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What is a hypo?

Indiana91

Indiana91

Well-Known Member
Right guys, obviously, we all know what a hypo is and how it feels.

What I want to know is, what do you class as being a hypo?

Is it different for type 1s and type 2s?

Personally, I never let mine drop below 5.0 because I never know when I'll have to drive.

Is it still the law that you can't drive if you're below 5.0?

Is this law for type ones and twos?

I'm asking because I've been reading a few threads from people who have been below 5.0 and have felt hypo.
Others have said that it's not one.

Is it not down to the individual and how they're feeling?

I'm getting a bit confused I think!

Indiana x


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Many say a hypo is below 4. DAFNE teaches less than 3.5. As for driving, you can drive if 5 or under but eat a snack, if 4.5 or below, can't drive. You need to eat and wait a minimum of 30mins then test again. That is if on insulin.


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I see what your asking here and a hypo is a hypo no matter what whether you are type 1 or type 2 or any other version of diabetes, a hypo is when your blood sugar drops below 4.0. Some people are fortunate enough to have awareness when they are going to go in to hypo at about 4.5 or even at about 5. When it comes to driving it names no difference of type again it's all down to medication, and the DVLA class a hypo below 4


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Indiana91 said:
Right guys, obviously, we all know what a hypo is and how it feels.

What I want to know is, what do you class as being a hypo?

Is it different for type 1s and type 2s?

Personally, I never let mine drop below 5.0 because I never know when I'll have to drive.

Is it still the law that you can't drive if you're below 5.0?

Is this law for type ones and twos?

I'm asking because I've been reading a few threads from people who have been below 5.0 and have felt hypo.
Others have said that it's not one.

Is it not down to the individual and how they're feeling?

I'm getting a bit confused I think!

Indiana x


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Click to expand...
Indiana,
To me , a hypo is below 4.0.
the definition does not vary between types although a T2 can "recover" themselves from a hypo(by natural bodily processes) whereas T1s need a bit more help to do so
the Five to drive" rule still applies, although most "non Ds" flout it regularly.
The "hypo feeling" that we experience may be either a "true" hypo or the effect of dropping from a higher BG.( If you drop from BG= 9.0 to 5.0 you will feel hypo but if you constantly lived at 4.4, you probably would feel OK!
 
I am a type 2 and when I was first put on pills I had what I class as hypo's. I got a vague headache, couldn't think quite straight and if not tended to I started to oscillate. I use the word oscillate since it was more than a shake and was low frequency. I was usually below 4 when this happened.

What I see as a problem in defining hypo's by numbers is that I own three meters and one of them reads 1mmol/l higher than the other two. So for that meter I could be going hypo at 5.0 which would really be 4 in real money.

With all that in mind I think that defining a hypo in a way that would be meaningful to everyone would be difficult.
 
To me hypos are below 4, sometimes you can feel hypo at higher numbers but that i find is if your bloods were higher to start with,
ive also found that how i bad i feel when hypo depends on what ive been doing/how quick it fell, ive felt just a bit hypo at 1.2 and very hypo at 3 before,
strange is the world of hypos;)
 
Squire Fulwood said:
I am a type 2 and when I was first put on pills I had what I class as hypo's. I got a vague headache, couldn't think quite straight and if not tended to I started to oscillate. I use the word oscillate since it was more than a shake and was low frequency. I was usually below 4 when this happened.

What I see as a problem in defining hypo's by numbers is that I own three meters and one of them reads 1mmol/l higher than the other two. So for that meter I could be going hypo at 5.0 which would really be 4 in real money.

With all that in mind I think that defining a hypo in a way that would be meaningful to everyone would be difficult.
Click to expand...

Exactly!
I go with how I feel more than actual numbers. Obviously I test so I know how much I need to eat but if I feel hypo symptoms, I eat something.
Simple as that! (If it's 5.0 or below!)

