Hypoglycemia Causes
When a person eats, the body breaks down the carbohydrates present in the food such as rice, pasta, fruits, vegetables, bread, and milk products into several sugar molecules. Glucose is one of the smallest units of carbohydrate in the body, and it travels throughout the body via the bloodstream. One of the primary functions of glucose is to provide energy to the body tissues and organs acting as a fuel for all cellular activities. Insulin is an essential hormone which helps in the entering of glucose in most of the cells throughout the body. The pancreas secretes the hormone insulin, which helps in enabling the glucose molecule to get inside the cells and give fuel to the cells that they need.
Moreover, the excess glucose molecules start coming together for storage in the liver as glycogen molecule. The glycogen molecule, after stimulation by glucagon hormone coming from the pancreas, splits up into two glucose units and supply the body with glucose. If a person does not eat for many hours, and the blood glucose starts dropping down, then the glucagon hormone comes from the pancreas and splits the glycogen molecule into two glucose units. By maintaining a balance between glucagon and insulin hormones, the body keeps the blood glucose levels within the normal range all the time.
Diabetes is a possible cause of hypoglycemia
If someone is suffering from diabetes mellitus, then they might not produce enough insulin in the case of diabetes type 1, and they might be less responsive to insulin hormone in the condition of diabetes type 2. As a result, the excess glucose starts building up in the bloodstream, and the level of glucose might reach alarming levels. To make this situation correctly, the body needs insulin or some other drug to drop down the sugar levels in the blood. Using too much insulin or excessive use of insulin for prolonged duration might become the cause of blood sugar levels to drop down too low, thus leading to hypoglycemia. Moreover, suppose a diabetic patient eats less than usual after taking insulin medication or works out more than usual. In that case, there is a drastic decrease in blood sugar level resulting in hypoglycemia.