Question: Hi Guys,
I sometimes feel so lazy and lethargic that I have to lie down for some time. When I lie down, I can hear sounds but do not have the power to respond. When I wake up, I feel as if I have slept for a full night and feel absolutely fresh.
At times I have checked my sugar levels; they are sometimes above or near normal. I want to know what this situation is called in medical terms.
When I have a full meal, I also feel a little tired after an hour or so. If I rest for some time, I become fresh. Please suggest.
“Lazy” is not a medical diagnosis. Depending on the symptoms, a clinician may describe this as fatigue, lethargy, excessive daytime sleepiness or somnolence. Being aware of sounds but unable to move or respond while falling asleep or waking may resemble sleep paralysis. However, an episode of unresponsiveness while fully awake could have another cause and needs medical assessment.
Several conditions can cause marked tiredness or sudden sleepiness, including:
Sleep paralysis usually occurs only at the boundary between sleep and wakefulness. If you become unable to respond while clearly awake, lose awareness, stare, have unusual movements or cannot remember the episode, your clinician may need to consider causes such as a seizure, fainting episode or another disorder. The description alone cannot establish the diagnosis.
Either low or high glucose can contribute to fatigue, but a reading that is “near normal” or mildly elevated does not prove that glucose caused the episode. If safe, check your blood sugar level as soon as symptoms start and record the exact number, time, meal and symptoms.
If glucose is below 70 mg/dL (3.9 mmol/L), treat it according to your hypoglycemia plan. If you use insulin or medicines that can cause lows, ask your clinician to review your readings and treatment. Do not change medication doses independently.
Mild sleepiness after a large meal can occur, but repeated or intense episodes deserve investigation. Large portions, refined carbohydrates, alcohol, post-meal glucose changes and postprandial hypotension may contribute. Try smaller balanced meals containing vegetables, fiber, lean protein and an appropriate portion of carbohydrate. This diabetic eating guide explains practical meal-planning principles.
Call emergency services if an episode lasts more than a few minutes or involves complete unresponsiveness, seizure, fainting, new weakness or numbness, difficulty speaking, chest pain, breathing difficulty, severe headache, injury, or very low glucose that does not improve. Do not give food or drink to someone who cannot swallow safely.
Answered by: Dr. Albana Greca Sejdini, MD, MMedSc
Medically reviewed by: Dr. Ruden Cakoni, MD, Endocrinologist
Last reviewed: July 2026
Medical disclaimer: Educational only—not personal medical advice. Diagnosis and treatment should come from a qualified clinician who knows your medical history.
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Question: How many glucose tablets do I need to chew to raise my blood sugar level?
If you are awake, able to swallow safely and your blood glucose is below 70 mg/dL (3.9 mmol/L), take 15 grams of fast-acting carbohydrate. Wait 15 minutes and check again. If it remains below 70 mg/dL or is not rising, take another 15 grams.
Check the package because glucose tablets vary. Many provide about 4 grams each, meaning four tablets supply approximately 16 grams. Always use the number on your product label that supplies about 15 grams.
There is no need to hold a glucose tablet under your tongue. Chew and swallow it as the manufacturer directs. The standard adult 15-15 treatment is not normally calculated according to body weight.
| Glucose per tablet | Approximate number for 15 grams |
|---|---|
| 3 grams | 5 tablets |
| 4 grams | 4 tablets (16 grams) |
| 5 grams | 3 tablets |
The label is more reliable than the tablet count because brands and tablet sizes differ. Young children often require less than 15 grams, so parents should use the individualized amount supplied by the child’s diabetes team.
Other options providing about 15 grams of fast-acting carbohydrate include 4 ounces (½ cup) of fruit juice or regular soda, one tablespoon of sugar or honey, or one glucose-gel tube containing approximately 15 grams. Chocolate and high-fat snacks work more slowly and are not preferred for initial treatment.
If you take an alpha-glucosidase inhibitor such as acarbose or miglitol, use pure glucose tablets or glucose gel because other carbohydrates may not act quickly enough.
Do not give tablets, food or liquid to a person who is unconscious, having a seizure, severely confused or unable to swallow safely. Use glucagon if available and you know how, place the person on their side, and call emergency services.
