Abnormally low levels of glucose in the blood, typically below 70 mg/dL. Causes symptoms like shakiness, sweating, confusion, and can lead to unconsciousness if severe.
From Greek 'hypo' (under/below), 'glykys' (sweet), and 'haima' (blood). The condition was first clearly described in the 1920s following the discovery of insulin, when doctors realized that too much insulin could be as dangerous as too little.
Your brain is completely dependent on glucose for energy and has no backup fuel source, which is why hypoglycemia affects thinking so dramatically. The 'fight or flight' symptoms of hypoglycemia - sweating, rapid heartbeat, shakiness - are actually your body's desperate attempt to raise blood sugar by releasing stress hormones.
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