Hypoglycemia is a condition in which your blood-sugar levels fall too low. If your blood sugar falls too low you may suffer an array of symptoms including cold sweats, double vision, hunger, a pounding heartbeat, headaches, shakiness and unclear thinking. If your levels go too low you may faint, have a seizure or go into a coma. Hypoglycemia is common among diabetics, but non-diabetics can suffer the condition as well. Managing this condition under the auspices of a health care provider is extremely important.
Causes
If you have hypoglycemia and are not diabetic there are many possible causes for your condition. These include excessive alcohol consumption, a severe critical illness, tumors in the pancreas that cause an overproduction of insulin, using certain medications and endocrine deficiencies. Most hypoglycemia occurs when you are in a fasting state, meaning you haven't eaten recently. Reactive hypoglycemia may occur after a meal if your body overproduces insulin, usually within one to three hours. Reactive hypoglycemia is common among people who have gastric bypass surgery.
Eating Strategy
The best way to avoid episodes of hypoglycemia is to consume small and frequent meals and emphasize fiber-rich and nutrient-dense foods like fruits, veggies and whole grains. Make sure your meals are no more than three hours apart. Combine lean and non-meat protein foods with each snack or meal. Avoid foods with added sugar and starchy foods, especially on an empty stomach.
Alcohol
Another key to controlling hypoglycemia is eliminating or reducing alcohol intake because drinking causes blood-sugar fluctuations. If you drink heavily and do not eat, your liver may not release its stored glucose into your bloodstream, which will lead to hypoglycemia. If you do consume alcohol, drink it along with food and avoid sugary drink mixers.
Considerations
While eating small, healthful and frequent meals may help you manage recurrent hypoglycemia, controlling non-diabetic hypoglycemia through diet is most often a stop-gap measure. Recurrent hypoglycemia needs to be managed by identifying and treating the underlying condition that is causing it. Eating to control recurrent hypoglycemia is not a good long-term management strategy for this condition, warn the experts at MayoClinic.com.
