sammy
non-diabetics CAN experience hypos, but 3.8 is far from dangerous. It's probably pretty common in non-diabetics to drop into the 2s and 3 after exercise and if missing meals. It only becomes dangerous under the influence of blood sugar reducing medication, when it CAN keep dropping. Otherwise, the liver will release glucose to correct the problem.
Despite the tendency for people to panic if bg drops below 4. that is a purely arbitrary number, chosen to make the mantra "4's the floor!" it has no metabolic significance.
Although I've searched for years, I've NEVER found verifiable evidence of anyone actually dieing from hypo. Not even a diabetic. There is some evidence that occasionally a driver has hypoed, lost control of a vehicle and either killed him/herself or someone else.
It's possible that a phenomenon called "dead in bed" syndrome, which rarely kills a diabetic is a hypo, but there's no evidence of that.
In other words a slightly low blood sugar in a person not using hypoglycaemic medicines is HARMLESS and will correct itself if you have your breakfast or if you don't.
Hana
