Low Blood Sugar Is Often Confused With Anxiety. Here's How To Spot It.

Maybe migraine attack symptoms are starting to creep in as you finish up work tasks before lunch. Or maybe after a long day, you can’t concentrate on the TV show you’re watching. You feel irritated and tired.

If you’re the kind of person who Googles your health symptoms (no judgment!) you may realize that these experiences could mean you’re dealing with anxiety or ― more surprisingly ― low blood sugar, AKA hypoglycemia. “There is potential for misdiagnosing hypoglycemia as anxiety because the symptoms are so similar,” said Dr. Priyanka Majety an assistant professor of endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism at Virginia Commonwealth University.

“Especially if the individual has no history of diabetes or hypoglycemia, as anxiety is more common and may seem like a more likely cause.” Hypoglycemia can affect people both with diabetes and without, although it’s more common in people with the condition. Some of the causes of non-diabetic low blood sugar include skipping meals, taking certain medications like antibiotics, drinking alcohol or health issues like liver or kidney disease.

To address your symptoms effectively, you need to know what the problem is first. But how do you figure that out — especially given each person’s body and situation is different? Majety and other experts explain how to differentiate between these two conditions and how to treat those icky feelings. These Symptoms Can Indicate Anxiety Or Low Blood Sugar First, let’s get a more.