Hypoglycemia is when your blood sugar becomes too low, usually below 3.9 mmol/L (millimoles per litre)29
Because glucose (sugar) is the main fuel for your body and brain, low blood sugar stops you functioning as well as you should. This is known as a hypoglycemia episode, hypoglycemia attack, or a "hypo". It can lead to serious consequences like fainting and seizures.29,30
Many factors can cause hypoglycemia, including, but not limited to:29
Hypoglycemia can happen while you are sleeping. Studies suggest that almost half of all episodes of hypoglycemia (and more than half of all severe episodes) occur at night during sleep.42
Signs and symptoms of night time hypos include damp sheets or clothes due to sweat, nightmares, tiredness, irritability and/or confusion upon waking.29
You also might not experience any hypoglycemia symptoms, so monitoring your sugar levels is important.29
If hypoglycemia is severe, it can lead to serious consequences like fainting, seizure (fits), coma or death.30
There are also long-term effects of hypoglycemia. Repeated episodes can lead to a negative impact on your health in the future, including mental health, cognitive function (thinking) and risk of death. Over time you may also become less aware of your hypoglycemia.32
If hypoglycemia happens regularly, it can lead to 'hypoglycemia unawareness', a condition where you become less able to recognize the symptoms of hypoglycemia. It can increase risk of severe hypoglycemia up to 17 times more than someone who is aware of hypoglycemia. So avoiding hypoglycemia unawareness is vital if you have diabetes.*3
FreeStyle Libre can help you identify night time hypos or hypoglycemia unawareness, without waking up to do a finger prick blood test33
As a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM), FreeStyle Libre keeps your glucose levels monitored 24/7. CGMs are the only tool able to detect hypoglycemia at any time, day or night, empowering you with information to help you avoid hypos.
Changes in your glucose over 24 hours, including overnight while you were asleep
The number of low glucose events you had in the last 7/14/30/90 days
When you are more aware of your night time hypos, you can then take action to help avoid them. For example:42
When you take a reading, FreeStyle Libre shows you whether your glucose is rising or falling and how quickly it is changing. This can help you take the best course of action to avoid hypoglycemia.
If FreeStyle Libre estimates your glucose will fall below 3.9 mmol/L within 15 minutes, a message will appear on screen so you can take quick actions to curb your low glucose levels. Have a high carb snack and check again in 15 minutes. FreeStyle Libre will give you a new reading every 60 seconds.29
In a survey of FreeStyle Libre users, 95% reported a better understanding of their glucose fluctuations after 1 year.13
FreeStyle Libre reduces total hypoglycemia:
T1D patients†34
T2D patients^17
FreeStyle Libre reduces nocturnal hypoglycemia:
T1D patients#6
T2D patients‡17
*An estimated 25-40% of people with type 1 diabetes and 6-17% of people with type 2 diabetes using insulin have hypoglycemia unawareness.33
†-43 minutes per day (95% CI, 20 to 65).34
^-28 minutes per day (±8 minutes).17
#-28 minutes per night (p<0.0001).6
‡-17 minutes per night (p<0.0001).17
References: 3. American Diabetes Association. Diabetes Care. 2020;43(1):S77–S88. 6. Bolinder J, et al. Lancet. 2016;388(10057):2254–2263. 13. Fokkert M, et al. BMJ Open Diabetes Res Care. 2019;7(1):e000809. 17. Haak T, et al. Diabetes Ther. 2017;8(1):55–73. 20. Workgroup on Hypoglycemia, American Diabetes Association. Diabetes Care. 2005;28(5):1245–9. 29. Mayo Clinic. Diabetic hypoglycemia. 30. Workgroup on Hypoglycemia, American Diabetes Association. Diabetes Care. 2005;28(5):1245–9. 32. Amiel SA. Diabetologia. 2021;64(5):963–970. 33. Lin YK, et al. J Diabetes Investig. 2020;11(6):1388–1402. 34. Leelarathna L, et al. N Engl J Med. 2022;387(16):1477–1487. 42. Very Well Health. Understanding Nocturnal Hypoglycemia.
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