Hypoglycaemia, or a hypo, mainly affects people taking insulin or certain diabetes tablets that increase insulin. Typical early symptoms are trembling, sweating, sudden hunger, palpitations, anxiety, tingling lips, and difficulty thinking clearly. These are the body's warning signals and a prompt to act.
If untreated, a hypo can progress to confusion, slurred speech, unusual behaviour, seizures, or loss of consciousness, which is a medical emergency. Some people, especially after years of diabetes, lose their early warning signs, a state called impaired hypo awareness that needs medical review.
The standard approach is to treat promptly with fast-acting carbohydrate, then recheck. If someone is drowsy, unconscious, or unable to swallow safely, do not give food or drink, place them on their side and call your local emergency number.