Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia can be diagnosed when a person's blood sugar falls lower than 70 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). Blood sugar that falls lower than 54 mg/dL is considered severely low and may make you faint, so you will need medical attention right away.1

Untreated hypoglycemia can be dangerous. If you have been diagnosed with diabetes and are experiencing hypoglycemia, your treatment plan may need to be adjusted. If you have symptoms of hypoglycemia and have never been diagnosed with diabetes, your healthcare provider will need to find the cause.

This article covers how hypoglycemia is diagnosed and how you can check for hypoglycemia at home if you have diabetes. It also explains what tests healthcare providers order for people who have never received a diabetes diagnosis.

If you think your blood sugar may be dipping too low, check your blood sugar level with a blood glucose meter. If you have symptoms of low blood sugar but can't check your blood sugar level right away, assume your blood sugar is low and treat for hypoglycemia.

Hypoglycemic management

Eat or drink carbohydrates

Eat or drink something that's mostly sugar or carbohydrates to raise your blood sugar level quickly. Pure glucose — available in tablets, gels and other forms — is the preferred treatment.

Foods with more fat, such as chocolate, don't raise blood sugar as quickly. And diet soft drinks cannot be used to treat an episode of hypoglycemia because they don't have any sugar.

Examples of foods that do raise your blood sugar level quickly include:

Four glucose tablets (available without a prescription at most pharmacies)

A serving of glucose gel (read the label for amount)

Five to 6 pieces of hard candy or jelly beans (check the food label for the exact serving)

Four ounces (120 milliliters) of fruit juice or regular — not diet — soda

One tablespoon (15 milliliters) of sugar, corn syrup or honey

In general, food or drink with 15 to 20 grams of carbohydrates is often enough to raise your blood sugar levels back into a safe range.

Recheck your blood sugar level

Check your blood sugar level 15 minutes after eating or drinking something to treat your hypoglycemia. If your blood sugar is still low, eat or drink another 15 to 20 grams of carbohydrates. Repeat this pattern until your blood sugar is above 70 mg/dL (3.9 mmol/L).

Have a snack or meal

Have a snack or a meal to keep your blood sugar from dropping again. If you typically take insulin with food, you generally don't need additional insulin if you're eating a snack after having a low blood sugar level. If you're going to eat a meal, however, you may need a reduced dose of insulin to ensure that your blood sugar doesn't rise too quickly.

It's important to try not to overtreat your low blood sugar. If you do, you may cause your blood sugar level to rise too high, which will make you feel thirsty and tired.