Can the symptoms of hypoglycemia be worse in extreme heat? I seem to suffer more when the weather is hot.


Hypoglycaemia is the rapid drop in glucose or sugar levels in the human body. The most common symptom is when you start feeling weak rapidly because you haven’t eaten in some time. Eating something like a chocolate will usually do the trick temporarily.

When we eat food, our body converts the food to glucose which acts as the energy. Our body or actually our pancreas produces insulin. This insulin control the glucose levels in our body, storing the excess or sourcing more when there is a deficit. In some people, this insulin function stops working and the body is not able to regulate the insulin levels. Diabetes is that condition where the human body is not able to process sugar or glucose anymore because the insulin is not regulated.

Hypoglycaemia is usually a term associated with people suffering from diabetes. In diabetics, hypoglycaemia occurs when extra insulin is taken or food is not eaten at the correct time. Diabetics usually take insulin or medication to regulate the sugar levels in their body. Therefore, if they do eat food at regular intervals, their digestive system can play havoc on the sugar or glucose levels because the medicine controls the sugar level irrespective of the food intake. Rapid decrease in these sugar levels is hypoglycaemia.

The main symptoms of hypoglycaemia include feeling dizzy, slurring words, feeling sluggish and blackouts in extreme cases. In case of diabetics, they usually can spot the onset of the symptoms quite quickly.

Some people have even observed that they go into hypoglycaemic states faster when they are in the sun. While there is very little research to indicate the heat is a factor, it can cause the body to burn more energy thereby leading to a hypoglycaemic state.

Home remedies usually include short term relief measures. When you start feeling like energy levels are dipping, you need to give your body some raw sugar. Sugar, chocolate or something very sweet works. But you need to be careful at such times especially for diabetics. In a bid to raise glucose levels, you should not inadvertently raise levels so high that you have to deal with high glucose levels.

Reference

  1. http://www.joslin.harvard.edu/info/Hypoglycemia_and_Outdoor_Activities.html

answered by G R

Hypoglycemia or low blood sugar symptoms may be impacted by higher temperatures in some people. Ensure you are drinking at least 1/2 your body weight in ounces of pure/filtered water daily to help your body regulate pH and eliminate.

answered by Dr K B N


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