The focus of diabetes management is to lower your blood sugar levels with insulin. However, there is a risk of blood sugar dropping too low.
Low blood sugar (lower than 70 mg/dL) is called hypoglycemia. If hypoglycemia is mild or moderate, it can be treated with fast-acting carbohydrates like hard candies and juice.
Low blood sugar is considered severe (a blood sugar emergency) if you are too weak or confused to eat or drink anything and need another person to help you recover. If blood sugar drops too low, you may lose consciousness and could choke on food or liquids.
While many risk factors for low blood sugar relate to specific actions, some factors may be out of your control.
Every person has different symptoms when their blood sugar drops. It’s important to know which ones you feel when your blood sugar is very low, so you and the people around you know what symptoms of very low blood sugar to look out for.
For some people living with diabetes, their blood sugar can drop dangerously low without feeling any symptoms. This is called hypoglycemia unawareness.
If you experience very low blood sugar often, then you may develop hypoglycemia unawareness. Hypoglycemia unawareness can make it difficult to be ready for an unexpected drop in blood sugar.
It’s important that you and the people around you know what to do if very low blood sugar occurs. They may be able to help if your blood sugar drops too low without you noticing.
Up to
of people living with type 1 diabetes may experience hypoglycemia unawareness
If you wear a continuous glucose monitor (CGM), you may still be at risk for very low blood sugar