SamQKitty

How low is too low? Well, that depends. If you are diabetic and on medication or insulin, the usual advice is to treat yourself with a fast-acting carbohydrate (such as 4 oz. juice, 6 life savers, 3-4 glucose tablets, etc.) when your blood sugar goes below 70.

Most people will start becoming confused when their blood sugar goes down to around the 30's and 40's, and most people won't actually lose consciousness until their blood glucose goes down to the mid to low 20's.

And, in many cases, the blood sugar will actually come back up by itself (not that you should wait for it to do so!). When the body experiences a seriously low blood glucose level, the liver (which stores a sugar-like substance called glycogen) will start releasing glycogen to raise the blood sugar. In fact, many diabetics will experience a rebound high, due to the release of too much glycogen by the liver, following a low.

If you are diabetic, you should be testing your blood sugars frequently, and especially if you feel symptoms that may indicate a low. If you are low, treat immediately with approximately 12-15 grams of a fast acting carbohydrate (see above suggestions), wait 15 minutes and test again to make sure you're blood sugar has risen sufficiently. Usually, if your blood glucose is lower than 65, you will need to treat it to bring it up, and then eat something more substantial (like a half sandwich) to keep it up (unless you're going to have a meal anyway within half hour).

[This message has been edited by SamQKitty (edited 07-03-2003).]

[This message has been edited by SamQKitty (edited 07-03-2003).]