Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is Low Blood Sugar?Is Nausea a Symptom of Low Blood Sugar?Connections Between Low Blood Sugar and NauseaWhat to Do If You Have Low Blood SugarWhen to Call a Healthcare Provider
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Is Low Blood Sugar?
Is Nausea a Symptom of Low Blood Sugar?
Connections Between Low Blood Sugar and Nausea
What to Do If You Have Low Blood Sugar
When to Call a Healthcare Provider
Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, can causenausea.
Blood sugar levels can vary throughout the day and low blood sugar can happen in people with and withoutdiabetes. High blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia) can also cause nausea, so it’s important to measure your blood glucose to find out which is causing the queasiness.
This article will explore whether nausea could be a symptom of low blood sugar, the potential causes of both, and treatment options for nausea.
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That said, people with diabetes shouldn’t assume their nausea is always related to low blood sugar. The only way to know for certain is to measure your blood sugar. If your levels are within the normal range, other factors may be contributing to your nausea.
How to Use a Glucometer
Nausea is one of the symptoms that occur in the mild stage, but it can also be present in later stages. Many organizations like the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases combine the mild and moderate stages into one.
Other Symptoms of Low Blood Sugar
In addition to nausea, other symptoms of mild to moderate low blood sugar include:
Signs of severe low blood sugar include:
Symptoms of hypoglycemia during sleep include:
What Are Hyperglycemia and Hypoglycemia?
People with diabetes can experience nausea for several different reasons. This is why it’s always important to check your blood sugar level before deciding on the appropriate course of action.
Medication
Metforminis used to lower blood sugar in people withtype 2 diabetes, and nausea is both a potential side effect and a sign of metformin overdose.If you experience nausea while taking metformin, you should let your healthcare provider know immediately.
Nausea is also listed as one of the most common side effects in injectable medications such as Ozempic (semaglutide)and Mounjaro (tirzepatide).If you feel nauseated while taking any of these injectables or if your nausea worsens with a dosage increase, it is important to tell your healthcare provider right away. They may decide to switch you to a different medication.
Type 2 Diabetes Medication and Treatment
Gastroparesis
People with diabetes are at increased risk of havinggastroparesis, also known as diabetic stomach, because diabetes can damage the nerve cells (including thevagus nerve) within the stomach wall.
Damage to the vagus nerve decreases your stomach’s and small intestine’s ability to move food through the digestive tract, which slows the emptying of your stomach and leads to a buildup of contents.
Medications for diabetes that delay gastric emptying, such asGLP-1 agonistslike Ozempic and Mounjaro, can make symptoms of gastroparesis worse.
Symptoms of gastroparesis include:
While there is no cure, gastroparesis can be managed in different ways depending on its underlying cause. For example, managing blood sugar can reduce symptoms of gastroparesis. Treatment may include lifestyle changes like:Exercising after eatingAvoiding alcoholEating smaller and more frequent mealsIncreasing liquids in the diet to help with digestion and prevent dehydration
While there is no cure, gastroparesis can be managed in different ways depending on its underlying cause. For example, managing blood sugar can reduce symptoms of gastroparesis. Treatment may include lifestyle changes like:
Pancreatitis
People with diabetes also have a higher risk of developingpancreatitis.Pancreatitis refers to sudden and temporary (acute) or chronic inflammation of the pancreas. Yourpancreasis responsible for releasing digestive enzymes and making insulin, both of which help regulate your body’s use of glucose.
Symptoms of pancreatitis include nausea and pain in your upper abdomen that may spread to your back. Pancreatitis requires immediate medical attention.
Other symptoms of pancreatitis may include:
What Is Insulin?
Diabetic Ketoacidosis
If you have symptoms of DKA, which include feelings of severe nausea, contact your healthcare provider or seek emergency medical care right away.
Other symptoms of DKA include:
What Causes Ketoacidosis?
Treatment of Low Blood Sugar and Nausea
Blood sugar is considered low if blood glucose is less than 70 mg/dL. Immediate treatment of hypoglycemia requires consuming 15 grams (g) of carbohydrates and assessing whether your symptoms are improving.What happens next depends on whether you have been diagnosed with diabetes.
People With Diabetes
The American Diabetes Association suggests that people with diabetes experiencing hypoglycemia follow the 15-15 rule, which is as follows:
Examples of servings of 15 g of carbohydrates include:
Food items that contain only carbohydrates (no protein or fat) are the best things to eat when your blood sugar is low because they will raise blood glucose the fastest.
