Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian23  ... To my surprise, I was at 21 mg/dl, re-checked on another meter and was 26 mg/dl(the lowest I have ever been). Should I have passed out? What factors would make you pass out, is it the time frame that you are low or how low you are? Please Help |
I have spent a lot of time pondering over this, as I have extreme hypo unawareness. I have tested at 20 and been able to deal with the hypo without assistance on numerous ocassions. And it seems to me that there are two key variables affecting when we feel symptoms : the rate at which blood glucose declines, and the insulin level in the blood.
The level at which inadequate glucose supply to the brain causes you to pass out is much lower than it is commonly thought to be. All those hypo symptoms - sweating, shakiness, confusion, passing out etc. - are caused by hormonal changes. And the brain is actually doing fine. This is why people with hypo unawareness feel no symptoms at those low levels.
The rate at which blood glucose falls determines to a large extent when those hormones get produced, and the blood glucose level at which we feel distressed. Your blood glucose probably came down very slowly while you were putting up those lights, which is why you didn't feel symptoms.
Another issue is the amount of insulin in circulation. We are able to deal with low BG more easily when insulin levels are low. This is because insulin supresses the ability of the brain to use alternative energy sources (ketones). So an increased insulin-sensitivity induced hypo (as a result of exercise) is more easily tolerated than a hypo caused by injecting too much insulin.
