Hypoglycemia Awareness and Type 2 Diabetes
2020-02-19
Hypoglycemia (blood sugar lower than 3.9 mmol/L70 mg/dL) doesn’t get discussed much in the type 2 community, and it’s understandable, right? Our primary concern is usually managing high blood sugar to prevent diabetes-related complications. However, hypoglycemia awareness in the type 2 community is essential to diabetes care, too.
Why Does Hypoglycemia Awareness in Type 2 Diabetes Matter?
It matters because while hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) can result in health issues over a period of time, severe hypoglycemia can result in immediate loss of consciousness and cognitive impairment. In this case, one would need emergency assistance. Fortunately, there are glucagon options to quickly and safely treat severe hypoglycemia as long as they are used in time—they comes in several forms including the easy to use nasal spray Baqsimi, autoinjectors, prefilled syringes, or a powder that must be mixed with a liquid before injecting.
There are factors that increase the risk of hypoglycemia such as:
- Physical activity (without adjusting medication dosages and meal/snack times)
- Skipping meals
- Illness
- Alcohol consumption
- Use of glucose-lowering medication such as insulin and sulfonylureas
Knowing the signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia can save your life or the life another with type 2 diabetes. Read the articles below to educate yourself and others with and without type 2 diabetes about hypoglycemia, how to treat it and how to prevent it.
Learn all about Hypoglycemia + Type 2 Diabetes:
Hypoglycemia and How to Treat It
Hypoglycemia, also known as low blood sugar, is when your blood sugar level drops below 70. Having low blood sugar is dangerous and needs to be treated right away. Left untreated, hypoglycemia can lea...MORE
All About Glucagon
Besides being a hormone that occurs naturally in the body, glucagon is also an emergency medicine used when a person with diabetes is experiencing hypoglycemia and cannot take sugar orally or in non...MORE
Severe Hypoglycemia Disaster Preparedness Plan
Severe hypoglycemia can strike when you least expect it and be disastrous. Know what to do in the case of an emergency. MORE
Challenging the Importance of Hypoglycemia in Type 2 Diabetes
A debate between two distinguished professors from the University of Edinburgh and Washington University in St. Louis about the seriousness of hypoglycemia in Type 2 diabetes. Their thoughts just may ...MORE
Hypoglycemia and Outdoor Activities
You should be able to enjoy your favorite outdoor activities without worrying about hypoglycemia. However, it's always good to be prepared. This article will show you how to prevent hypoglycemia ...MORE
Is Hypoglycemia Prevalent in Type 2 Diabetes?
It makes sense that the focus of Type 2 diabetes is hyperglycemia -- high blood sugar. But how prevalent is hypoglycemia in people with Type 2 diabetes? Is it a serious issue? Read more to find out.MORE
All About Nasal Glucagon
Nasal glucagon can save the life of someone experiencing severe hypoglycemia. Learn everything you need to know...MORE
Take Insulin? Four Things You Need to Know Before Your Next Low Blood Sugar
For everyone who doses insulin, low blood sugar (also called hypoglycemia) is the most immediate and severe possible side effect. MORE
Oral Medications and The Risk of Hypoglycemia
Some oral medications have a higher risk of hypoglycemia than others. Read which oral medications are more likely to cause low blood sugar. MORE
Outdoor Sports + Hypoglycemia with Amy Hess-Fischl
Learn about how to prepare for hypoglycemia when playing outdoor sports, or other physical activities, with diabetes educator, Amy Hess-Fischl.MORE
Fitness + Hypoglycemia with Liz Cambron, Ph.D.
Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) can occur during or after a workout and to learn how people with Type 2 diabetes address it in their lives, we reached out to one of our community members, Liz Cambron, ...MORE
T1D + T2D Perspectives on Hypoglycemia w/ Ginger + Taylor
Beyond Type 1 staff member, Ginger Vieira, and Type 2 Podcast Host and Advocate, Taylor Daniele, joined Beyond Type 2 to discuss their experiences with hypoglycemia from a type 1 and type 2 perspectiv...MORE
Nocturnal Hypoglycemia: What to Know
Constance Brown-Riggs, CDCES, discusses nocturnal hypoglycemia, nasal glucagon, and how to relieve fears of nighttime lows.MORE
Here’s How 27 People with Type 2 Diabetes Manage Low Blood Sugars
Gummy bears, milk or juice, rest. What do you do when your blood sugar drops low? We asked our community and collected their responses. MORE
A Low Blood Sugar Preparedness Plan for College Students with Type 2 Diabetes
If you’re headed off to college with type 2 diabetes and take blood-sugar-lowering medication like insulin, bookmark this guide!MORE
Low Blood Sugar Safety for Children with Type 2 Diabetes
If your child manages their type 2 diabetes with insulin, there are a few things you need to know about managing hypoglycemia! MORE
5 Tips to Stop Over-Treating Low Blood Sugars
Low blood sugars are the worst—but what makes them even more miserable is the desperate urge to eat everything in sight. Here are a few tips to help you break this habit.MORE
Don’t Let Low Blood Sugar Ruin Your Vacation!
