Severe Low Blood Sugar: When to Call 911
Severe hypoglycemia isn't a number on a meter. NIDDK defines it as a low you can't treat yourself — and says to call 911 right away after glucagon.
Sameer Patel — Founder & Editor
Sameer Patel is the founder and editor of My Medicine Advisor. He is not a doctor or medical professional — before starting this site he worked in banking, and he now researches and edits health information full-time.
He started My Medicine Advisor to make clear, well-sourced health information freely available to anyone. Every article is researched from recognised authorities such as the WHO, CDC, NIH, and NICE, drafted with the help of AI tools, and edited by hand, with sources linked so readers can check them. The calculators on the site use established, published formulas, each one named so you can look it up yourself.
My Medicine Advisor is currently a one-person operation with no clinical review panel, and the site is open about that. If you're a qualified clinician or researcher interested in reviewing content, Sameer would genuinely like to hear from you via the contact page.
Telling critical DKA symptoms from ordinary high blood sugar
DKA symptoms can appear while a meter reads normal. In FDA-reviewed cases on SGLT2 inhibitors, median glucose was 211 mg/dL, not the classic 250-plus.
Blood sugar 300 and what to know before you decide
Blood sugar 300 is an action threshold, not a diagnostic one. CDC now says check ketones at 250, not the 240 most articles still repeat.
Your CGM time in range, made clear from 70% down to 1%
Time in range above 70% is the adult CGM target, but older adults are set at above
50%, and pregnancy uses a lower 63–140 mg/dL band entirely.
Reactive hypoglycemia and how a true low is confirmed
Reactive hypoglycemia can't be confirmed by a home meter — accuracy is poorest at exactly the low readings that matter. Here's what a lab draw shows.
Dawn phenomenon and the early morning rise you didn’t cause
The dawn phenomenon is not a rebound from a low. Across 4,705 nights in 2,600 people with type 2 diabetes, fasting glucose ran lower after hypoglycemia.
Medications that raise blood sugar, and what to check next
Medications that raise blood sugar rarely come with a number. Steroids move it in 32.3% of people without diabetes; statins shift A1C 0.06-0.08%.
How to lower blood sugar, from the next hour to your next A1C
Lowering blood sugar starts with one number: CDC puts the two-hour post-meal target under 180 mg/dL. What works within an hour is a short list.
Know Your Blood Sugar Target Over 65 and Why Health Sets It
Blood sugar target over 65 loosens for a reason: insulin users past 80 reach the ER for insulin-related lows 2.5 times as often as those 45 to 64.
Normal blood sugar for a child, made clear for parents
Normal blood sugar for a child follows the same thresholds as adults. The age-by-age charts everywhere online are retired ADA type 1 targets from 2011.