Low Blood Sugar Symptoms
How often have you felt tired between 11 in the morning and 3 pm? Have you felt the craving to eat a sweet snack, drink coffee, or down a soda? Are you suddenly energized only to find yourself tired in the next few hours? You might feel worn out, depressed, irritable, or touchy. You may even experience sweating, trembling, headaches, or even numbness. Your bad temper in the mornings drives everyone at home crazy until you have breakfast, and voila, you are your charming self again. All of these are symptoms of low blood sugar.
What Is It? Low blood sugar, also called hypoglycemia, is defined as blood glucose level less than 60 to 70mg/dl. It can occur whenever insulin is used. Low sugar may occur with no symptoms, minor symptoms, or full blown symptoms. This varies from person to person. Some of the symptoms could be hunger, blurred vision, nausea or vomiting, fast heart rate, frequent sighing, confusion, poor concentration, pale appearance, or loss of consciousness. Check your blood sugar level immediately. At nigh times you may have nightmares, wake up alert, wake up with fast heart rate, damp night clothes or sheets, or restlessness or inability to go back to sleep. Try to keep a tab on the sugar levels at 2 am for a few nights. You may have to look out for symptoms which you might otherwise ignore and keep a check on your sugar levels.
What are the Causes? The intake of large amounts of refined carbohydrates and sugary foods can cause low blood sugar. These foods generally disable organs like pancreas, adrenal glands, and liver to take care of the sugars efficiently. The other reasons can include the malfunctioning of organs like the liver or pituitary glands. It can also happen due to tumors.
What are the Remedies? The problem can be solved in many ways. You have to increase your intake of vitamins. Vitamins C, E, and B-complex are good to treat low blood sugar. These vitamins help increase sugar and carbohydrate tolerance and normalize sugar metabolism in the body. Vitamin E improves glycogen storage in the muscles. You can eat two apples a day, which will help relieve the problem. Molasses is highly beneficial and a glass of molasses sherbet will ease any feeling of giddiness.
What Sort of Diet Should I Follow? A healthy diet with grains, seeds and nuts, vegetables, and fruits and supplemented with milk and milk products and vegetable oils is ideal for treating low blood sugar. Cooked grains maintain blood sugar levels for a longer time. You may eat six to eight small meals through the day instead of the conventional three. Milk, buttermilk, or fruit juice are also helpful. Try to avoid refined and processed foods like white flour, and all their by-products.
