While the textbooks and docs would like it to be simple, true life proves that the symptoms of low blood sugar are not consistent. They aren’t consistent from person to person, and they are definitely not consistent from situation to situation.

Now let me tell you, I really do not enjoy low blood sugars. Part of me would rather have a high blood sugar for three hours than endure one really lousy low blood sugar for a half hour. Low blood sugars throw my whole day off.

Also, I live alone. While my dog Blue has woken me up at 3 a.m. during a low blood sugar once or twice, he is not a reliable source of safety! To this day, I have never needed the assistance of someone else to treat a low blood sugar, but the reason is because I am truly terrified of ever finding myself half-concious on the living room floor when the orange juice is 20 feet away in the kitchen, and I can’t get there.

As a result, I’ve made a point to be as in-tune with the symptoms of my low blood sugars as possible. What I’ve noticed over the past few years in my quest for catching low blood sugars long before they really hit, is that depending on the activity, my symptoms are very different. And rarely do those symptoms include the classic tell-tale signs of sweaty palms, shaky hands, dizziness and blurry vision. Instead, I have my own list of specific symptoms.

WHEN I AM DRIVING: The number one thing I notice when I drop low while I’m driving is that I simply do not want to look at the road any more. It sounds silly, and simple, but it’s a very odd feeling. I just do not and cannot keep my eyes focused on the road in front me. I’d rather look anywhere else.

WHEN I AM SLEEPING: When I wake up in the middle of the night for absolutely no reason, I know I am low. I am very sound sleeper, and I definitely do not notice shaking and trembling when I’ve been lying like cement in my bed for several hours. It isn’t until I begin to walk to the kitchen to check my blood sugar that I can really feel any sense of shakiness.

WHEN I AM PRACTICING YOGA: Again, it’s simple, but I know I’m low during a yoga class when I have the sudden urge to just sit down and stop moving. I don’t feel shaky or sweaty or trembly because I’m already moving around so much in the type of power yoga I teach. Instead, I just lose all my energy and desire to move. I just want to sit down. That is my tell-tale symptom.

WHEN I AM WEIGHTLIFTING: Fortunately, I rarely drop low during training, but when I do, I have a bizarre sense of mental weakness and wanting to stop. Considering I’m already shaking from working hard and dizzy from breathing hard, I can’t rely on physical sensations to clue me in to a low. Instead, it’s the sudden thought of, “I can’t do this anymore,” or “I don’t want to do this anymore,” that triggers me to question my blood sugar, and go check.

WHEN I AM ON THE TREADMILL: The only symptom I feel during the early stages of a low blood sugar when I’m on the treadmill or powerwalking outside with a friend is numbness and tingling on the front of my legs (my quads). The dizziness and light-headedness comes long after the numbness. Being able to catch this symptom early has prevented me from some potentially severe lows!

WHEN I AM SITTING DOWN, MINDING MY OWN BUSINESS: The most common and most mellow feeling I have when my blood sugar is dropping is best described as though I feel like I am moving very slowly, but everything around me is moving very quickly. It is vague. It is odd. It is hard to catch. But if I pay attention to the finer details of how I’m feeling, I can catch a low blood sugar sooner than later.

The point is, we all have tell-tale signs and some are more obscure than others. We like to think that everyone feels really shaky and really sweaty every time they drop low, but in real life, that’s just not the case. If you haven’t already, try to notice some of the other little details to tell you when your blood sugar is on its way down. Write them down. Write them on your forehead — whatever! — but knowing your unique symptoms of a low blood sugar can make the difference between a glass of orange juice and a serious emergency.

And please share, what are YOUR tell-tale signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia?