Treating Mild Hypoglycemia

When you or your parents notice symptoms of hypoglycemia, it's important to treat it right away. If you're feeling a little "off" but not too bad, you or your parent should do a blood glucose check first. Your doctor or diabetes educator can tell you which blood glucose levels mean you have hypoglycemia. But if you feel fairly sick or don't have your meter, go ahead and treat for hypoglycemia. Here's how.

Step 1
Eat or drink something with 10 to 15 grams of carbohydrate.

Step 2
Wait 15 minutes, then check your blood glucose.

Step 3
If your blood glucose is still too low (or you don't feel better), take another dose of 10-15 grams of carbohydrate and check again after 15 minutes.

Step 4
Once your blood glucose begins returning to your normal range, eat a snack containing carbohydrate and protein. (Crackers with cheese or peanut butter is a good choice.)

If your blood glucose stays too low even after treatment, your parents may need to take you to a doctor or hospital.

Don't Go Overboard

Don't use hypoglycemia as an excuse to pig out on sweet stuff. You'll only have the opposite problem - high blood glucose - later in the day. Also, stick to sugary foods that don't have a lot of fat. Fat slows down the movement of sugar into your blood. So candy bars and cookies are not the best choices for treating hypoglycemia, unless they're the only high-carb foods nearby.