First Aid Course Guide: Managing Hypoglycemia – Causes, Symptoms, Immediate Treatment, and Preventive Measures

Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, is a condition identified in first aid course, occurring when blood glucose levels fall below 70 mg/dL (3.9 mmol/L). Glucose, often termed the ‘fuel of life’ in first aid training, is the body’s primary source of energy. The way a car cannot function without fuel, just like the same way a body cannot function well without the right amount of glucose.

Hypoglycemia is very common in diabetic patients, especially who are dependent on insulin or take very high dose of diabetic medicines. First aid course Usually it is self treated. But it can be life-threatening if it is not treated on time. A severe hypoglycemia may lead to serious health concerns like coma, seizure attacks or death. This is why recognising hypoglycemia, knowing its cause, treatment and prevention is a must. This article will provide you with all these information.

First Aid Course

What causes low blood sugar?

The glucose level decreases if:

• you forget to eat or have not eaten enough food after taking insulin.
• skipping meals or delayed meals.
• eating a very low amount of carbohydrate. (Carbohydrate produces glucose in the body. If you do not eat or drink enough carbohydrate, your sugar level will decrease)
• following a strict glycemic control, meaning, if diabetes is strictly controlled.
• taking too much insulin.
• a long term diabetes and long term dependency on insulin.
• physical activities more than usual.
• consuming alcohol without having your meal.
• not conscious enough about the complications arising from diabetes or does not have proper knowledge of how to maintain diabetes.

Can non diabetic person have low sugar?

Though it’s a very rare case, but sometimes non diabetic person can also have hypoglycemia. According to health experts, the factors that can be responsible for decreasing your sugar level might be:

• Serious illness like heart, liver or kidney diseases.
• Taking medicines which lowers sugar level.
• Starving for a long time.
• Insulinoma tumor in pancreas leads to a large production of insulin which decreases sugar level drastically.

If you are non diabetic and still have low sugar more often, your doctor will diagnose and treat accordingly.

First Aid Course

Symptoms

Symptoms may vary from person to person. Some symptoms are more or less common in everyone. These are:

• Sweating
• Shivering
• Blurred vision
• Feeling very hungry
• Trembling of hand or finger
• Lightheaded
• Tiredness
• Irregular heartbeat
• Restlessness
• Headache (in some cases)

If above discussed symptoms are found and you doubt it to be hypoglycemia, check blood sugar with the help of glucometer. Initiate the treatment procedure if glucose level is found to be below 4 mmol/L.

Treatment 

1) The main purpose of the treatment is to increase glucose level. For this, take anything available at hand that contains a good number of carbohydrate (sugar, fruit juice, honey, candy, chocolates, etc).

A question might arise in your mind that, in what quantity the carbohydrate should be taken? It is suggested to take approximately 15gram of carbohydrate. The amount will be less in case of a child.

2) After 15 minutes, check your sugar level with the help of a glucometer. Once your sugar level comes back to its normal range, eat your meal to avoid further sugar fall.

3) If your sugar level does not come back to its normal range, take some more carbohydrate and check your blood sugar level. Repeat this procedure for 3 times. If the sugar level does not rise, consult with a doctor immediately.

What to do if the patient loses consciousness before initiating  the treatment? 

A severe hypoglycemic condition requires immediate medical assessment. Sometimes the patient goes unconscious in severe hypoglycemic condition. Do the following things when the patient falls unconscious or not in the condition to eat anything.

1) The patient should be provided with glucagon. Glucagon is generally either in injection or powdered form.

2) If the patient gains consciousness after having glucagon, provide him with a heavy meal which will keep his sugar level high for a long time.

But, remember, if you do not know how to use glucagon or if the facilities are not available at hand, take the patient to the hospital immediately.

Prevention

Prevention is always better cure. Its not much difficult to prevent hypoglycemia. All you need to do is, monitoring your blood sugar on regular basis.

Besides, if you experience any symptom of hypoglycemia, check blood sugar immediately. Eat enough carbohydrate. Do not skip or delay your meals. Take suggestion from your physician about what diet you should follow. You never know when the sugar level will fall. Therefore, always keep carbohydrate enriched foods like candy, fruit juice or chocolates with you. Keep a glucometer and glucagon kit or injection at your home, if you or anyone in your family has diabetes or a history of hypoglycemia.

Stay Prepared: Enroll in a First Aid Course Near Me

Understanding hypoglycemia is crucial, but knowing how to respond in an emergency is equally important. By enrolling in a first aid course near you, you can gain hands-on experience in managing low blood sugar episodes and other medical emergencies. These courses equip you with the knowledge and confidence to provide immediate care, which can be life-saving for individuals with hypoglycemia. Whether you’re a caregiver, a family member of someone with diabetes, or simply someone who wants to be prepared, a first aid course can make all the difference. Search for “first aid course near me” to find training opportunities and take the first step towards becoming a capable first responder.