The James Paget is currently taking part in Hypo Awareness Week, with our Adult Diabetes Team hosting a stand in our Aubergine Restaurant each lunchtime this week to raise awareness of Hypoglycaemia.
Hypoglycemia, also known as low blood sugar, is when blood sugar decreases to below normal levels. It mainly affects people with diabetes and is known as a ‘hypo’. It may result in a variety of symptoms including sweating heavily, feeling anxious, trembling, going pale, slurring your words, being unusually aggressive or tearful, confusion and, if you don’t treat your hypo at that stage, loss of consciousness.
Hypos can be caused by things such as taking too much insulin or too many diabetes tablets, delaying or missing meals, eating less starchy food than usual, drinking too much alcohol or drinking alcohol without food, unplanned or strenuous activity or hot weather.
If you recognise you’re having a hypo then you should treat it immediately with something that will raise your blood glucose quickly such as a small carton of smooth orange juice, four large or seven small jelly babies or five or six dextrose tablets.
The stand, in the restaurant between 12noon and 1pm, gives you the opportunity to talk to the team and to find out more about spotting the signs, learning the symptoms and knowing the treatments for Hypoglycaemia.
