Have you dealt with hypoglycemia directly?

How I know it's coming: I haven't eaten anything in awhile and I start getting grumpy and annoyed. If I still do not eat, then I get further symptoms.

Yep. Not me, but my wife. I can't begin to fathom how many times I've had to tell her to go eat something.

How I know it's coming: I haven't eaten anything in awhile and I start getting grumpy and annoyed. If I still do not eat, then I get further symptoms.

Yep. Not me, but my wife. I can't begin to fathom how many times I've had to tell her to go eat something.

My man is learning. He used to call me Sybil because I'm like two different people, now when he sees my mood start changing he says right away, "we need to get you something to eat." To him there is never any hurry, he'll eat when he gets around to it, maybe in an hour, maybe in 5 hours. If I'm crashing, then I need to eat ASAP.

Yup. I can be reactive hypoglycemic, and so I had to change the types of meals that I eat. I used to eat cereal for breakfast, but I'd crash hard. Then I started skipping breakfast, which worked for a while. Now I try to have a good mix of carbs, protein, and fat for breakfast (usually soy milk, peanut butter, and a protein shake).

Recently I started having problems with my blood sugar and they were happening more and more frequently. I had been doing relatively low carb for months, so I wasn't sure what it was. I got a blood meter, and I'd get lows in the 50s, but my blood sugar would never go high (it broke 120 once, and that was after a huge dinner, drinking, and dessert). I had several blood tests, and cortisol, thyroid, and A1C were all normal (in fact, A1C was on the low side, which matched me having a low blood sugar). I went to an endocrinologist, and she treated me like she would a diabetes patient. She wanted me to raise my blood sugar, so she'd have me eat snacks every time I tested low, and I specifically had to test every time I drove, and if it wasn't at least a 90, I had to eat a snack.

Based on that plan, I did not get any better, and I ate a TON of food; I could count on one hand the number of times I tested over 90 when driving without having to eat a snack. And there were times, I'd test low, eat a snack, drive to the store, spend 20 minutes shopping, then try to drive home. I'd still test low and have to have a second snack within half an hour of the first. There were days I'd get shaky and nauseous, and eating didn't help the symptoms. Sometimes when my symptoms were at their worst, my blood sugar didn't test low.

I ended up going to a general practitioner who had a completely different take on my symptoms. She though the constant snack with carbs to increase my blood sugar when driving was making everything far worse. And, even though my blood sugar would go low (even into the fifties), the chances of me passing out (what the endocrinologist was worried about) would likely be slim to none. So, she had me cut out those snacking carbs and instead incorporate more whole grain and complex carbs into my diet in snacks and meals. I eat 3 meals and at least two snacks a day. I stopped testing my blood, and I just accept the fact that it would be low.

Overall, things have evened out for me, although I'm not entirely sure what caused the symptoms in the first place. My guess is that I'm likely insulin "sensitive" as the doctor suggested. Essentially the opposite of insulin resistant, and I'm guessing going low carb caused lots of problems for me.

Obviously, my case isn't going to be the same as everyone else, but there are some take away messages. If you are hungry, eat before you start crashing. You will likely need both meals and carbs regularly through out the day, but meals and snacks should never be carbs only; be sure that you focus on protein and fats with a reasonable amount of complex carbs with each meal (reasonable is going to depend on your goals, what keeps you satiated, and your training level). Don't get in the vicious cycle of chowing down on simple carbs when you start getting symptoms; make sure there are some carbs but also protein and fat in your "recovery" snacks.

Although I am diabetic now, I suffered from hypoglycemia when I was younger. Generally I got a headache and cranky. If I did not recognize it I would get dizzy and have even fainted.

Learning how it manifests for your body is key. I also recommend carrying a small snack with you, then if you feel yourself bottoming out, grab your snack.

I got it after an attempt at eating Paleo. I'm the first to admit I ate Paleo as a way of justifying anorexia - and I didn't do it "right" - I cut out all carbs and most fat.

