What Are the Signs & Symptoms of Low Blood Sugar Upon Awakening?

Waking up with low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, can be extremely unpleasant. The sensations you feel are triggered when your blood glucose level drops below normal, and their intensity with depend upon whether your symptoms are mild, moderate or severe. An isolated symptom is not always so noticeable, but several at once are clearly indicative of low blood sugar.

Awakening Mid-Sleep

• Having a nightmare is easy to brush off, but it is actually one of the symptoms of low blood sugar. Waking up extra alert, or with sweaty pajamas or sheets, are among the other symptoms. Immediately check your blood sugar upon experiencing any of these occurrences.

Symptoms Upon Awakening

• If you don't have any problems sleeping through your usual sleep cycle, you might have some symptoms upon awakening for the day. If you have slept through a period of low blood sugar, you might wake up feeling foggy-headed or experience a loss of short-term memory. You might also notice a definite drop in your mood. If you feel cranky, irritable or tired after waking up, you might have had hypoglycemia during your sleep. Hunger and shakiness as well as anxiety and weakness are also indicators.

Preventative Measures

• Try testing your blood sugar at 2 a.m., several nights in a row. This can help you diagnose your symptoms and see if you are sleeping through nighttime insulin reactions. Be sure to eat a healthy diet. A well-balanced regimen can keep your glucose levels at a normal rate more often than an erratic, poorly-planned diet.

  Avoid drinking alcoholic beverages on an empty stomach. This can cause insulin issues one to two days later. Hypoglycemia can happen suddenly. Make sure to keep glucose-rich foods on-hand (orange juice and sweet foods like candy or cakes) and cure mild symptoms by having just a little bit. Keeping raw nuts around is another good idea, because eating a few can go a long way towards regulating blood sugar levels. If left untreated, hypoglycemia can worsen and cause confusion, clumsiness or fainting. Severe symptoms include seizure, coma and death.