What are Low Blood Sugar Symptoms in diabetes?

Hypoglycemia or low blood sugar is a common problem---many people experience symptoms of hypoglycemia.

Some of the common symptoms of hypoglycemia or low blood sugar are;

• Trembling or shaking of hands and legs  
• Cold and clammy skin,
• Palpitations (or awareness of your own fast heart beats),
• Anxiety or nervousness
• Excessive sweating,
• Feeling hungry, and
• Irritability.

If low blood sugar levels persist the brain also becomes deprived of glucose. If the brain remains deprived of glucose the following symptoms may occur;

• difficulty in thinking, concentrating and confusion
• headache,
• seizures and/or coma.

A single episode of low blood sugar is not alarming. But repeated episodes of documented hypoglycemia in people not on medications to treat diabetes needs to be evaluated carefully by an endocrinologist. If you have repeated episodes of low blood sugar or chronic hypoglycemia, your body loses it’s ability to respond vigorously to low blood sugar.

If you have repeated episodes of symptoms suggestive of low blood sugar consult your doctor.

Dr Poonam Sachdeva, our in-house medical expert talks about the why what and how in diabetes.