Low blood sugar symptoms can be elusive. Depending on the degree of hypoglycemia the symptoms may vary from cravings for sweets to shaking and sweating.
Cravings and energy drop – two low blood sugar symptoms
Milder low blood sugar symptoms usually pass without being noticed as the body has many different ways of correcting hypoglycemia without causing undue alarm.
People experiencing dropping blood sugar may correct it by reaching for sugars and carbohydrates without even suspecting that this craving is the first warning signal of hormonal imbalance. Some reach for coffee due to low energy levels, which also may be one of the low blood sugar symptoms. Unfortunately repeated lows followed by pick-me-up foods or drinks do not lead to hormonal correction but a vicious cycle that may lead to diabetes.
Other low blood sugar symptoms
Low blood sugar symptoms can vary and be elusive to an unsuspecting person, especially that dysregulation of glucose may be the result of hormonal disruption of another system or an organ. A common example is adrenal exhaustion.
Adrenals play a huge role in sugar regulation and low blood sugar symptoms may be the result of adrenal fatigue. Wrong eating habits greatly contribute to adrenal fatigue and thus cause hypoglycemia symptoms, some of which are very surprising.
Among the most common low blood sugar symptoms are:
- Fluctuation of energy throughout the day
- Forgetfulness, inattention
- Light-headedness, dizziness
- Anxiety, panic, nervousness
- Difficulty losing or gaining weight
- Carb and sugar addiction
- Headaches
For a complete list of hypoglycemia symptoms download the chart below. This chart should end up on your fridge. This way you will always know if your symptoms are related to low blood sugar.
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Low blood sugar symptoms precede diabetes
Stay on the lookout for symptoms of dropping sugar because these may be your only warning signs of approaching diabetes. Why early detection matters? Because the phase of low or fluctuating blood sugar is relatively easy to correct, reversing diabetes is a daunting task.
Knowing how to spot blood sugar symptoms can make a big difference to your health. It can even help avoid future diagnosis of diabetes. This detective work is even more important if diabetes runs in the family and seems to have a genetic component.
Low or fluctuating blood sugar
Some people may be surprised to learn that after a few years they not only have low, but now also spiking blood sugar. This scenario is common. Low numbers usually precede a high-low phase as the metabolic disruption continues. High-low phase, in turn, precede continuous high glucose readings, unless the person makes serious lifestyle changes.
Diabetes type 2 is the final stage of metabolic disruption and develops years or decades after the first symptoms of sugar dysregulation can be detected.
It is not difficult to prevent diabetes however distinguishing between low and high blood sugar symptoms is of great importance. Knowing how the body processes glucose is vital. Different dietary and treatment approaches are needed for different circumstances. To distinguish low and high blood sugar symptoms go to: How to spot symptoms of pre-diabetes
Low blood sugar + bigger belly?
It is usually said that larger circumferences belong to diabetics however, that may not be entirely true. Not all large-belly individuals have diabetes however, this is true: large belly never signifies good health. In case of a combination of larger waist and low blood sugar one should worry about being in a pre-diabetic phase.
As metabolic pre-diabetes starts with inflammation and not with spiking glucose, it is insufficient to use standard diabetic markers such as fasting blood sugar. Fasting blood glucose and HbA1C cannot thoroughly assess for early diabetic risk. It only can tell whether diabetes is already full-blown or nearly full-blown.
To discover a true metabolic picture, inflammatory markers such as IL-6 as well as adiponectin (anti-diabetic hormone), must be tested as well. High blood levels of IL-6 and low levels of adiponectin are strong predictors of diabetic tendencies and they should be taken seriously. Low levels of adiponectin can be detected even before low blood sugar symptoms develop.
High level of adiponectin is very desirable because it protects against overproduction of insulin which causes blood sugar dips. Adiponectin prevents development of pre-diabetes and diabetes. Get tested, because if you experience low blood sugar symptoms chances are your adiponectin level is already quite low.
