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Signs & Symptoms of Low Blood Sugar

Low blood sugar is also known as hypoglycemia. Though most common among diabetics, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC), diseases, including cancer, and a poor diet can trigger the condition. Your body usually keeps blood sugar, or glucose levels, within a normal range. With hypoglycemia they fall to severely low levels. In diabetics, excess insulin causes blood sugar to drop.

  1. Mild Hypoglycemia

    • According to the University of Michigan Health System (UMHS), healthy blood glucose levels are between 70 and 99 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). A case of mild hypoglycemia occurs when it falls to under 70 mg/dL. In this scenario, symptoms include nausea, extreme hunger, a nervous or jittery feeling, rapid heartbeat and trembling. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) notes that diabetics are usually able to treat this situation on their own by consuming some form of sugar, such as three glucose tablets or a half cup of fruit juice.

    Moderate Hypoglycemia

    • Moderate hypoglycemia occurs when blood sugar levels drop below 55 mg/dL, explains UMHS. At this stage, the nervous system is impacted. The brain feels more severe effects also, as glucose is its main energy source, according to UMMC doctors. Symptoms of moderate hypoglycemia include mood changes, confusion, inability to concentrate, blurred vision, headache, weakness, difficulty walking and slurred speech, points out UMHS. This type of hypoglycemia can also be self-treated.

    Severe Hypoglycemia

    • At the severe stage, blood sugar levels have plummeted to below 35-40 mg/dL, says UMHS experts. Seizures or convulsions, low body temperature and a loss of consciousness, potentially leading to a coma can occur. At this point, emergency treatment is required, advises the ADA. If you pass out as your hypoglycemia worsens, the ADA stresses you must receive an injection of glucagon, a hormone that raises blood sugar, or emergency care in a hospital immediately. UMHS cautions that severe hypoglycemia can lead to irreversible brain damage or heart problems and, without prompt treatment, death.

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