Symptoms

Recently my levels have been going low just before I go to bed and then when I wake up the next morning my levels have been running a bit high. This gave me the idea of writing a post about the symptoms of high and low levels and what causes your levels to go low or high. When your levels go high or low it makes you feel unwell and it can also wear you out for the rest of the day.

When my levels are low I feel really shaky, find it really hard to concentrate and my skin goes pale but everyone has different symptoms when their levels are low. The most common symptoms of low levels are feeling sweaty, feeling shaky, feeling hungry, tiredness, blurred vision, lack of concentration, headaches, feeling tearful, stroppy or moody or going pale. Everyone gets different symptoms because everyone’s bodies are different so we all react in different ways when our levels are low.  Your levels can go low because you have had too much insulin, you have missed a meal, you have done a lot of physical activity or other reasons. However sometimes there is no obvious cause of your levels going low. Sometimes people worry that their levels will go low in the night and they won’t wake up and realise; I worry about this a lot too. The hospital told me that I will only wake up in the night if I am having a bad low because my symptoms would wake me up, so if my levels weren’t very low then I wouldn’t wake up because I don’t need to. I don’t worry as much about it now after what the hospital have told me.  

When my levels are high I get stomach pains, headaches and I get really thirsty. Everyone gets different symptoms when their levels are high. Your levels can go high because you may have missed an insulin dose, not given enough insulin, been snacking on food, over-treating a hypo, stressed about something or being unwell with an infection. When your levels have been running high this can make you feel really tired and wear you out for the rest of the day.  

Sometimes it can be hard to work out what symptoms you get when your levels are high or low. Having low or high levels can make you feel really rubbish and unwell but you will be able to get through it, I know you will.  You are stronger then you think you are.