LIVING
LIVING
Book extract on handling hypos
Getting sweaty, having slurred speech, shaking uncontrollably or being confused may not seem too bad in the whole
scheme of things, but having them occur at a job interview or
important work meeting or while driving home at night or on a
romantic date may not be so pleasant!
Remember that anxiety and phobias have evolutionary value.
We are hard-wired to engage in actions that ensure our survival and survival can be defined broadly.
We want to avoid
things that will lead to a possible rejection or isolation from
others and acting oddly while in the midst of a hypo is one
example of such things
Hypos can be dangerous but ordinarily people can put their
potential fear into perspective and not let it change or alter
their behaviour too much. However some individuals having
just one frightening episode of hypoglycaemia can lead to
increased anxiety about it happening again. This can lead to
other behaviours which in turn may lead to further difficulty in
managing diabetes, such as running blood glucose levels too
high in order to avoid hypos, eating more than is needed in an
attempt to keep blood glucose levels elevated or restricting
activities where hypoglycaemic episodes would be more challenging to deal with, such as driving, exercising
or travelling
on public transport.
She then suggests five strategies for overcoming your difficulties with hypoglycaemia. You're
going to have to buy the book
to read them!