This term is pronounced as hy-po-gly-ce-mi-a.  Hypoglycemia is defined as an abnormally low-level of sugar within the blood. But what does this definition tell us?  A straightforward way to describe this definition is, hypoglycemia is the body's inability to appropriately manage the large levels of sugar which the typical American takes into their body on a typical day. This is because Americans are indulging in excess amounts of sugars, alcohol, levels of caffeine, tobacco and stress.  This article should give you a good understanding of the answer to the question “what is hypoglycemia?”

Within professional medical terminology, hypoglycemia is actually identified in connection with its underlying cause. The specific form of hypoglycemia in which we are referring to in this article is functional hypoglycemia, which happens when the pancreas over produces insulin in response to a high rising levels of blood sugar also known as "glucose".

Many of us are aware that all carbohydrates are eventually broken down into sugars as they are digested.  The sugars will then take form as glucose in our blood stream.  This results in the rising of blood sugar levels.  The pancreas responds to this process by producing a hormone called insulin into our blood stream.  The purpose of insulin is to balance out the glucose levels and regain a normal level within the blood stream.

Hypoglycemia will result in the pancreas producing more insulin than is needed in this process and the blood sugar will drop below the balanced levels. There are many other parts of the body that this will affect, such as the brain cells.  Brain cells which use glucose as fuel will be starved by Hypoglycemia which can result in a number of symptoms.  These symptoms can be both physical and emotional.

Some symptoms of hypoglycemia can include: exhaustion, sleeplessness,  a mentally confused mind, anxiousness, moodiness, fainting , severe headaches, depression symptoms, phobic disorders, a pounding heart, sweet tooth, clammy hands and feet, lapse of memory, lightheadedness, blurry eyesight, internal trembling, becoming temperamental, abrupt craving for food, allergic reactions, and unexplained weeping.

If you have been diagnosed as hypoglycemic or believe you may be hypoglycemic, the best thing you can do is to inform yourself with enough information to fully understand and answer “What is hypoglycemia?”  With this knowledge you can effectively choose a health care professional who can work with you to diagnose and treat this condition.