What Are the Symptoms of Hypoglycaemia?

Posted on: Apr 8, 2025 | 3 mins | Written by: HDFC ERGO Team

What Are the Symptoms of Hypoglycaemia?

Hypoglycaemia is a condition when your blood sugar levels drop below the healthy range. This condition is quite common in people diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Sometimes, it can happen to non-diabetics as well. You will be diagnosed with hypoglycaemia if your blood sugar drops below 70mg per decilitre (mg/dl) if you are diabetic and below 55mg/dl if you are non-diabetic.

Consuming sugar or carbohydrates immediately when you experience hypoglycaemia is important. Otherwise, this can turn into a serious or life-threatening condition. Watch out for the hypoglycaemia symptoms and take remedial action immediately.

What are the Hypoglycaemia Symptoms?

Hypoglycaemia symptoms are quite prominent, making it easy to spot them early on and take corrective action. However, the symptoms may not be similar for all.

Here are some common symptoms:

• Shaking or trembling of the body

• Extreme fatigue

• Profuse sweating

• Body chills

• Polyphagia (feeling extremely hungry)

• Palpitations (rapid heartbeats)

• Lightheadedness

• Confusion

• Inability to concentrate on anything for too long

• Feeling irritable

• Anxiety

• Skin looking pale and dull

• Tingling or numbness, especially in the lips, cheeks and tongue

Symptoms of severe hypoglycaemia:

• Inability to see clearly

• Double vision

• Inability to speak clearly

• Problems with body balance and coordination

• Illogical thinking and disorientation

• Falling unconscious

• Seizures

When you experience hypoglycaemia symptoms like the following during your sleep, you will be diagnosed with nocturnal hypoglycaemia:

• Extremely disturbed sleep

• Profuse sweating even when you wear thin clothes

• Crying out in frustration, fear or worry during your sleep

• Experiencing nightmares

• Extremely tired or disoriented immediately after waking up

All of the symptoms, especially the ones for severe hypoglycaemia, should be treated immediately. If left untreated, it can lead to coma and other severe health issues like cardiac arrest, failure of vital organs, brain damage and cardiac arrhythmias.

Conclusion

When you experience hypoglycaemia symptoms, immediately eat or drink something high in sugar and carbs. Visit your doctor to get treated on time and prevent this condition from developing into severe health conditions, coma, or death. Get a health insurance plan to cover medical costs. When you buy medical insurance, you should also opt for a critical illness insurance plan to cover the costs of life-threatening illnesses.

Disclaimer: The above information is for illustrative purposes only. For more details, please refer to the policy wordings and prospectus before concluding the sales.

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