I dealt with extreme low blood sugar when I started adding carbs back in - including a night where I fainted three times in a row trying to get back from the bathroom to my bedroom. My husband finally found me, but by then I'd cracked a tooth, split my lip, and bruised ribs from falling repeatedly.

I dealt with it by raising my carb intake over time, and at the first sign of shakiness take in a simple carb (candy is your best friend, but can also do dates or a banana), followed immediately by a complex carb (oats, potato, rice). The simple gives that burst of sugar so you don't crash and the complex helps the blood sugar stay level.

I still deal with it, but I'd say it was only extreme and scary for about 8 months. Now it's more like I get HANGRY and need to eat, but I'm not afraid of fainting.

I get *****y as all hell when my sugar is low, if I don't eat I get dizzy and prone to fainting. I just eat through out the day, keep some little hard candies on me in case they're needed. Lots of water and be sure to get a bit of everything in each snack (carbs, protein, fats) also everything multigrain is always a good go to.

How I know it's coming: I haven't eaten anything in awhile and I start getting grumpy and annoyed. If I still do not eat, then I get further symptoms. You should make sure that you are getting enough calories overall, and make those calories spaced out over the day. Eat a combination of protein/carbs/fat each time you eat.

I'd like to be able to eat because I'm hungry, not because I'm getting sick.

Your body is telling you that you are hungry when you experience this. Do you not experience hunger aside from when you crash? If that is the case then that might suggest your hunger hormones are out of whack. Google "leptin" and "ghrelin".

Generally, no. I rarely feel hunger as I once did when I was a kid. Now it's just shakey, dizzy , and disoriented. I have looked into reactive hypoglycemia as, at times, I can eat and then feel the symptoms coming on not long thereafter.

I have SEVERE reactive hypoglycemia. I also have insulin resistance. I take Metformin for both RH and insulin resistance. I have to eat every 1.5-2 hours (whether I'm hungry or not) or else I start crashing. I usually crash every 2 hours no matter what I eat. When I'm crashing, I have bad brain fog, dizzy, lightheaded, can barely walk, migraine, blurred vision, shaking, sweating, heart racing, difficulty speaking. When I crash, I drop into the 40s and 50s which is extremely dangerous so my endocrinologist tells me to drink 4 oz. of juice because that will get my sugar up the fastest. Then I eat something high in protein to counteract the carbs/sugar in the juice.

Try to avoid refined carbs. No cookies, cake, muffins, etc. Stick to complex carbs only… brown rice, whole grain bread, sweet potatoes, quinoa, etc.

You will begin to learn the foods you can tolerate and the foods that you can't. I personally can't tolerate pasta at all. It causes me to spike high and drop low very quickly. More than normal I should say. When I eat pasta, I spike into the 180s and plummet into the 40s within 45 minutes of eating.

Do you currently test your blood sugar?

I am not technically normally hypoglycemic, but I have the bottom end of normal blood sugar most of the time (i.e. 70-80 on waking and most of the day). My only suggestion is to avoid stevia in anything... Stevia is great for diabetics because it doesnt spike your blood sugar like sugar does, but also because it can lower it. I switched to stevia last year for about a month (because everywhere you look people say how it is a "natural" sweetener and how good it is for you compared to the alternative artificial ones). For that month, I nearly blacked out every day after lunch, and had several dizzy spells throughout the day. I finally caught on that it was after drinking my tea (i drank a few bottles a day, sweetened with stevia)... Tested my blood sugar when feeling bad and it was anywhere between 40 and 60. I quit using stevia and all is back to normal!

Something to think about at least!

Yup. I can be reactive hypoglycemic, and so I had to change the types of meals that I eat. I used to eat cereal for breakfast, but I'd crash hard. Then I started skipping breakfast, which worked for a while. Now I try to have a good mix of carbs, protein, and fat for breakfast (usually soy milk, peanut butter, and a protein shake).

