Is Hypoglycemia The Same As Diabetes?

Diabetes can be a complicated disease due to the vast number of side effects that it can produce. But some people who are not diabetic might confuse diabetes with hypoglycemia. Are they two different names for the same disease? Actually, they are more the opposite of one another.

Diabetes is a condition where blood sugar is too high. This is due to the fact that the body's insulin supply is either too low, non-existent or is not responding well with the cells within the body. In order to combat this condition, insulin has to be introduced externally to compensate for the delinquency.

Hypoglycemia, on the other hand, occurs when blood sugar levels are too low. This occurs for a number of reasons, some of which are poor diet, too long between meals and certain types of medications. Ironically, hypoglycemia is a symptom of diabetes. When insulin levels are off, the individual will often experience episodes where their blood sugar levels drop too low.

Hypoglycemia affects different people in different ways. The extent and the severity of an episode can vary, as does the recovery time and method used. The typical remedy for an episode is to ingest some form of sugar. Although glucose tablets are the most common approach, there are many other ways to bring sugar levels up quickly.

Fruit drinks, candy, white bread, etc., are all foods that work well to elevate levels. The key is to bring them up to the appropriate range without overdoing it. Over compensating will result in levels surpassing the normal range and becoming too high. This will send the individual into a hypoglycemic episode which means that they will again have to adjust their blood sugar.