes you to become unconscious is called hypoglycemic or insulin shock.

Even one episode of severe low blood sugar may make it less likely for you to have symptoms that allow you to recognize another episode of low blood sugar. Episodes of severe low blood sugar can make people afraid to take insulin as prescribed by their provider.

When should I contact a medical professional for Low Blood Sugar?

If signs of low blood sugar do not improve after you have eaten a snack that has sugar:

  • Get a ride to the emergency room. Do not drive yourself.
  • Call 911 or the local emergency number

Get medical help right away for a person with diabetes or low blood sugar who:

  • Becomes less alert
  • Cannot be woken up
What are the latest Low Blood Sugar Clinical Trials?
Fasting Hypoglycemia: Diagnosis and Treatment

Summary: Hypoglycemia is the term used to refer to lower than normal levels of blood sugar. This study will continue to research the causes of hypoglycemia. Patients involved in the study will be admitted to the Clinical Center of the National Institutes of Health and undergo tests for evaluating blood sugar. Patients will be required to refrain from eating for a set period of time and will undergo blood t...

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MANATEE-T1D: Metformin ANd AutomaTEd Insulin Delivery System Effects on Renal Vascular Resistance, Insulin Sensitivity, and Cardiometabolic Function in Youth With Type 1 Diabetes

Summary: Diabetic kidney disease and cardiovascular disease remain the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in people with type 1 diabetes and are exacerbated with longer duration of diabetes and time outside goal glycemic range. Yet, type 1 diabetes is a complex disease with pathophysiology that extends beyond beta-cell injury and insulin deficiency to include insulin resistance and renal vascular re...

Who are the sources who wrote this article ?

Published Date: February 28, 2024
Published By: Sandeep K. Dhaliwal, MD, board-certified in Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolism, Springfield, VA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

What are the references for this article ?

American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee. 6. Glycemic Goals and Hypoglycemia: Standards of Care in Diabetes-2024. Diabetes Care. 2024;47(Suppl 1):S111-S125. PMID: 38078586 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38078586/.

Cryer PE, Arbeláez AM. Hypoglycemia. In: Melmed S, Auchus RJ, Goldfine AB, Koenig RJ, Rosen CJ, eds. Williams Textbook of Endocrinology. 14th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 38.