Recently I started having problems with my blood sugar and they were happening more and more frequently. I had been doing relatively low carb for months, so I wasn't sure what it was. I got a blood meter, and I'd get lows in the 50s, but my blood sugar would never go high (it broke 120 once, and that was after a huge dinner, drinking, and dessert). I had several blood tests, and cortisol, thyroid, and A1C were all normal (in fact, A1C was on the low side, which matched me having a low blood sugar). I went to an endocrinologist, and she treated me like she would a diabetes patient. She wanted me to raise my blood sugar, so she'd have me eat snacks every time I tested low, and I specifically had to test every time I drove, and if it wasn't at least a 90, I had to eat a snack.

Based on that plan, I did not get any better, and I ate a TON of food; I could count on one hand the number of times I tested over 90 when driving without having to eat a snack. And there were times, I'd test low, eat a snack, drive to the store, spend 20 minutes shopping, then try to drive home. I'd still test low and have to have a second snack within half an hour of the first. There were days I'd get shaky and nauseous, and eating didn't help the symptoms. Sometimes when my symptoms were at their worst, my blood sugar didn't test low.

I ended up going to a general practitioner who had a completely different take on my symptoms. She though the constant snack with carbs to increase my blood sugar when driving was making everything far worse. And, even though my blood sugar would go low (even into the fifties), the chances of me passing out (what the endocrinologist was worried about) would likely be slim to none. So, she had me cut out those snacking carbs and instead incorporate more whole grain and complex carbs into my diet in snacks and meals. I eat 3 meals and at least two snacks a day. I stopped testing my blood, and I just accept the fact that it would be low.

Overall, things have evened out for me, although I'm not entirely sure what caused the symptoms in the first place. My guess is that I'm likely insulin "sensitive" as the doctor suggested. Essentially the opposite of insulin resistant, and I'm guessing going low carb caused lots of problems for me.

Obviously, my case isn't going to be the same as everyone else, but there are some take away messages. If you are hungry, eat before you start crashing. You will likely need both meals and carbs regularly through out the day, but meals and snacks should never be carbs only; be sure that you focus on protein and fats with a reasonable amount of complex carbs with each meal (reasonable is going to depend on your goals, what keeps you satiated, and your training level). Don't get in the vicious cycle of chowing down on simple carbs when you start getting symptoms; make sure there are some carbs but also protein and fat in your "recovery" snacks.

Insulin sensitivity is insulin resistance.

No I don't test. Will you have to eat every 1.5-2 hours for the rest of you life?

It seems an easy solution, even if you have to do it the rest of your life. But do look at your food diary and see if maybe too many simple carbs and sugar might be the problem, as some people are pointing out.

Also, oatmeal whether instant or rolled oats sends my sugar levels down the ****tter. Which sucks, I love oatmeal.

Try eating more protein with your oatmeal. The protein should help balance things out. Personally, I like putting protein powder in my oatmeal - after it's cooked. You may prefer eggs on the side - whatever works for you.

I used to suffer from this too! I had to eat a source of protein every 3 hours or so whether I was hungry or not, and if I ate carbs, I always paired it with a protein source. After a while, I really started keeping track of calories and macros. I still eat 5 mini meals, or 3 meals and 2 substantial snacks. I set my macros to 40/30/30 (c/p/f). When I look for a snack, I always look for the higher protein option.

It got a lot better when I really started paying attention to how much I ate and what kinds of foods I put in my body. Losing weight and regular exercise helped too. I still find my sugar is most likely to dip in the late morning, so I just make sure I eat twice before a morning workout.

It's nowhere near as bad as it used to be. My sugar used to crash once or twice a day, but since I made some diet and lifestyle changes, now it might dip low (but not dangerous or to the point where I'm sick) once every 2-3 months. And when it does crash, I can usually pinpoint what caused it. My sugar is never stable after eating someplace like McD's for about a day, or like I said above, not enough fuel to last through a late morning workout.

I also tend to start feeling symptoms when I am engaged in face to face conversation and have to focus on what the person is saying. Same thing when speaking to a group.

That actually sounds like a nervousness thing, and several hormones can have similar reactions to those that happen during low blood sugar. I can get similar reactions from having lidocane at the dentist (it has epinephrine in it, and I react badly to it), too much caffeine, etc.