Am I diabetic if I sometimes feel weak and dizzy and my blood sugar is often low?

Question

I feel weak and dizzy at times, so I take my blood sugar. The other day my blood sugar was 3.6. I ate some sugar and 1 hour later it was only 4.4. I take it quite often and it is often low. My mother has diabetes, so I was wondering if this was possible.

Sarah-Yan Chagnon · Accepted Answer

Hello, Having low blood sugar (so blood sugar below 4.0) shows that your body has not been able to properly manage the sugar in your body. This is because the body is usually able to regulate blood sugar to keep it from being too high or too low. It is true that diabetes is the most common disease that can cause this type of symptom. However, there are also other health problems that can cause hypoglycemia. In addition, certain lifestyle habits (e.g. intense physical exercise, eating too far apart, unbalanced diet, alcohol, stress) can promote hypoglycemia. Thus, it will be necessary first of all to consult your doctor who will be able to prescribe you certain tests in order to find the exact cause. In the meantime, I am providing you with a document to help you better manage hypoglycemia: https://www.diabete.qc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/DQ-Hypo-verso-fr-0319-2.pdf In particular, it is recommended to take your blood sugar every 15 minutes to assess whether it is rising again (and not after 1 hour). Note that at your age, diabetes is less common, but possible especially with poor lifestyle habits. It is my pleasure, Sarah-Yan Chagnon, pharmacist