In a fast-paced modern life, many people may suddenly suffer from symptoms of discomfort such as panic, hand shaking and cold sweat, but often wonder that this may be low blood sugar. Low blood sugar is defined as an adult with an empty abdominal sugar concentration of less than 2.8 mmol/L and a diabetes patient with a blood sugar value of less than 3.9 mmol/L. It is not as well known as high blood sugar, but it also has serious health implications. Understanding the symptoms of low blood sugar can help us to detect and respond in a timely manner to avoid more serious consequences.
I. Symptoms of synergetic neuroactivity
When the blood sugar levels are falling rapidly, the body is the first to initiate a sensory nervous system. It’s like the body rings the alarm and reminds us that the blood sugar is too low. The most common symptoms include panic and hand shaking. Heart panic is due to the speed with which the heart beats to deliver more blood into the body in order to compensate for the energy shortage caused by lack of blood sugar. The shaking of hands is due to the increased excitement of the nerve muscles, stimulated by low blood sugar, which leads to an uncontrollable shaking of the hand.
At the same time, sweating is also a clear signal, possibly in the form of sweating on the forehead, the heart, the back, etc., as the body tries to spread the heat through sweating to regulate the physical stress caused by low blood sugar. In addition, there may be a sense of hunger, as if the stomach was crying out for food to supplement the energy; and pale skin because of constriction of the outer veins, which reduces the flow of blood to the surface to ensure the supply of blood from important organs.
These synergetic neurostimulation symptoms usually occur when blood sugar falls rapidly, often as early warnings from the body remind us to supplement sugar in a timely manner and to correct low blood sugar. Symptoms tend to be quickly mitigated if timely measures are taken, such as a piece of candy and a drink with sugar.
II. Symptoms of central nervous deficiency
If low blood sugar is not corrected in a timely manner, it further affects the central nervous system. The brain is one of the most sensitive organs of blood sugar because it relies almost entirely on glucose to provide energy. When blood sugar continues to be too low, the normal functioning of the brain is disrupted.
Patients may experience dizziness, headaches, a feeling of dizziness in their head, as if they were covered by a fog, diminished ability to think, difficulty in focusing, and loss of memory, and easy to forget about what has happened recently. Words may become slow, vague or even uncharted. When serious, it can lead to a blurring of consciousness, a lack of knowledge of where they are and what they are doing, and a marked decline in the perception of the surrounding environment.
In extreme cases, low blood sugar can also cause a coma. This is a very dangerous situation, which, if not treated in a timely manner, causes irreversible damage to the brain and even endangers life. For example, some diabetes patients may suffer from severe low blood sugar comas when they use insulin or sugar medicine and do not eat on time.
III. Special manifestations of low blood sugar
In addition to the common symptoms described above, low blood sugar may have some special manifestations among different population groups. For children, low blood sugar can lead to behavioural abnormalities, and children who are otherwise active may suddenly become quiet, sleepy or in a state of irritation or crying, which can be mistaken for emotional problems and ignore the possibility of low blood sugar.
When low blood sugar occurs in older persons, it can be manifested in mental disorders and increased cognitive disorders, where pre-existing memory loss and orientation disorders are more evident, and may even induce cardiovascular accidents, as low blood sugar leads to vascular constriction, blood pressure fluctuations and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.
In addition, some diabetes patients, due to their long-term state of high blood sugar and a decrease in their perception of low blood sugar, may suffer from low blood sugar, but no apparent synergetic neurostimulant symptoms, which are directly associated with central nervous deficiency symptoms, known as “non-resistious low blood sugar”, are more hidden and dangerous, requiring diabetics and their families to be particularly vigilant and to improve blood sugar surveillance.
Symptoms caused by low blood sugar vary, ranging from synaptic neurostimulant to central neurodeficiency symptoms, as well as particular manifestations among different population groups. Understanding these symptoms helps us to detect the occurrence of low blood sugar in our daily lives, especially among high-risk groups such as diabetes, the elderly and children. Blood sugar should be tested as soon as it appears to be low blood sugar and appropriate measures, such as feeding sugared food, are taken. If the symptoms are severe or persistent, medical treatment should be provided in a timely manner to avoid serious damage to the body caused by low blood sugar.
