How do I Reduce my Hypoglycemia Risk?

There are many ways to reduce your hypoglycemia risk. Hypoglycemia is something that is often a problem in people who have diabetes, but it can happen to people without diabetes, too. In general, the best way you can reduce your risk of hypoglycemia is by staying healthy and eating the right amount of food at the right times. Don't let yourself go too long without eating. You should have at least six small meals every day, which should be made up of healthy foods that provide all the nutrients you need. Eating too little can bring about symptoms of hypoglycemia, so it is important to make sure that all your meals contain enough food to get you through until your next meal without causing you to feel weak.

Diabetics should also make sure they eat several small meals throughout the day to reduce their hypoglycemia risk. If you are diabetic, you should additionally be diligent about taking any medicine prescribed to you by your doctor at the designated times. It may also benefit you to make an effort to fully understand how your diabetes medication works, because some medicine for diabetics can actually cause hypoglycemic episodes if they are taken incorrectly. For example, you probably do not want to take medication that lowers your blood sugar when your blood sugar is already low, because the medicine could cause it to get dangerously low. This could bring about severe hypoglycemia, which is occasionally life threatening.

If you drink alcohol, you should always try to do so on a full stomach. Alcohol tends to make the blood sugar drop, so it is not usually a good idea to consume it when you haven't eaten. If you are diabetic, it is incredibly important that you carefully monitor all alcohol consumption. Most doctors advise their diabetic patients not to consume more than two alcoholic beverages in a given day. These beverages should additionally be consumed with meals to prevent the hypoglycemia risk that comes from drinking on an empty stomach.

It might also help you to keep some snacks handy at all times. This should help ensure that even if you are away from home, you can reduce your hypoglycemia risk by having something on hand to eat if you start to feel weak or dizzy. Raisins or granola bars are good options because they are not too sugary, but should provide enough needed nutrition to get you through until your next meal. If you are a diabetic, you should never go anywhere without something on hand to eat in case your sugar gets out of whack while you are away from home. You may need to keep some very sugary snacks on hand as well in case your sugar drops to dangerously low levels while you are out so you can get it back up to a normal level very quickly.