Have you ever felt lightheaded, shaky, and irritable for no reason? As a diabetic, I experience these sensations frequently due to hypoglycemia or low blood sugar. Most people don’t get that for diabetics, keeping our blood sugar at a good level is like a daily battle. I always say it’s like fighting a war every day just to feel normal.
Eat too little or take too much insulin, and your blood sugar can drop dangerously low, causing a host of unpleasant symptoms. But even on an average day, living with diabetes type one means dealing with a cycle of ups and downs that can be mentally and physically exhausting.
In this article, I want to give you a glimpse into what it really feels like if you have low blood sugar so you can better understand what your diabetic friends and loved ones experience.
The Physical And Emotional Effects of A Hypoglycemic Episode
The lows that come with hypoglycemia can be physically and emotionally draining. When my blood sugar drops too low, my body goes into overdrive. My heart races, pounding in my chest, and I break out in a cold sweat. I get shaky and dizzy, unable to think straight. The confusion sets in, making even simple tasks seem complicated.
Managing diabetes doesn’t have to be difficult if you know what you’re doing. But I’ll be honest, I really struggle with it sometimes. How am I supposed to know how much insulin to take when I’m out to eat with friends? Restaurants never list the exact carb and fat content of their food, so you’re pretty much just guessing. You either guess right and take the right amount of insulin, or you guess wrong. There’s no in-between – it’s one or the other.
It can be so stressful trying to figure it out, especially when you’re supposed to be relaxing with friends. I wish there was a better way to handle situations like that when you’re eating somewhere other than home.
When it comes to recovering from an episode, it involves rest and self-care. I have to be gentle with myself, and just sit and wait or walk slowly instead of rushing. Eating or drinking something with sugar helps get my levels back to normal, but the emotional impact lingers. Feelings of being overwhelmed or like a burden on others weigh heavy.
Hypoglycemia is often referred to as a “low,” but the crash is anything but. The physical and mental depletion leaves you vulnerable. All you can do is build yourself back up with nourishment, patience, and compassion.
There Are “Two Types” of Hypoglycemia
As a diabetic, there are two different kinds of low blood sugar I deal with. The one is when I accidentally take too much insulin after eating, so my blood sugar drops too much. The other happens after I exercise or do something physical when the activity causes my blood sugar to go low afterward. A lot of people don’t realize there are two different ways it can happen.
Low Blood Sugar After Insulin Overdose
Sometimes, when I take too much insulin, usually because I don’t know how much food is going to affect my blood sugar, my levels can drop really low really fast. Within an hour or even less, I started feeling all empty in my stomach even though I had eaten. And then the hunger hits me, and I feel extremely weak. It gets very scary when your sugar gets that low.
Most of the time, when your blood sugar is low, you feel empty inside, like your soul isn’t even there anymore. Your whole body gets very shaky and all you want is either close your eyes and sleep (which is fatal) or eat something.
I’ve also noticed over the years dealing with my diabetes that if I take too much insulin, I’ll end up with a really bad headache. On top of that, it’s so hard to stay awake because your eyes just start closing on their own.
Low Blood Sugar After Physical Activity
When you exercise too much, walk a lot in the hot summer, or do any demanding physical activity, your blood sugar may drop as well. My doctor always says I should eat something before working out, but even if I do that, my blood sugar can still drop. When that happens, the low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, feels really different than the one when you take too much insulin.
I start shaking and feeling super nervous, and out of it, my brain is struggling just to function. A few times when I’ve sat down to eat something sweet after, I’ve felt totally empty headed, as if I wasn’t even really there physically. I’ve had to look at my hands or move my feet to remind myself that I am actually here and alive. It’s a very weird and scary feeling when that happens.
Getting hypoglycemia after exercise is no joke. It makes you feel like an absolute starving wolf. Your body uses up all your energy, and your blood sugar drops like a rock. All of a sudden, your stomach is growling, and it feels like it’s pulsating just like a heart. You get so hungry that you’d eat anything and everything just to survive.
One time, when I was hiking in the mountains, I started feeling that hypoglycemia hit. I was famished! I ate a whole bag of candy, trying to get my sugar back up. But it takes a little while for your levels to stabilize again. During that time, I felt hungry beyond belief. I was like a wolf that would have eaten grass if it meant I wasn’t starving anymore.
Why Diabetes Will Never Be My Friend
As someone who loves traveling more than anything else and has been to over 40 countries solo, I’ve realized diabetes is my biggest worry when I travel. It’s not dangerous animals, sketchy people, missed flights, or lost wallets – it’s diabetes.
You constantly have to think, “Do I have some sugar with me? What about insulin? I can’t survive without those!” And, unfortunately, you really can’t survive without one or the other. But it’s not just that. Sometimes, you can’t enjoy drinks or foods you want to try or do activities because of your blood sugar.
That’s the sad part about diabetes people don’t often talk about. Every day and every hour is a fight and guessing game – how many carbs to eat, how much insulin to take. With diabetes, you never know what’s gonna happen.
Be Gentle With Your Loved Ones
If you’ve got a friend or family member with diabetes, go easy on them. Having low or high blood sugar isn’t as simple as taking a pill or shot and feeling better right away. Sometimes, it can really mess with their mood, and it may take all day before they feel normal again.
Cut them some slack and understand they need your support, even if they look healthy on the surface. Having diabetes isn’t always obvious; in fact, it is called the “silent killer.” So they’re still dealing with it inside, even when they seem fine.