.....Your body is an amazing thing; it is constantly working hard to keep everything running perfectly. It tries to keep your blood pressure constant, body temperature ideal, and eyes focused straight ahead. Unfortunately, sometimes things can go wrong. Hypoglycemia occurs when your body's blood glucose falls below 4.0 mmol/L. I'm sure this sounds very interesting and important because there is a specific number and laboratory value listed, but what does it really mean? This month, I hope to explain it all.
.....When things all work well, this is how your body maintains normal blood sugar levels. After you eat, glucose is absorbed from your stomach and begins to circulate around your body. This rise in blood sugar causes your body to release a hormone called insulin from the pancreas. This insulin helps the cells in your body take up the glucose and either store it or utilize it. The excess glucose is stored in the liver or muscles as glycogen. Further excess glucose can be converted into fat for long term storage. In between meals, blood sugar will normally drop. If it drops too low, |
this causes your pancreas to release another hormone called glucagon. Glucagon signals your liver to breakdown glycogen and release glucose. This nice little system keeps blood glucose from getting too high or too low.
.....In case you were wondering, the
condition known as diabetes occurs whenever your body cannot produce or properly use insulin. This lack of usable insulin causes blood glucose, after a meal, to rise considerably. Very high blood glucose is not good for the body; it can damage organs and small blood vessels. It can also prevent the body from making glycogen for later use.
.....If the release of glucagon does not produce the needed increase in blood glucose, your body takes more drastic measures. Your brain is the most vital |
organ in the body and is very sensitive to drops in blood sugar. This is because it does not have glucose stores of its own. Whenever the brain perceives a critical drop in blood glucose, it causes the adrenal glands to release cortisol and adrenaline. These are the two stress or 'fight or flight' hormones. The cortisol and adrenaline raise blood glucose through more drastic measures. This certainly is not a pleasant way to raise blood glucose for you or your body. Increased adrenaline can cause symptoms of anxiety, nervousness, sweating and shaking. Prolonged exposure to higher levels of cortisol is not healthy.
.....If these measures do not raise blood glucose to acceptable levels, things go very wrong. Your brain does not get enough glucose and ceases to function properly. You may demonstrate symptoms of fatigue, confusion, headache, and difficulty speaking or concentrating. To other people, you may appear to be drunk, as the symptoms are very similar. If things do not improve, this may progress to
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