How Hypoglycemia Is Treated
Parents of Children With Diabetes
Your child should have a safety plan in place for when they are not in your care, such as when they are at school, friends’ homes, or daycare. The plan should include a person they should talk to if they are not feeling well.
Talking to your child about their diabetes and the symptoms to be aware of helps keep them safe. When your child is aware that how they’re feeling is related to their blood sugar levels and diabetes management, they can learn to both self-identify and verbalize or signal to their parents when they need treatment.
People Without Diabetes
When people without diabetes experience low blood sugar, it is callednon-diabetic hypoglycemia. This is a rare occurrence and is categorized as either reactive hypoglycemia (which happens within a few hours of eating) or fasting hypoglycemia (which may be related to a disease).Consuming 15 g of carbohydrates in these cases should help with symptoms.
Relieving Nausea
Because nausea is a symptom rather than a condition, treatment depends on the underlying cause.
Other short-term treatments for nausea may include:
If you are experiencing blood glucose highs and lows regularly or more frequently than usual, talk to your healthcare provider. They can help determine the cause and a plan of action to keep your blood sugar levels within the normal range.
If you cannot raise your blood sugar with the 15-15 rule, call your healthcare provider or seek medical care immediately.
If reactive hypoglycemia or fasting hypoglycemia occurs, you should see your healthcare provider for an assessment of your symptoms, a physical exam, a review of your risk for diabetes, and a check of your blood glucose to determine the cause and treatment.
Summary
In people with and without diabetes, nausea can be a sign of low blood sugar. Checking your blood sugar is the only way to know for sure if low blood sugar is the cause of your nausea. If your blood sugar is within the normal range, nausea may be the result of medications that need adjustment or severe health conditions like pancreatitis and diabetic ketoacidosis.
Treatment may be as simple as consuming carbohydrates, but this isn’t always the case. Treatment may depend on the underlying cause. Low blood sugar that cannot be elevated to normal ranges can quickly become a medical emergency.
Let your healthcare provider know if you experience nausea, so you can understand the cause and get the appropriate treatment.
11 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Diabetes Association.Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Low blood glucose (hypoglycemia).MedlinePlus.Metformin.MedlinePlus.Semaglutide injection.MedlinePlus.Tirzepatide injection.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Symptoms & causes of gastroparesis.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Definition and facts for pancreatitis.Umpierrez G, Korytkowski M.Diabetic emergencies - ketoacidosis, hyperglycaemic hyperosmolar state and hypoglycaemia.Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2016 Feb 19;12(4):222-232. doi:10.1038/nrendo.2016.15.xEckert-Norton M, Kirk S.Non-diabetic Hypoglycemia,The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2013 Oct 1;98(10):39A-40A. doi:10.1210/jc.2013-v98i10.39AJohns Hopkins Medicine.Nausea.National Health Service UK.Feeling sick (nausea).
11 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Diabetes Association.Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Low blood glucose (hypoglycemia).MedlinePlus.Metformin.MedlinePlus.Semaglutide injection.MedlinePlus.Tirzepatide injection.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Symptoms & causes of gastroparesis.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Definition and facts for pancreatitis.Umpierrez G, Korytkowski M.Diabetic emergencies - ketoacidosis, hyperglycaemic hyperosmolar state and hypoglycaemia.Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2016 Feb 19;12(4):222-232. doi:10.1038/nrendo.2016.15.xEckert-Norton M, Kirk S.Non-diabetic Hypoglycemia,The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2013 Oct 1;98(10):39A-40A. doi:10.1210/jc.2013-v98i10.39AJohns Hopkins Medicine.Nausea.National Health Service UK.Feeling sick (nausea).
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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American Diabetes Association.Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).
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MedlinePlus.Semaglutide injection.
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National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Symptoms & causes of gastroparesis.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Definition and facts for pancreatitis.
Umpierrez G, Korytkowski M.Diabetic emergencies - ketoacidosis, hyperglycaemic hyperosmolar state and hypoglycaemia.Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2016 Feb 19;12(4):222-232. doi:10.1038/nrendo.2016.15.x
Eckert-Norton M, Kirk S.Non-diabetic Hypoglycemia,The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2013 Oct 1;98(10):39A-40A. doi:10.1210/jc.2013-v98i10.39A
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