Many people often confuse hypoglycemia with hypotension, thinking that the two conditions are the same. However, the reality is the opposite, hypoglycemia and low blood pressure are completely different.
Hypoglycemia and hypotension share some of the same symptoms and are often mistaken for the same thing. To better distinguish these two health conditions, please refer to the article below.
Are hypoglycemia and low blood pressure the same?
To distinguish low blood sugar and low blood pressure, you first need to understand the concept and causes of these two conditions. An overview of these two diseases will help you recognize and distinguish them more easily, avoiding unnecessary confusion.
Hypoglycemia is a condition in which blood sugar drops rapidly, suddenly drops below a safe level (lower than 70mg/dL) and the condition becomes extremely serious and even life-threatening if blood sugar levels drop. lower than 55mg/dL.
Hypoglycemia is when the blood sugar is less than 70mg/dL
Hypotension occurs when the systolic blood pressure falls below 90 mmHg or the diastolic blood pressure falls below 60 mmHg. Low blood pressure, also known as low blood pressure , is more common than low blood sugar, and people of all ages can experience this condition, especially often seen in pregnant women. or the elderly, the seriously ill.
So are hypoglycemia and low blood pressure the same thing? In essence, these two diseases are not the same, the nature of the disease and the cause of the disease are also markedly different, so it is impossible to equate these two phenomena as the same. In addition, low blood pressure is a metabolic disorder in the body, while hypoglycemia is a disease related to cardiovascular disease and a number of other health problems such as diabetes, ...
Distinguish symptoms of hypoglycemia and low blood pressure
Recognizing and differentiating hypoglycemia and low blood pressure at the first symptoms will help you a lot in the next treatment. Here are some typical symptoms of the disease to help you distinguish more clearly the two phenomena above.
Symptoms of low blood sugar
Low blood sugar makes patients feel tired, sometimes the symptoms of the disease are quite similar to low blood pressure, causing many people to be confused. Some of the typical symptoms of the disease include:
- Hungry stomach;
- Trembling limbs;
- Increased heart rate, fast heartbeat;
- Easily irritated from external factors;
- Irritability, grumpy;
- Quick tears;
- Worry;
- Fatigue ;
- Severe cases of hypoglycemia often have convulsions, fainting, deep coma, even death if not handled promptly.
Hypoglycemia occurs not only during the day, when the patient is awake, but also at night, when the patient is fast asleep. Symptoms of the disease at this time are causing the patient to wake up in the middle of the night, headache, fatigue, sweating, nightmares, ... Besides, people with diabetes are also very susceptible to hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia in normal people occurs due to causes such as:
- Not eating enough meals, fasting for more than 8 hours;
- Drink a lot of alcohol;
- Infected;
- Surgery to remove part of the stomach;
- Side effects of medications,...
Drinking a lot of beer and alcohol is a factor that increases the rate of hypoglycemia
Symptoms of low blood pressure
Low blood pressure is a more common health condition than low blood sugar and has typical symptoms such as:
- Fatigue, feeling dizzy or light-headed;
- Dizziness, blurred vision;
- Nausea, vomiting;
- Cold and sweaty skin;
- Difficulty concentrating;
- Rapid breathing, rapid breathing, shallow breathing;
- Severe cases of low blood pressure can appear symptoms of fainting, falling, ...
Distinguishing hypoglycemia from low blood pressure is not as difficult as you think. With the above symptoms, you can recognize a drop in blood pressure quickly and simply, so that you can have a timely treatment plan to avoid affecting your health and life.
Low blood pressure can occur in all subjects, including the elderly and children, but there are some cases that are most susceptible to hypotension, such as:
- People who are using drugs that cause low blood pressure;
- People who are taking medication for depression;
- People with Parkinson's disease ;
- People with erectile dysfunction;
- Women with female hormone imbalance;
- People with heart disease or liver or kidney disease,...
How to prevent hypoglycemia and low blood pressure
Although there are many differences in the causes of the disease as well as the specific symptoms, the prevention of hypoglycemia and hypotension have similarities. After distinguishing hypoglycemia and hypotension through the causes and symptoms of the disease, you should also apply the following ways to avoid this situation.
- Do not skip meals, eat enough meals throughout the day and should divide meals, eat meals every 3-4 hours if you are prone to low blood pressure.
- Eat on time, pay attention to add more foods rich in energy, vitamins and minerals such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, ...
- Do not drink too much alcohol or other alcoholic beverages.
- You should exercise moderately and do not exercise on an empty stomach.
- Eat a light meal before exercise, drink enough water during and after exercise to rehydrate the body.
- Regular health check-ups, monitoring health indicators, including blood sugar and blood pressure.
Pre-workout snack helps prevent hypoglycemia and low blood pressure
Besides the general ways to prevent disease, you should also note the following:
For people who are prone to hypoglycemia: Diabetics should pay attention to always carry snacks or candy, cakes to quickly replenish sugar for the body. Severe patient condition should bring glucagon injection kit.
For people prone to low blood pressure: It is necessary to drink a lot of water, ensure 2.5 - 3 liters of water / day and change position slowly, avoid getting up and sitting down too quickly leading to dizziness, dizziness. Exercising is also controlled in moderation, avoiding overtraining.
Hopefully the above sharing has helped you better understand as well as differentiate between hypoglycemia and low blood pressure . If you often experience low blood sugar or low blood pressure, you need to contact your doctor and have your health checked, check the indicators and carry out treatment according to the doctor's instructions.