Sarah Howard
Sarah Howard has worked in the diabetes research field ever since she was diagnosed with T1D while in college in May 2013. Since then, she has worked for various diabetes organizations, focusing on research, advocacy, and community-building efforts for people with T1D and their loved ones. Sarah is currently the Senior Marketing Manager at T1D Exchange.
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When your blood sugar is going low, at what point do you typically start to notice symptoms of a low blood sugar? Cancel reply
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I don’t feel them at all.
Depends on the day. Sometimes it’s at 65, but usually about 42, just before my meter just says LO.
The same as Jill Meyer. I, generally, don’t feel hypos anymore, having suffered from Hypoglycaemia Unawareness for more then 25-30 years now.
Dropping fast, around 80; creeping down, around 60.
This will depend on what your average sugar runs, and if it is controlled or not.
Changes with time and very much depends on what your usual BG level is. People with higher A1Cs tend to feel low at higher BGs. I’ve known newly dx’d T1s who feel “low” at 140 or even higher, depending on how bad they were before starting insulin therapy. For many years I’d feel symptoms for anything in the 70s, but for the last few years my A1C has been around 5.8 and I hardly feel anything unless I’m really crashing.
My symptoms of BG lows are dependent upon the cause of the low, i.e., if I’ve over-exerted myself with yardwork or exercise, I notice the symptoms at a lower reading than if I’m late eating a meal or have consumed too few carbs in a meal. Sometimes I notice symptoms at 70, other times I notice symptoms at 30. And through five decades, my symptoms have changed radically. Constant self-awareness is key to staying safe and healthy with T1D, but there will always be times when a low BG takes you by surprise.
My son rarely feels his lows.
Sounds like everybody is on the same page, me included. Depends!!
I am rarely low enough to feel the symptoms, but when I am that low, it’s usually in the 50s.
I wear a Dexcom G6. Sometimes It depends on how quickly my sugar levels are dropping for me to get symptoms. When I exercise, my sugar levels drop quickly and my Dexcom readings can be anywhere between 70-95 when I have symptoms. If I am not active, I usually get symptoms around 70 or lower.
I start getting hungry, my body telling me it needs something between 65-70. But if I don’t get hungry I can bottom out to 45 without symptoms and continue on as normal and grab something as I go now. This only happens on pump therapy. On shots short and long acting, the long acting would make me catatonic by 55-60. I’m grateful to have much better control and less allow symptoms so I can self treat before it becomes an issue.
After 65 years I no longer experience any symptoms of lows or highs. Very grateful for Dexcom G6.
Does anybody have days where no matter what they eat, you keep experiencing lows and other days no matter how much insulin you take, your BG is high? I am on a pump but not CGM. Plan to go on CGM in 3 years when I go on Medicare. Then, the next day, things can be tricky. I don’t think I have digestion problems (gastroparesis – my mother had it). Is that just life with T1?
Due to hypoglycemia unawareness I generally don’t feel my low sugars. I can be in the 20’s and walking & talking, even lower then in the 20’s at times. I love my G6, when Medicare doesn’t screw up my orders, I’ve been without for a week now.
I function quite well when starting to go low. Which is why I check every time I get behind the steering wheel of my car. When asked why I needed so many test strips by my endo, I said aside form the usual 8x a day upon waking, before and after meals, be fore bed, when there is a 3+hours between last check, I also check before driving. Thank goodness for my Dexcom!
To Patricia: waiting 3 yrs for cgm is a long time and a little dangerous, in my mind. Can you get the Dexcom through your pharmacy, as I do, with my insurance company?
It depends on the speed of the drop of my BG in order for me to notice it. I’m thankful for my CGM to wake me @ night if I’m getting low BGs.
Patricia, try to get on a CGM before waiting until Medicare kicks in. I know it may still be expensive but perhaps you can qualify for a reduction in the initial price of the CGM as well as ongoing supplies. These programs sometimes are available only for a year. I would do some research on this.
It varies. I probably begin to feel low between 65 and 70. But there have been times lately when my BG was perfectly good, around 110 (Dexcom) and horizontal arrow, but I had the sensation that my BG was dropping. Of course I double checked w a fingerstick. I don’t know what’s up with that. I haven’t had it happen recently, but it was odd….
Depends on what activity I’ve been doing: physical exercise>feel low between 60-70; if watching TV>between 50-60; if actively mentally engaged or challenged> between 32-50 (or lower). *however* I know that the longer I have stretches of many weeks of STAYING IN RANGE, then my hypoglycemic unawareness is reduced i.e. I can sense an incoming low even when BG is higher than 60.
Have reached the point in life that my condition is hypoglycemic unawareness. Hence, it requires a constant view of equipment to respond to directional changes.
I dont feel any symptoms of hypoglycemia until I’m at 40-42.
It’s less the number and more the drop for me. If I’m steady, but slowly creeping down, I might not feel it until it’s in the 70’s. But as someone else said, I could be in range, or even higher, my Dexcom will show a straight trend, but I can feel the drop starting. 10-15 minutes later the numbers will show what I was feeling. I also still feel the low for longer afterwards if it was a fast drop.
I don’t know when I go low that why I check my bgs 10+times a day
Usually in the upper 60s is when symptoms show up. Symptoms also depend on how fast my BGs are falling. Symptoms of low BG can occur at any BG level when levels are falling fast enough. Symptoms themselves do not ALWAYS mean you have a low BG.
I usually feel lows 50-60, but not always due to hypoglycemia unawareness. I’m thankful to have a Dexcom CGM but still struggle with it’s accuracy.
Whenever you notice something is “off”, it is enough. I do not care what the specific number might be… I will never test to get a magic number until AFTER I’ve treated. It is foolish to wait to treat, potentially lethal. Dropping is dropping, 35, 60 the number is not useful. TREAT, then get as many numbers as you wish….
I can notice going low in a wide range, from around 135, although my hypoglycemia awareness has recently decreased. It depends on how rapidly it is dropping. Rapid loss is when I notice is most frequently.