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Low blood sugar - Unsure.

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gazzair

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I have recently bought a blood glucose monitoring system after various symptoms relating to what I think is low blood sugar issues. Such as, excessive sweating, anxiety, feeling dizzy/lightheaded in public places, headaches after exercise and feel horrible for days afterwards, ill after drinking low - moderate amounts of alcohol, waking up feeling still extremely tired after 7-8 hours sleep).

During the day before the test I had ate around 140 grams of carbs, about an hour before the test I had drank a glass of vimto providing around 10-12grams of sugar. The test measured 4.0 mmol. I am wondering if this is low considering what I had ate during the day?

I can only seem to find literature that supports information on low blood glucose when going on a fast (shouldnt be below 3.8mmol). My level seems to be rather close to 3.8, considering the amount I had ate, is that something to be worried about?

I realise I should of done a fast first, and that is what I plan to do tonight and then measure. If my level is below 3.8 after the fast, should I definetely make an appointment to see a doctor?

Anyhelp would be appreciated, as I am new to all of this information.
 
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Hi gazzair,

My first thought on reading your post was it would probably be sensible to run your symptoms by your GP to exclude any medical problems. For example, sweating, anxiety and tiredness could have many reasons, such as an over active thyroid.

Assuming you don't have diabetes, it is still possible to become hypoglycaemic occasionally. I know this for a fact having tested my own levels on my son's spare meter when feeling shaky. 4.0 mmol is actually in the normal range for a person without diabetes, but I personally have had hypo symptoms (shakiness) at this level. It happens to me if I over exert myself or go a long time without eating, and also if I drink sweet caffeinated drinks. However, your range of symptoms seems unlikely to be hypo related, so best get some advice from the doc 🙂
 
Hi Gazzair. My daughter had hypo symptoms when not clinically in hypo range in the early stages of pregnancy (she's not diabetic), when her levels dropped quite fast after eating carbs. If you're a bloke, pregnancy's obviously not the problem - but it reinforces Redkite's point about there being many causes for the symptoms. Do talk to your doctor.
 
Hi just to add when I took the test I wasnt at that moment experiencing any hypo symptoms.

I am yet to take the test when experiencing any of the issue I had mentioned, as I only bought it yesterday.

I had read that spiking blood sugar if low should bring glucose levels up to healthy levels, and I had drank a high sugar drink not so long before taking the test. So on that basis should it not of read a higher value?
 
A few things to remember.

Firstly, meters are not particularly accurate. A reading of 4.0 could easily be a reading of 3.5 or 4.5, so you shouldn't read too much into 3.8 being a cut-off point.

Secondly, your body naturally prefers to be in the 4-5 range. If you don't have diabetes, your insulin response will ensure that you will spend the majority of time in this range. 12g of sugar 1 hour before a test should have next to no effect on a non-diabetic's reading.

There's a very simple way to find out if your issues are being caused by hypoglycaemia - test when you feel 'off'. A fasting test is to see if your insulin is working. Given your readings, it's safe to say you've a fully functioning pancreas. Next time you have the symptoms you describe, test. Anything under 4 probably will warrant further investigation with the caveat that a reading of 3.8 does not necessarily mean that yes, it's hypoglycamia.

I would also suggest that 140g of carbs in a day before a test is also not particularly relevant. 'Official' recommendations for a daily carb intake are between 250-300g so by some people's standards, you are on a low-carb diet (although speaking as someone who likes to stay under 100g and preferably under 30g, I wouldn't say you were low-carbing).
 
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