How to test myself for hypoglycaemia?

[jessie]

Hi all. First post newbie here. I am not diabetic so I may have joined here incorrectly. I am looking for advice as have a big problem with falling asleep after any meal. It was suggested it may be due to hypoglycaemia so I've bought a blood test monitor with strips but no idea how or when would be the best times to use it.
I have used the 'search' here and read older posts on hypoglycaemia and hoping I can deal with this problem with diet etc. Really grateful for any help at all, thanks. j

 

[Kaylz]

Falling asleep after meals especially if carby meals would suggest hyperglycaemia rather than hypoglycaemia, I'd just conduct a few tests throughout the day maybe before eating and 2 hours after just as us diabetics would do but hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) would lead you more likely to feeling shaky, sweating etc xx

 

[Bruce Stephens]

Low blood glucose sometimes makes me feel sleepy so I wouldn't rule it out. Regardless, taking a test when you feel sleepy after a meal is an obvious first thing to try. If the result is lower than around 4.5 then that would be oddly low, and if the reading's above 8.0 then that's oddly high. (The test strips and meters have an error rate, so don't take it as definitive. But a result outside that sort of range would suggest it's worth asking your GP.)

 

[jessie]

Thanks Kaylz. Apologies for my ignorance with hyper/hypoglycaemia. I'll do as you suggest and keep a note of numbers. Thanks for such a prompt response. j

 

[jessie]

Low blood glucose sometimes makes me feel sleepy so I wouldn't rule it out. Regardless, taking a test when you feel sleepy after a meal is an obvious first thing to try. If the result is lower than around 4.5 then that would be oddly low, and if the reading's above 8.0 then that's oddly high. (The test strips and meters have an error rate, so don't take it as definitive. But a result outside that sort of range would suggest it's worth asking your GP.)

Thank you Bruce, that gives me something to go by. I seem to zonk out after eating - some minestrone soup and after half an hour I'm asleep for well over an hour! Quite ridiculous, got to find out how to help myself. j

 

[Thebearcametoo]

Just to give you an idea of numbers, target glucose levels are 4+ with some people given a range of 4-7 to aim at and others 4-9 or 4-10. Over 16 is high and needs checking out ASAP because you may also have ketones. By your symptoms I would say you need to see the GP anyway but having some numbers with the checks before meals and 2 hours after gives them some data to work off. Do you know how to prick your finger? Avoid the pad and use the side but not too close to the nail. Generally it’s good to not use your index finger or thumb if you’re likely to be doing it often as you use those fingers more.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Hope you find some answers @jessie

There’s an write-up about hypoglycaemia here which includes a list of common symptoms that you might find useful: https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/complications/hypos

Everyone has different symptoms, but the most common symptoms of a hypo are:

• trembling and feeling shaky
• sweating
• being anxious or irritable
• going pale
• palpitations and a fast pulse
• lips feeling tingly
• blurred sight
• being hungry
• feeling tearful
• tiredness
• having a headache
• lack of concentration.

 

[TheClockworkDodo]

I think the condition it's been suggested you might have is Reactive Hypoglycaemia - this isn't quite like hypoglycaemia in diabetics, which is why @Kaylz was surprised by its being characterised by falling asleep after meals. With RH your blood glucose goes up too fast after a meal, your body puts out too much insulin to cope with this, and then you have a "sugar crash" - which is just like a diabetic hypo, and is where RH gets its name. But during the time your glucose is going up too fast, immediately after your meal, you are very likely to fall asleep. There's a useful article about RH here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reactive_hypoglycemia My partner R has it, and the treatment for it is to reduce carbs as much as you sustainably can (especially sugary carbs); eat little and often; never eat carbs without also eating fat to slow them down; eat something fatty (a full-fat yogurt is good) last thing at night to stop night-time hypos; eat plenty of fibre, and get regular exercise.

Testing like a diabetic, two hours after food, may not be helpful - you may end up catching your blood sugar halfway between the rapid spike and the resulting crash and thinking it's perfectly normal. R doesn't have a meter and the odd occasions when I've tested his blood sugar with mine have not been informative, tbh - I suspect by the time I dealt with his symptoms and got the meter out to see what was going on, his sugar levels had sorted themselves out. But if he eats a lot he falls asleep, and if he goes without eating for any length of time he ends up sitting on the floor shaking and I have to feed him dried fruit! I think to get a good idea of RH you might need to eat and then test every hour to see how your blood sugar changes, fairly systematically over a few days, but I'm not sure snapshots like this of what your blood sugar's doing at that moment will tell you how fast it's going up or down, if it is RH you have.

 

[jessie]

I think the condition it's been suggested you might have is Reactive Hypoglycaemia - this isn't quite like hypoglycaemia in diabetics, which is why @Kaylz was surprised by its being characterised by falling asleep after meals. With RH your blood glucose goes up too fast after a meal, your body puts out too much insulin to cope with this, and then you have a "sugar crash" - which is just like a diabetic hypo, and is where RH gets its name. But during the time your glucose is going up too fast, immediately after your meal, you are very likely to fall asleep. There's a useful article about RH here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reactive_hypoglycemia My partner R has it, and the treatment for it is to reduce carbs as much as you sustainably can (especially sugary carbs); eat little and often; never eat carbs without also eating fat to slow them down; eat something fatty (a full-fat yogurt is good) last thing at night to stop night-time hypos; eat plenty of fibre, and get regular exercise.

Testing like a diabetic, two hours after food, may not be helpful - you may end up catching your blood sugar halfway between the rapid spike and the resulting crash and thinking it's perfectly normal. R doesn't have a meter and the odd occasions when I've tested his blood sugar with mine have not been informative, tbh - I suspect by the time I dealt with his symptoms and got the meter out to see what was going on, his sugar levels had sorted themselves out. But if he eats a lot he falls asleep, and if he goes without eating for any length of time he ends up sitting on the floor shaking and I have to feed him dried fruit! I think to get a good idea of RH you might need to eat and then test every hour to see how your blood sugar changes, fairly systematically over a few days, but I'm not sure snapshots like this of what your blood sugar's doing at that moment will tell you how fast it's going up or down, if it is RH you have.

Thank you so much for your informative post, it has given me a better understanding. Now I have the meter I will try checking very shortly after eating - meant to do it yesterday but fell asleep (as usual) so checked 2 hours after, and it seemed quite normal.
I was apprehensive posting for help here as I'm not diabetic, but posters have been kind and helpful. I'll try eating small meals frequently and cutting back on the carbs to see if that also helps. j