Type 2 diabetes means a person’s pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin to regulate blood sugar levels. Overtime, unchecked blood sugar levels can hike a person’s risk of developing life-threatening complications such as heart disease and stroke. At times, the body’s blood sugar levels can drop to dangerously low levels and if a person feels this sensation in their head it should not be ignored.
While many people associate diabetes with high blood sugar levels, blood sugar levels can also plummet if a person fails to strike a healthy balance between the diabetes medication they take (especially insulin), the food and drink they eat, and the amount of physical activity they do.
A common sign of hypoglycemia is a headache or migraine, as the Migraine Trust explained: “The brain requires a continuous supply of glucose from the blood in order to function, and if glucose levels drop (as in hypoglycaemia) the brain is one of the first organs affected.”
The brain not receiving enough glucose causes most of the symptoms of hypoglycaemia, which include: headache, migraine, confusion, nausea, sweating, faintness, and hypothermia, it said.
In extreme cases, prolonged low blood pressure can induce a comma or death. Fasting, eating high-sugar foods, dieting too rigorously, and skipping meals can cause blood pressure to tumble, which are also common aggravators of headaches and migraines. Even delayed or irregular meals can trigger the condition, added the healthy body.
Headaches produced from going without food are often quite severe and accompanied by mild nausea
The Migraine Trust
Sugar is a vital component of the body’s chemistry. Too much or too little sugar can cause problems, including headaches.
This is because sugar has a direct effect on the brain and the nervous system.
It is vital for a person to maintain a proper level of sugar in their diet as it may prevent future headaches.
The Migraine Trust added: “Headaches produced from going without food are often quite severe and accompanied by mild nausea.
“There is also a similarity between some of the symptoms of missing a meal and the early warnings of a migraine attack such as yawning, pallor, sweating and craving for sweet things.
Making simple dietary tweaks to get blood sugar levels back up to normal levels should also ward off the threat of a headache or migraine attack.
Eat low sugar meals little and often.” Diabetes UK warned of other symptoms of hypoglycaemia which include trembling and shaking, sweating, feeling anxious or irritable, pale skin, lips feeling tingly, hungry, tearful and having a lack of concentration.
If a person experiences persistent headaches related to sugar, it’s strongly advised to speak with your GP.
The American Heart Association recommends women consume no more than six teaspoons of sugar a day and men consume no more than nine teaspoons.
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