The good news is that it may be possible to restore early warning symptoms. By avoiding low BGLs, the early warning system can be woken up and returned to duty. This would be best addressed with the support of an experienced diabetes management team. For more information contact the NDSS Helpline on and ask to speak with a Credentialed Diabetes Educator.

Who is at risk of HU? HU typically occurs in people who: have had type 1 diabetes for a long time, are managing BGLs very tightly sitting at the lower end of target range more than upper end , are having frequent hypos, have type 1 or type 2 diabetes and declining cognitive function, where they may are no longer capable of realising they have a low BGL.

What are the risks of HU? Why does HU occur? Can anything be done to improve HU? Related Articles Media releases 15 November Continue Reading. Blog 6 November The dawn phenomenon is a natural rise in blood glucose that occurs early in the morning, typically between 4am-8am. If you are experiencing symptoms and you are unable to check your blood glucose for any reason, treat the hypoglycemia.

Epinephrine is what can cause the symptoms of hypoglycemia such as thumping heart, sweating, tingling, and anxiety. If the blood sugar glucose continues to drop, the brain does not get enough glucose and stops functioning as it should. This can lead to blurred vision, difficulty concentrating, confused thinking, slurred speech, numbness, and drowsiness.

If blood glucose stays low for too long, starving the brain of glucose, it may lead to seizures, coma, and very rarely death.

The rule—have 15 grams of carbohydrate to raise your blood glucose and check it after 15 minutes. Make a note about any episodes of low blood glucose and talk with your health care team about why it happened.

They can suggest ways to avoid low blood glucose in the future. Many people tend to want to eat as much as they can until they feel better.

This can cause blood glucose levels to shoot way up. Using the step-wise approach of the " Rule" can help you avoid this, preventing high blood glucose levels.

Glucagon is a hormone produced in the pancreas that stimulates your liver to release stored glucose into your bloodstream when your blood glucose levels are too low. Glucagon is used to treat someone with diabetes when their blood glucose is too low to treat using the rule.

Glucagon is available by prescription and is either injected or administered or puffed into the nostril. For those who are familiar with injectable glucagon, there are now two injectable glucagon products on the market—one that comes in a kit and one that is pre-mixed and ready to use.

Speak with your doctor about whether you should buy a glucagon product, and how and when to use it. The people you are in frequent contact with for example, friends, family members, and coworkers should be instructed on how to give you glucagon to treat severe hypoglycemia.

If you have needed glucagon, let your doctor know so you can discuss ways to prevent severe hypoglycemia in the future. If someone is unconscious and glucagon is not available or someone does not know how to use it, call immediately.

Low blood glucose is common for people with type 1 diabetes and can occur in people with type 2 diabetes taking insulin or certain medications.

If you add in lows without symptoms and the ones that happen overnight, the number would likely be higher. Too much insulin is a definite cause of low blood glucose. Insulin pumps may also reduce the risk for low blood glucose.

Accidentally injecting the wrong insulin type, too much insulin, or injecting directly into the muscle instead of just under the skin , can cause low blood glucose. Exercise has many benefits. The tricky thing for people with type 1 diabetes is that it can lower blood glucose in both the short and long-term.

Nearly half of children in a type 1 diabetes study who exercised an hour during the day experienced a low blood glucose reaction overnight. The intensity, duration, and timing of exercise can all affect the risk for going low.

Many people with diabetes, particularly those who use insulin, should have a medical ID with them at all times. In the event of a severe hypoglycemic episode, a car accident or other emergency, the medical ID can provide critical information about the person's health status, such as the fact that they have diabetes, whether or not they use insulin, whether they have any allergies, etc.

Emergency medical personnel are trained to look for a medical ID when they are caring for someone who can't speak for themselves. Medical IDs are usually worn as a bracelet or a necklace. Traditional IDs are etched with basic, key health information about the person, and some IDs now include compact USB drives that can carry a person's full medical record for use in an emergency.

As unpleasant as they may be, the symptoms of low blood glucose are useful. These symptoms tell you that you your blood glucose is low and you need to take action to bring it back into a safe range. But, many people have blood glucose readings below this level and feel no symptoms.

This is called hypoglycemia unawareness. Hypoglycemia unawareness puts the person at increased risk for severe low blood glucose reactions when they need someone to help them recover.

People with hypoglycemia unawareness are also less likely to be awakened from sleep when hypoglycemia occurs at night. People with hypoglycemia unawareness need to take extra care to check blood glucose frequently. This is especially important prior to and during critical tasks such as driving. A continuous glucose monitor CGM can sound an alarm when blood glucose levels are low or start to fall.

This can be a big help for people with hypoglycemia unawareness. If you think you have hypoglycemia unawareness, speak with your health care provider. This helps your body re-learn how to react to low blood glucose levels. This may mean increasing your target blood glucose level a new target that needs to be worked out with your diabetes care team.

It may even result in a higher A1C level, but regaining the ability to feel symptoms of lows is worth the temporary rise in blood glucose levels. This can happen when your blood glucose levels are very high and start to go down quickly.

If this is happening, discuss treatment with your diabetes care team.