As a parent of a child with Type 1 diabetes, hypoglycemia is where all your worst fears reside.  Unlike most other complications associated with diabetes, it is hypoglycemia that is the most immediate danger as severe hypoglycemia can cause unconsciousness and even coma.

Hypoglycemia occurs when the body does not have enough glucose to produce energy.  In people with diabetes, it is typically a result of having too much insulin relative to the amount of carbohydrates you have eaten.  As insulin helps glucose be absorbed by your body’s cells, having too much causes your body to seek out sugars when nothing is there.  People with diabetes typically experience this excess insulin either by not eating enough or calculating the wrong dosage for their injections or pump. The opposite of this, having too much glucose in the body is termed hyperglycemia.

You can also experience hypoglycemia after strenuous exercise.  With exercise, your body is seeking out more energy than normal and so it requires greater levels of glucose.  Often times, with exercise, it is not during the exercise that people first experience hypoglycemia.  Instead it can be minutes or even hours after the exercise has stopped and your body is recovering.

It is not uncommon for people with diabetes to experience mild hypoglycemia.  It is very difficult to accurately measure carbohydrate intake.  Also, sometimes the duration of your last insulin injection is shorter than anticipated or you don’t have a chance to eat right in time, or you’re taking part in a busy lifestyle.  However, the consequences can be severe and so always having some form of quick acting glucose (sugar) around is important.

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