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Symptoms and Treatment of Low Blood Glucose1
Linda B. Bobroff2Low blood glucose, also called hypoglycemia, can be life threatening for people with diabetes. It can be caused by eating too little food, taking too much insulin or oral diabetes medication, or being extra active. Left untreated, low blood glucose can progress to diabetic coma. Everyone with diabetes needs to know the symptoms of low blood glucose so they can take action right away.* If you work or live with someone with diabetes, you should know the symptoms and treatment too!
CREDITS: Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Figure 1. Graphic printed with permission of Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals, Inc. *The only way to know for sure that your blood glucose is low is to test it with your meter.
Treating Low Blood Glucose
Before you feel symptoms, be prepared!
- Ask your doctor what "number" is low blood glucose for you. That way you will know ahead of time when to treat yourself. Also ask how much sugar to take if your blood glucose is low.
- Always carry pre-measured sugar. The easiest is glucose tablets or gel, table sugar, or hard candy. One dose is 10 to 15 grams.
- Many people confuse symptoms of low blood sugar with general fatigue or weakness, so it is important to TEST.
When you feel symptoms
STEP 1. Check your blood glucose. If you can't check your blood, but feel like your blood glucose is low, treat it as low.STEP 2. If your blood glucose is low (or you feel that it is low), eat something that will get glucose into your blood fast.
If your blood glucose is less than 70 mg/dL*
If still low, call your doctor!
- Eat 15 grams of sugar (see list of foods)
- Wait 15 minutes and test again
- If still below 70 mg/dL, eat 15 grams again, or if it is close to the time of your regular meal, eat your regular meal, balancing protein and carbohydrates
- Wait 15 minutes and test again.
Foods with 10 to 15 grams of sugar
2 to 3 teaspoons of sugar 5 to 7 Lifesavers® 2 teaspoons honey 6 jellybeans 2 teaspoons corn syrup 10 gumdrops 2 tablespoons raisins 3/4 cup to 1 cup fat free or 1% milk 1/2 cup regular soda cake decorating gel (check nutritional facts) 1/2 cup fruit juice
If your blood glucose is less than 50 mg/dL*
If still low, call your doctor!
- Eat 30 grams of sugar (see list and eat twice that amount)
- Wait 15 minutes and test again
- If still below 50 mg/dL, eat 30 grams again
- Wait 15 minutes and test again.
After treating low blood glucose
Call your doctor before you take your next insulin dose or your diabetes medication.If you will not be eating a meal within 30 minutes, have a snack with protein and carbohydrate.
Snack ideas:
*mg/dL = milligrams per deciliter of blood
- Peanut butter or cheese crackers
- Half of a sandwich (cheese or meat or peanut butter)
Footnotes
1. This document is FCS8749, one of a series of the Family Youth and Community Sciences Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Original publication date August 7, 2002. Revised August 29, 2007. Visit the EDIS Web Site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.2. Linda B. Bobroff, PhD, RD, LD/N, professor, Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, 32611.
The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Larry Arrington, Dean.
Copyright Information
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