Healthy people normally experience minor increases and decreases in their blood sugar levels throughout the day, though their sugar levels typically remain between 70 and 110 mg/dL. If your blood sugar levels are unusually low, your doctor may diagnose you with a condition called hypoglycemia. Consult him regarding the best approach to treating hypoglycemia and before significantly changing your diet or exercise habits.
Skipped Meals or Increased Exercise
One reason your sugar levels may dip is skipped, small or infrequent meals. When you consume food at mealtime, you provide your body with glucose, or sugar, which it can use to generate energy. If you don't eat enough throughout the day or burn off more energy than you consume by increasing your physical activity, you may be at risk of developing hypoglycemia symptoms. In such cases, simply consuming something with sugar such as juice or a piece of candy can help quickly restore your blood sugar levels to normal.
Too Much Alcohol
Consuming too much alcohol -- especially if you aren't eating a meal with your cocktail -- may prevent your liver from releasing the glucose it stores, MayoClinic.com reports. When your liver stops sending glucose into your bloodstream, your blood sugar levels may fall and can cause hypoglycemia.
Illnesses, Tumors or Endocrine Deficiencies
Like excessive alcohol consumption, liver damage or disease may also prevent your liver from supplying your blood with enough sugar. Diseases that affect your kidneys may cause toxins to accumulate in your body, which may reduce your blood glucose levels. If you have anorexia nervosa or experience starvation, you may develop hypoglycemia in conjunction with a host of other health problems. Tumors that grow in the pancreas -- though rare -- may increase the amount of insulin this organ secretes. Certain types of tumors may also secrete substances that mimic insulin. High levels of insulin, a hormone involved in blood sugar regulation, may also reduce your sugar levels. As tumors grow, they use up a large amount of your glucose stores, which may cause hypoglycemia.
Endocrine deficiencies caused by problems with your pituitary gland or adrenal glands may reduce the levels of crucial hormones involved in blood sugar regulation. Without these endocrine hormones, your blood sugar levels may fall.
Medications
If you take medication to control your diabetes symptoms, you may be at risk of hypoglycemia -- especially if you take too much insulin, the Merck Manuals Online Medical Library reports. Contact your doctor immediately if your blood sugar levels fall too low after taking your diabetic medication and you feel shaky, irritable, or fatigued. Your doctor may need to adjust how much medication you take each day to ensure your blood sugar levels stay within a normal, healthy range. Other types of medication, such as quinine and pentamidine, may also cause a reduction in your blood sugar levels.
