Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia, also called low blood sugar, occurs when your blood glucose (blood sugar) level drops too low to provide enough energy for your body's activities. In adults or children older than 10 years, hypoglycemia is uncommon except as a side effect of diabetes treatment, but it can result from other medications or diseases, hormone or enzyme deficiencies, or tumors.

Glucose, a form of sugar, is an important fuel for your body. Carbohydrates are the main dietary sources of glucose. Rice, potatoes, bread, tortillas, cereal, milk, fruit, and sweets are all carbohydrate-rich foods.

After a meal, glucose molecules are absorbed into your bloodstream and carried to the cells, where they are used for energy. Insulin, a hormone produced by your pancreas, helps glucose enter cells. If you take in more glucose than your body needs at the time, your body stores the extra glucose in your liver and muscles in a form called glycogen. Your body can use the stored glucose whenever it is needed for energy between meals. Extra glucose can also be converted to fat and stored in fat cells.

When blood glucose begins to fall, glucagon, another hormone produced by the pancreas, signals the liver to break down glycogen and release glucose, causing blood glucose levels to rise toward a normal level. If you have diabetes, this glucagon response to hypoglycemia may be impaired, making it harder for your glucose levels to return to the normal range.

Symptoms

Symptoms of hypoglycemia include hunger, nervousness and shakiness, perspiration, dizziness or light-headedness, sleepiness, confusion, difficulty speaking, or feeling anxious or weak. Hypoglycemia can also happen while you are sleeping. You might cry out or have nightmares, find that your pajamas or sheets are damp from perspiration, or feel tired, irritable, or confused when you wake up.

Reactive Hypoglycemia in People Who Do Not Have Diabetes

Reactive Hypoglycemia symptoms resemble the symptoms that people with diabetes and hypoglycemia experience: hunger, nervousness, perspiration, shakiness, dizziness, light-headedness, sleepiness, confusion, difficulty speaking, and feeling anxious or weak. In reactive hypoglycemia, symptoms appear within 4 hours after you eat a meal. People with this condition are usually advised to follow a healthy eating plan recommended by a registered dietitian.

Causes and Treatment

The causes of most cases of reactive hypoglycemia are still open to debate. Some researchers suggest that certain people may be more sensitive to the body's normal release of the hormone epinephrine, which causes many of the symptoms of hypoglycemia. Others believe that deficiencies in glucagon secretion might lead to hypoglycemia.

A few causes of reactive hypoglycemia are certain, but they are uncommon. Gastric (stomach) surgery, for instance, can cause hypoglycemia because of the rapid passage of food into the small intestine. Also, rare enzyme deficiencies diagnosed early in life, such as hereditary fructose intolerance, may cause reactive hypoglycemia.

To relieve reactive hypoglycemia, some health professionals recommend taking the following steps:

• eat small meals and snacks about every 3 hours
• exercise regularly
• eat a variety of foods, including meat, poultry, fish, or nonmeat sources of protein; starchy foods such as whole-grain bread, rice, and potatoes; fruits; vegetables; and dairy products
• choose high-fiber foods
• avoid or limit foods high in sugar, especially on an empty stomach

Hypoglycemia: A Side Effect of Diabetes Medications

Hypoglycemia can occur in people with diabetes who take certain medications to keep their blood glucose levels in control. Usually hypoglycemia is mild and can easily be treated by eating or drinking something with carbohydrate. But left untreated, hypoglycemia can lead to loss of consciousness. Although hypoglycemia can happen suddenly, it can usually be treated quickly, bringing your blood glucose level back to normal.

Causes of Hypoglycemia

In people taking certain blood-glucose lowering medications, blood glucose can fall too low for a number of reasons:

• meals or snacks that are too small, delayed, or skipped
• excessive doses of insulin or some diabetes medications, including sulfonylureas and meglitinides (Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors, biguanides, and thiazolidinediones alone should not cause hypoglycemia but can when used with other diabetes medicines.)
• increased activity or exercise
• excessive drinking of alcohol

Prevention

Your diabetes treatment plan is designed to match your medication dosage and schedule to your usual meals and activities. If you take insulin but then skip a meal, the insulin will still lower your blood glucose, but it will not find the food it is designed to break down. This mismatch might result in hypoglycemia. To help prevent hypoglycemia, you should keep in mind several things:

• Your diabetes medications: Some medications can cause hypoglycemia. Ask your health care provider if yours can. Also, always take medications and insulin in the recommended doses and at the recommended times.
• Your meal plan: Meet with a registered dietitian and agree on a meal plan that fits your preferences and lifestyle. Do your best to follow this meal plan most of the time. Eat regular meals, have enough food at each meal, and try not to skip meals or snacks.
• Your daily activity: Talk to your health care team about whether you should have a snack or adjust your medication before sports or exercise. If you know that you will be more active than usual or will be doing something that is not part of your normal routine - shoveling snow, for example - consider having a snack first.
• Alcoholic beverages: Drinking, especially on an empty stomach, can cause hypoglycemia, even a day or two later. If you drink an alcoholic beverage, always have a snack or meal at the same time.
• Your diabetes management plan: Intensive diabetes management - keeping your blood glucose as close to the normal range as possible to prevent long-term complications - can increase the risk of hypoglycemia. If your goal is tight control, talk to your health care team about ways to prevent hypoglycemia and how best to treat it if it does occur.

HerbaCall Hypoglycemia testimonials

• In an HerbaCall testimonial, Linda Scott tells us how "The Herbalife program controls her blood sugar and has her hypoglycemia under control."
• Paul Mudrick says that "Herbalife has taken care of his hypoglycemia, blood pressure and allergy problems."
• Renee Peeples tells HerbaCall that "she was overweight, anemic and hypoglycemic. Because of Herbalife, she's now lost 34 pounds, has perfect iron levels, and her hypoglycemia is under control."
• Kristy DeHaan writes that she "has had no symptoms of Hypoglycemia since she started on the Herbalife program!"

How can Herbalife help control your hypoglycemia?

Herbalife's ShapeWorks programs, particularly those with extra protein, can stabilize your blood sugar, reducing the uncontrolled blood sugar swings of hypoglycemia. Herbalife protein snacks like the protein bar, roasted soy nuts, drink and soup mixes give you long-lasting nutrition that causes much slower insulin responses than carbohydrates cause.

Want more information and more Herbalife testimonials?

Visit the HerbaCall Resource Centers for more detailed information on many health conditions, news, and research links. Herbacall has a wealth of testimonials on Hypoglycemia and other conditions. Herbalife products can help keep your blood sugar steady!