Here are 8 tips for preventing and addressing severe low blood sugar levels while on vacation as a person with type 2 diabetes.MORE
Managing Low Blood Sugars as a Mom with Type 2 Diabetes
Work and family can make it feel like type 2 diabetes management comes third. Here are tips and encouragement to help you make time for your diabetes needs, too!MORE
What to Eat: Fast-Acting Carbs to Treat Low Blood Sugars
Learn what and how much to eat for your next low blood sugar with this easy fast-acting carbs chart.MORE
Avoiding Lows While Drinking Alcohol
Did you know alcohol can actually lead to low blood sugars in the hours after you drink? Learn how to stay safe.MORE
Hypoglycemia 101: What You Need to Know
Here are the need-to-know basics of managing hypoglycemia—also known as low blood sugar—if you live with diabetes.MORE
Preventing + Treating Hypoglycemia in Older Adults with Diabetes
When it comes to low blood sugars, there are a few additional things to consider if you are over 60 years old. Let’s take a look… MORE
How to Handle Low Blood Sugar Emergencies at Work
Recruiting a trusted circle of people who understand your diabetes can help you if you face a diabetes emergency at work, like severe low blood sugar.MORE
Not All Sugars Are the Same: Using Glucose to Treat Hypoglycemia
Learn why treating low blood sugars with glucose can raise your blood sugar faster than using other types of sugar.MORE
3 Tips: Getting Off the Blood Sugar Roller Coaster
Stuck on the blood sugar roller coaster for hours? Here are a few tips to get off the ride quickly—or avoid the ride altogether. MORE
Yes, I Have Low Blood Sugars with Type 2 Diabetes
Living with type 2 diabetes has its ups and its downs, including having low blood sugar. We also experience lows!MORE
Going Low on the Road with Prediabetes
Randy Ritchie regularly made 15-hour drives to see her children and grandchildren— until low blood sugars got in the way.MORE
Can EMTs + Paramedics Administer Emergency Glucagon for Severe Hypoglycemia?
Despite today’s modern 1-step glucagon options, the rules on who can administer glucagon have not been updated. MORE
Can Emergency Responders in Your Town Administer Glucagon?
Not every emergency responder can administer glucagon. Find out whether an EMT near you can—and what to do if they can’t!MORE
Managing Lows While Living Alone
Despite living with type 2 diabetes for nearly a decade, Kathleen Mc Ilraith had to reassess her blood sugar management when she started experiencing hypoglycemia on insulin.MORE
If You Take Insulin, You Need a Prescription for Emergency Glucagon
Emergency glucagon is a medication that raise blood sugar levels quickly during severe hypoglycemia.MORE
My Dog Saved Me During a Severe Low
Soon after Luc Daigle began using insulin to manage his type 2 diabetes, his dog alerted him to severe low blood sugar while he was sleeping.MOREHypoglycemia Patient Stories:
Hypoglycemia, Food and Type 2 Diabetes w/ Robert Lewis
Robert Lewis shares his experiences with hypoglycemia, how it's impacted his life with food + T2D, and why Xeris Gvoke HypoPen is his safety net.MORE
Staying Ready with Nasal Glucagon
T2D Mark Hanlon discussed his experiences with hypoglycemia and how he is staying ready with Baqsimi to prepare for future emergencies. MORE
Nasal Glucagon Gives Me Peace of Mind
For a person relatively newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, Alicia Meader talks about the importance of diabetes education, patient advocacy, as well as her life with diabetes, as if she’d bee...MORE
How Hypoglycemia Disrupts My Life
Think hypoglycemia isn't a big deal for people with Type 2? Shanerica's story on how it disrupts her life will convince you otheriwse.MORE
I Learned to Prevent Hypoglycemia
Luis had a hypoglycemia episode so severe he's not even sure how he survived. This experience led him to educate himself on hypoglycemia and how to prevent it. Read our interview with him below t...MORE
I Had to Learn About Severe Hypoglycemia on My Own
Ceci Garcia was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes on her 23rd birthday. Since then, she's dealt with frequent hypoglycemia episodes and learned about Glucagon and severe hypoglycemia on her own. MORE
Overcoming Hypoglycemia to Own My Diabetes
Cindy Lou has been living with Type 2 diabetes for nearly 5 years. With no knowledge of hypoglycemia, her first experience with it was clinically defined as severe hypoglycemia. Over the years she...MORE
I Didn’t Know Glucagon was an Option
Jenita Stubblefield has been living with Type 2 diabetes since 1995. She recalls her episodes and just recently learned that Glucagon is an option to treat hypoglycemia. Read her story here. MORE
How I Found Myself in an Unexpected Hypoglycemia Crisis
Adrian Marquez has been living with Type 2 diabetes for over 7 years, however, while learning about his condition, he experienced an episode of hypoglycemia. Adrian has been featured in our #BeyondPow...MOREThis content was made possible with support from Baqsimi, a Founding Partner of Beyond Type 2.
