Can Low Blood Sugar Affect Your Heart?

Low blood sugar levels, also known as hypoglycemia, happens when your sugar level drops below the line. Once this happens, you will feel a little clumsy, confused and you will not be able to speak properly. There might be some sweating, dizziness, shakiness and weakness involved in the process. The symptoms manifest pretty quick.

Low blood sugar levels can have severe consequences when it comes down to diabetics. For people that are healthy, mild low blood sugar can be treated by eating something sweet to boost their sugar level.

Hypoglycemia in non-diabetic people is triggered by:

• Metabolic problems
• Alcohol
• Medicine
• Diseases of pancreas, liver or kidneys
• Stomach surgery

There are also 3 types of hypoglycemia:

• Mild – when you will feel a sudden hunger, your heart will start beating hard and you will feel a little confused. Take something sweet and eat it. This should boost your levels of sugar.
• Moderate – you might experience some shakiness, weakness and sweating. You will also feel your heart racing. Something sweet in this case should do the trick and get you back on your feet.
• Severe – at this stage, it could be fatal for you. You could pass out or even die. If you have experienced serious low blood sugar levels before, make sure you check in with a doctor and get professional treatment.

When diabetics are involved, things get a little tough. Studies have shown that people with diabetes and low blood sugar can have an increased risk of cardiovascular problems. Despite this fact, researchers from The Netherlands, Japan and United States have contradictory opinions, suggesting that there is no real connection between developing a heart condition and hypoglycemia in diabetics. They have also agreed that patients who eventually develop some sort of heart condition do so because they have multiple diseases and their body can’t cope with all of them.

Even so, sever hypoglycemia is one of the main causes of death in the world. The so called dead in bed syndrome kicks in when a person is having a hypoglycemia seizure over the night and there is no one around to help them.

Studies that used type 2 diabetes patients have shown concerning results that link sever hypoglycemia to a possible heart condition. A study conducted in the United Kingdom by Simon Heller and his research team has proven that people suffering from hypoglycemia experienced a slow heart rate when it kicked in and that it lasted for hours. Some patients with type 2 diabetes did not report any hypoglycemia symptoms because they were not aware of them.

Mild hypoglycemia can occur if one postpones his meals too much, reduces the sugar levels or does not eat at all. Hypoglycemia is a dangerous condition, especially if it strikes when you are driving or working out.

In order to avoid this condition, do not cut off on your sugar too much, eat regularly and do not force yourself too much. If any symptoms appear, check in with your doctor. He will be able to tell you what to do next and how to proceed if this occurs again.