Dealing with low blood sugar when your child takes insulin
What is low blood sugar?
Low blood sugar means that the level of sugar (glucose) in your child's blood has dropped below what his or her body needs to function normally. When your child's blood sugar level drops below 3.6 millimoles per litre (mmol/L), he or she most likely will have symptoms, such as feeling tired, weak, or shaky. Very low blood sugar levels (below 1.1 mmol/L) can develop quickly and are emergency situations requiring immediate care. You can give your child a glucagon shot to bring his or her blood sugar back up. Follow the instructions that come with the glucagon kit. Without immediate care, a very low blood sugar level can lead to coma and death.
Sometimes people with diabetes develop low blood sugar levels during the night. If your child's level drops during the night, he or she may wake up in a cold sweat and feel weak. However, some children sleep through it because the body uses stored sugar to raise their blood sugar level back to a safe range. If this happens, your child may wake up in the morning with only a headache and possibly high blood sugar.
What causes low blood sugar?
Very low blood sugar can develop rapidly (within 10 to 15 minutes). It can occur if your child:
- Takes too much insulin.
- Skips or delays a meal or snack.
- Exercises too much without eating enough food.
- Starts her menstrual period. The hormonal changes may affect how well insulin works.
Children may have symptoms of low blood sugar if their blood sugar drops to a lower level than usual. For example, if your child's level has been around 16.7 mmol/L for a week and it drops suddenly to 5.6 mmol/L, he or she may have symptoms of low blood sugar. Even though 5.6 mmol/L is in the normal range, it is much lower than your child is used to. It is also possible that after having diabetes for many years, your child may not have symptoms of low blood sugar until the level is very low. When the blood sugar level is very low, your child may be too confused to remember how to treat low blood sugar.
Test Your Knowledge
Answer the following questions to see whether you understand what a low blood sugar emergency is.
Low blood sugar means that the level of sugar in the blood has dropped below what the body needs to function normally (usually below 3.6 mmol/L).
Very low blood sugar levels (below 1.1 mmol/L) are emergency situations and require immediate care, such as giving your child a glucagon shot.
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Why is low blood sugar a problem?
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| Author: | Alison Allen Robin Parks, MS | Last Updated: March 2, 2007 |
| Medical Review: | Michael J. Sexton, MD - Pediatrics Alan C. Dalkin, MD - Endocrinology Andrew Swan, MD, CCFP, FCFP - Family Medicine | |
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