Managing a hypo
When your blood glucose level drops quickly and below a safe level, this is called hypoglycaemia, or a ‘hypo’ for short. A hypo can be a scary thing for you to go through, but it can be managed effectively.
What is a hypo?
Effectively managing a hypo is crucial for anyone living with diabetes. There might be times when you have too much insulin in your blood stream and subsequently, too little blood sugar circulating in your body. This may be because of too much over indulgence over the festive period, perhaps through excessive intakes of carb laden food, alcohol and subsequent disturbed sleeping patterns. It may be due to skipping meals whilst taking metformin. Or, it may also be - if you are injecting insulin - that you accidentally injected more than you needed, because you’ve been very active, because you haven’t eaten or you’ve had less carbohydrate than you thought. No matter the cause, understanding how to manage a suspected hypo is very important. This also includes friends and loved ones who may have to intervene if you end up wit a severe hypo that could lead you to become unconscious.
Recognise the symptoms of a hypo
Having a hypo can be a frightening experience. Symptoms are different for everyone (and you may not get any at all), but they may include:
Shaking
Sweating
Dizziness
Hunger
Blurred vision
Difficulty concentrating
Feeling anxious
Changes in behaviour
Managing a hypo
If you feel like this, you should check your blood glucose level. If it is low you will need to eat or drink something that contains carbohydrate to bring your blood glucose back up into the normal level. How much carbohydrate you need will depend on how low your blood glucose has dropped but in general, five jelly babies, five glucose tablets, or 150ml of non-diet soft drink or fruit juice are handy go-to solutions.
You should always check your blood glucose 10 to 15 minutes after you have treated your hypo. If your level is still low, you should eat a further 15 grams of carbohydrate and check again in 10 to 15 minutes. You can’t always predict when your blood glucose is going to drop too low so it’s advisable for you to carry a hypo treatment with you at all times.
You may find that your blood glucose levels run high for many hours after a hypo. This might be the effect of what you ate to try to correct the low blood glucose level. However, your body may also release hormones to try to protect you from having a more serious hypo, triggering a release of the stored glucose from your liver. Working on having fewer hypos will stop these post-hypo highs happening.
Hypo unawareness in diabetes
Some people are naturally unaware of hypos. Even if you have been aware of them previously, frequently having a hypo might make it harder for you to recognise the symptoms. The obvious signs of shaking and sweating seem to go and a feeling of vagueness might be your only sign. This is often referred to as hypo unawareness. This is why it’s important to have those who are close to you - friends, family, work colleagues - to become equally aware of how to recognise a hypo and how to assist.
Getting help in an emergency
On occasion your blood glucose might drop so low that you are unable to treat the hypo yourself. This may happen if you have hypo unawareness, you ignore the symptoms, or you’re not quick enough to act for another reason.
Again, it’s important to reiterate, it’s a good idea to teach your family, friends and work colleagues how to recognise and treat a hypo if you cannot. They should only give you something to eat or drink if you can respond to their commands. However, if there is sudden panic, or they simply don’t know what to do, or there is nothing at hands reach, simply start with a glass of sugary water and get them to call 999. Staying with you until professional help arrives.
Extracts taken from https://jdrf.org.uk