Your body needs the energy to work. Most of that energy comes from sugar (glucose). Diabetes can affect your blood sugar levels. Even if you don’t have this metabolic condition, you can still experience health problems when the blood sugar is too low. This is called hypoglycemia.

Hypoglycemia is typically diagnosed when the glucose levels are less than 70 mg/dL. But, symptoms might not develop until the glucose concentration plummets below 55 mg/dL. Many causes can lead to low blood sugar levels.

The guide below can give you a detailed insight into what’s causing your glucose to drop below the normal range.

What Is Low Blood Sugar?

Blood glucose is the amount of sugar in the bloodstream. You can get glucose from the foods you eat. So, what goes up, must come down. After digesting whatever you consumed, the body is creating more sugar. It allows glucose to circulate through the bloodstream. 

The body then uses the glucose for energy and any leftover glucose gets stored in the cells to be used later. When blood sugar is involved, every time you eat a meal, the glucose increases. This is a normal and completely natural human response to food and drinks. 

What happens to your blood sugar often varies based on the quality, quantity, and type of food you consume. Low blood sugar is a health problem when your sugar levels drop below the normal range.

Normal glucose is less than 140 mg/dL.

Why Does Blood Sugar Drop?

There are different causes of low blood sugar. Each of them can affect the body in a unique way. Here, you can take a closer look at individual triggers for low glucose.

Diabetes

The insulin hormone can decrease glucose levels. If you take too much insulin to control your glucose, the blood sugar can fall and cause hypoglycemia. Research shows that this is a common problem in people with type 1 diabetes. 

The annual rates of severe hypoglycemia range from 3.3% to 13.5%. Low glucose mostly happens in people who use insulin. 

But it can also develop if you are using some oral diabetes meds. Other causes of diabetic hypoglycemia include:

– Alcohol consumption

– Skipping a snack or a meal

– Doing more exercises without adjusting your medication doses or eating more

– Depriving the body of the necessary nutrients, vitamins, or minerals

Food Intake

If you are eating meals high in simple carbs, especially processed carbs, then you can experience hypoglycemia. Concentrated sweets, like soft drinks, cakes, table sugar, and candy are simple carbohydrates. 

To keep your blood sugar consistent, choose complex carbohydrates and proteins instead. They are a great source of energy. The body needs more time to process the foods, which allows the glucose levels to remain stable. 

Foods from animal sources, like lean meats, are great examples of healthy complex carbs. But, you can gain all the necessary nutrients from seeds, nuts, and legumes as well. The frequency and size of the meal are also important for managing low blood sugar levels. 

Your body can’t tell the difference between the sugar in a whole-grain roll and the sugar in a chocolate cookie. Your goal would be to manage the diet so all the glucose you need is slowly and evenly released into your bloodstream.

In other words, you should start with 3 well-balanced meals. Then, add a small mid-morning, afternoon, and evening snack. Like almonds, berries, or avocado. Try to include insoluble fiber for a regular bowel movement and reduce the intake of concentrated desserts. Manage your portion sizes so you don’t overeat.

Can You Have Low Blood Sugar From Not Eating?

Yes. Your blood sugar can drop if you’ve gone a long period without eating. This can happen when you don’t get enough carbohydrates from your meals. Or you end up delaying and skipping your meals while spending a lot of energy throughout the day. This is not healthy since the body needs nutrients to function.

Too Much Physical Activity

Exercise makes the body more sensitive to insulin. So, it can reduce your blood glucose. This is good when you want to keep your body in tip-top shape. 

But, exercising too much can make the blood sugar plummet. Remember, you can challenge yourself to work out. But, ramping up training too much, too fast, and too hard, can pose a risk to your overall health.

Alcohol Consumption

Drinking alcohol can trigger a spike in insulin secretion. This can cause low glucose or hypoglycemia. So, you might feel a bit lightheaded and fatigued. Hypoglycemia can also happen when you mix alcohol with diabetes medicine, like sulfonylureas and insulin.

Humid and Hot Temperatures

Hot and humid weather can increase the odds of low blood sugar in people with blood glucose-lowering meds. When the temperatures outside are very high, the body’s metabolism is also higher, which can end up increasing insulin absorption. 

To stay safe in the heat, make sure to drink a lot of water, test your glucose often, and stay in the shade. Have some hypo treatments at hand, just in case the blood sugar drops too low.

Menstruation

During the follicular (first) phase of the menstrual cycle, women can have lower glucose levels and could be more insulin sensitive. Low blood sugar is often associated with the amount of blood the woman loses. 

By the end of the first phase, the estrogen levels increase, therefore causing the blood glucose to rise. Of course, not everyone experiences menstruation the same way. You need to know your body and track your cycle, and glucose to notice any changes or patterns in blood sugar levels.

Stress

Repeated stress can have a drastic impact on your glucose. Constant stress can increase the odds of hypoglycemia in diabetic patients.

Can You Have Hypoglycemia Without Diabetes?

Most of the time, hypoglycemia happens if you have diabetes. But, non-diabetic hypoglycemia can also happen – although it is very rare. Low glucose is uncommon in people who don’t have diabetes. Possible causes for hypoglycemia in non-diabetic patients can include malnutrition, fasting, weight loss surgery, or other medical conditions.