Indiana x


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Going with how you feel is risky. If involved in an accident the police can ask to see your BG meter. Doesn't matter how you feel, you must have tested abd within range, doesn't matter what the meter used is.


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I did say that I test it.
I never treat without testing, eat without testing, inject without testing or drive without testing.

Indiana x


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Been reading the thread, I have thought at times I was going into a hypo, tested, and been shocked to see my Bs up in the 7s, so my Bs was high , and then obviously came down to a normal level, I agree with Indiana , I go by how I feel, if I feel a bit wobbly, I always test, and treat accordingly
 
Njieberridge said:
Been reading the thread, I have thought at times I was going into a hypo, tested, and been shocked to see my Bs up in the 7s, so my Bs was high , and then obviously came down to a normal level, I agree with Indiana , I go by how I feel, if I feel a bit wobbly, I always test, and treat accordingly
Click to expand...


I'm glad I'm not the only one, I think everyone's hypos are different. What's hypo for one person might not be for someone else.
I don't get how people can group hypos together and tell someone they're not having one when they feel like they are!

Indiana x


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Indiana91 said:
I'm glad I'm not the only one, I think everyone's hypos are different. What's hypo for one person might not be for someone else.
I don't get how people can group hypos together and tell someone they're not having one when they feel like they are!

Indiana x


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Click to expand...
Absolutely ,;)
 
Hypo is classed at 4.0 or below. I often feel hypo at 5 but I'll treat this differently in that I'll have 15g carbs that aren't necessarily quick acting (e.g I might have milk and a biscuit), whereas if I'm below 4 I'll treat with lucozade/sweets. Personally I'd never drive unless I was at least 7, just because I'm most comfortable at that reading.

As far as feeling hypo but not actually being hypo, these are known as phantom hypos and often occur if your bg has been too high for too long and then drops to a 'normal' reading, or if your bg drops very quickly. I read somewhere that it's the reduction in your bg that causes the hypo symptoms so the faster you drop the more hypo you feel. Likewise, as mentioned above, I've found myself at something silly like 1.2 after being in the supermarket and felt absolutely fine, but then have felt incredibly hypo at 4.5 and completely unable to function.
 
in truth if you have had high sugars for a long period of time and they suddenly drop to single figure you can have a hypo in the form of shaking
your sugars would not necessarily be below 4.
they could be as high as 7 if your sugars have been in double figures for a long time, it is your body going into shock at the sudden drop.
many people can feel Hypos coming on some like myself feel pins and needles in the face, forehead and cheeks, sometimes I feel it in my chin but hey I'm just odd.
The important thing is not to panic keep some dextrose tablets around you all the time and chew a couple if you think you may be having a hypo
I keep liquid sucrose in my car it works very fast indeed and I don't need much to reverse the effects of a Hypo. maybe a teaspoonful.
some test their sugars first to confirm it some people on oral tablets for T2 don't test and know to have a sandwich to get their sugars back up again.
 
Hi,

Funny enough. Even non Ds can show hypo syptoms if they haven't eaten/skippered a meal for what ever reason.. My non D mate in his youth used to get the shakes & was fuddled.. Though there is no way of knowing what the actual BS was..
My wife's nonD house-mate while she was a student suffered similar if "hungry" & actually slumped over on one ocaision..

I worked with a guy (another nonD.) a couple of years back. He was a pleasant easy going bloke. (He was a pleasure to work with.) This one day, lunch break was running late & his mood changed. Everything got "negative" & a little ranty... Not so much at me, just the job in general.. "Time out!" I said "lets eat.." He was fine after getting a bit of grub down him..

Bit like that advert.. "A right diva when hungry."
 
My geography teacher when at school was a long distance runner. Before a trip, my parents explained Hypo symptoms to him and he had a light bulb moment. He had been suffering hypos towards the end of runs and couldn't understand what they were. In the days before t'interweb, he hadn't anywhere to go and find out either. It was a revelation for him.
 
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