Hypos management

We all know that hypoglycemias are the major threat for our health in the short term when it comes to diabetes management. But do you really know how to treat them in a fast and effective way? If not, you are in the right place.

First and foremost, the major risk which we could run while treating an hypo is overcorrecting: we have all experienced that tremendous sense of hunger which usually accompanies a severe drop in our blood glucose, and the consequence of it usually becomes binge eating. We absolutely have to resist this tentation, as a huge rebound in our BG level could be extremely counterproductive, stucking us on an unhealthy glycaemic rollercoaster for hours. But how could we do this?

To begin, it is fundamental to correct your hypo gradually, ingesting not more than 5-10 grams of fast-acting carbohydrates. Once you have done this, it is also important to immediately stop any kind of physical activity and, possibly, to sit down: during this phase, even the slightest amount of physical exercise could neutralize the effect of the sugar we ingest. With the advice of your CGM or of any diabetes monitoring system, you should carefully track the trend of your blood glucose for the following 15-20 minutes: if your BG starts to rise, you will be able to resume your activities normally, if not, you should repeat the process until you see the desired effects.

By the way, it is also important to notice how sometimes we tend to correct dropping blood glucose levels which wouldn't require any treatment at all: this is most likely to happen after a fatty meal or when you have just finished your physical activity. In situations like these, if you do not have nor much active insuline neither any further exercise or body movement programmed for the successive minutes and if you feel well, try not to ingest any carbs and to totally relax: you will notice how sometimes the glycaemic trend tends to autonomously rebound, settling at naturally healthy levels, without the rollercoaster effect which is typical of many overcorrections. If this doesn't happen in 15-20 minutes, treat your hypo in the usual way.

Thank you for your time and for having read my article. Don't forget that, in order to gain more knowledge on Diabetes Management and to become a master at it, all you have to do is to keep reading this section of my website!