Behind Hypoglycemia, the Body Was Trying to Protect Me

“Unnoticed Hypoglycemia and the Story of Brain Reactions”

I had always focused only on my blood glucose levels, but after learning about the
“brain reactions” happening behind the scenes, my perspective changed a little.

Hypoglycemia involves heart palpitations, sudden anxiety, trembling hands, or even acting in ways that don't make sense.

Those sensations aren't just symptoms; they are...

“reactions triggered by the brain because it judges the situation as dangerous”

The brain perceives hypoglycemia as a “life-threatening danger.” That is why it sends various signals to the body. One of them is adrenaline.

When adrenaline is released, you feel your heart racing, become anxious, feel flustered, or act in ways that don't make sense. Actually, those sensations are not

“hypoglycemia itself”

so much as they are reactions triggered by the brain. Even though these reactions are supposed to be there to protect the body, I was constantly being pushed around by that anxiety, impatience, and inexplicable behavior.

However, I had one question here. If such strong reactions occur, shouldn't I notice hypoglycemia immediately?

In reality, there is such a thing as unnoticed hypoglycemia. Sometimes there are no symptoms, and I only realize it after my levels have already dropped.

It is said that this happens because the brain gets used to that state and...

stops sending out the danger signal.

Even though it is supposed to be a protective reaction, there are times when it doesn't occur.

And there were times when I would have hypoglycemia in the middle of the night and sleep through it without noticing. In the morning, when I checked my Libre, I would sometimes see that my blood glucose had risen after a period of hypoglycemia.

At first, I found it strange.

But I think that even if I didn't notice it, my brain was reacting properly.

“The brain judged it as dangerous and”
sent a “command” to the liver to release glucose.

It even used the body's process of creating glucose (gluconeogenesis) to try and protect me.

I had blamed myself for not noticing, but somewhere, my body was trying its best to protect me, even in ways I couldn't see.

Thinking that way
changed how I view my body just a little bit.

I just hadn't noticed it before,
but my body was properly protecting me.

Thank you for reading until the end.

#Type1Diabetes #Hypoglycemia #BrainResponse #Adrenaline
#HypoglycemiaUnawareness #Gluconeogenesis