What Happens When We Ride Out a Low Too Long ⏳
We’ve all done it, seen a low number and decided to wait it out. But the longer we wait, the more our blood sugar drops, and the harder it is to recover. Today, we’re covering: Why we wait to treat lows (even when we know better) The risks...
The episode, word for word
Hey, welcome back to Our Best T1D Year! I'm Neil Greathouse, and if you've got 5 minutes, you've got time for this podcast, whether you're making breakfast, ignoring emails, or wondering why your dog is staring at you like you owe them money.
Today, we're talking about something we've all done, waiting too long to treat a low.
You know that moment where you see the number dropping, but instead of treating it, you just... sit there? Maybe it'll come back up. Maybe you don't feel that bad yet. Maybe you just don't want to eat something right now.
And then, suddenly, you're shaking, sweating, and in full-blown low brain panic mode.
So let's talk about why we do this, why it's risky, and how we can break the habit.
Let's be honest. Most of us have waited out a low at some point. Maybe we were:
Busy ("I'll treat it in a minute")
Tired ("I don't want to get up")
Annoyed ("Ugh, not another low")
Trying to avoid eating something ("I just had dinner, I don't want more food")
And for some of us? Lows don't feel "that bad" at first. We think, "Eh, it's just 72, let's see what happens."
But here's the problem: Our brain gets slower as our blood sugar drops.
The lower we go, the harder it is to recognize that we need to act.
By the time we do realize it, we might be too shaky, weak, or confused to make a good decision.
Let's break it down:
Cognitive Impairment:
Low blood sugar messes with how we think.
We make bad decisions because our brain isn't processing correctly.
Delayed Recovery:
The longer we wait, the deeper the low gets, which means it takes longer to recover.
A small 72 could have been fixed with one glucose tab, but a 52 needs more, takes longer, and makes us feel worse.
Higher Rebound Risk:
The lower we go, the more desperate we feel, so we over-treat.
Instead of landing at 100, we're at 250 an hour later.
Nighttime Lows Are Worse:
If we ignore a low overnight, we risk going lower in our sleep.
Ever woken up drenched in sweat, heart pounding, with no idea what's happening? Yeah... let's not do that.
So how do we stop playing chicken with our blood sugar?
Have low treatments everywhere.
We can't treat a low if there's nothing nearby.
Glucose tabs in the car, bedside table, work bag, jacket pocket = instant access.
Remind ourselves: We'll feel worse if we don't treat.
A small low is easy to fix.
A big low = exhaustion, headache, and blood sugar chaos.
Make it automatic.
If we see a low number, treat first, think later.
Glucose tabs = no overthinking, no decision fatigue. Just grab, chew, done.
If we've ever waited too long to treat a low, we're not alone.
Sometimes we're just tired. Sometimes we're stubborn. Sometimes we're just so over this disease that we don't want to deal with it.
And that's okay. We're not doing a bad job, we're doing a difficult job.
But let's make it easier on ourselves. Treat the low early. Save ourselves from the crash. One small habit at a time.
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Alright, see you in the next episode. Remember, we got this! Nobody remembers easy, what we're doing is pretty much incredible. I'm excited to hear about Our Best T1D Year Ever.
7 - Feb 28
This is the script as read on the mic, lightly tidied for reading. Education, not medical advice. Talk to your care team before you change anything about your insulin.