Emergency assistance is also needed when repeated treatment does not work, the person may pass out, or no glucagon is available. Severe hypoglycemia can become life-threatening quickly.
Keep glucose tablets with you and check their expiry date. Record the low, time, food, activity and diabetes medicines. Recurrent episodes may require a review of insulin, sulfonylureas or meglitinides, meal timing, alcohol, exercise, kidney function or glucose targets. Do not reduce medication without speaking with your clinician.
For more guidance, see what to do when blood sugar is between 45 and 69 mg/dL.
Answered by: Dr. Albana Greca Sejdini, MD, MMedSc
Medically reviewed by: Dr. Ruden Cakoni, MD, Endocrinologist
Last reviewed: July 2026
Medical disclaimer: Educational only—not personal medical advice. Follow the hypoglycemia plan provided by your diabetes team.
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Ask the Doctor now? Simply click here to return to Type 2 diabetes information.
by Dorothy
Question from Dorothy: I would like to know if pain causes the sugar to go up in reading.
Yes. Acute pain, injury or illness can temporarily raise blood sugar. The physical stress response releases hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline, which signal the liver to release glucose and can make insulin less effective. The increase varies from person to person and may be greater or last longer in someone with diabetes.
Pain activates the body’s “fight-or-flight” response. The resulting stress hormones help provide extra energy during a threat or injury, but they can also produce a higher glucose reading. Poor sleep, reduced activity, dehydration, changes in eating and some medicines used around painful conditions—especially corticosteroids—may contribute.
This does not mean every high reading is caused by pain. Missed medication, infection, illness, spoiled insulin, inaccurate testing or progression of diabetes may also be responsible.
If you do not have diagnosed diabetes, pain-related hyperglycemia does not confirm diabetes. Arrange laboratory testing such as fasting plasma glucose and A1C. Our blood sugar level chart can help explain common testing ranges.
Concern: My husband is a type 2 diabetic who also has metastatic prostate cancer at stage IV.
This last week his blood sugars have been quite a bit higher since a fall on the ice outside. My question is two-fold:
Thank you in advance for your kind attention to my question.
The fall could temporarily raise his glucose through pain and physical stress. However, readings that remain unusually high for a week should not automatically be blamed on the fall. Injury, infection, dehydration, reduced activity, altered food intake, missed medicines and cancer-treatment effects should be considered.
Blood sugar readings cannot show whether cancer has spread. Cancer progression requires clinical assessment and appropriate imaging or laboratory tests.
Cancer and diabetes can interact in several ways. Corticosteroids frequently used during cancer care can raise glucose substantially. Some cancer medicines, infections, poor appetite, vomiting, weight changes and changes in kidney or liver function can also disturb glucose control. Depending on the situation, glucose may rise or fall.
It is therefore inaccurate to say that cancer generally “hides” diabetes or that liver metastases must cause low blood sugar. A new glucose pattern should be assessed in the context of his exact medicines, treatments, food intake, organ function and symptoms.
Because he has stage IV cancer, diabetes and a recent fall, contact his oncology or diabetes team promptly. Provide:
The team may need to examine him for injury or infection, review medicines and provide a temporary glucose-monitoring or insulin plan. Do not stop steroids or change diabetes treatment without professional instructions. This blood sugar guide provides additional monitoring context.
Seek urgent medical care for confusion, severe weakness, repeated vomiting, difficulty breathing, fruity-smelling breath, moderate or high ketones, inability to drink, severe dehydration, chest pain, new neurological symptoms, worsening pain after the fall, or signs of a head injury.
Persistent glucose at or above 300 mg/dL (16.7 mmol/L) needs urgent guidance, especially with symptoms or ketones. During cancer treatment, fever or suspected infection should be reported immediately according to the oncology team’s instructions.
Answered by: Dr. Albana Greca Sejdini, MD, MMedSc
Medically reviewed by: Dr. Ruden Cakoni, MD, Endocrinologist
Last reviewed: July 2026
Medical disclaimer: Educational only—not personal medical advice. Diagnosis and treatment should come from the patient’s own healthcare team.
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Ask the Doctor now? Simply click here to return to Type 2 diabetes information.