This can occur if there's not enough sugar in your bloodstream and your body signals for more sugar.
If you have high blood sugar levels, you need to inject insulin because your body doesn't provide enough naturally.
If this makes your blood sugar drop too far, you may also develop hypoglycemia.
This information has only fully come to light in the last few years.
There had only been suspicions previously - recent studies reveal the correlation between diabetes, hypoglycemia and dementia and the risks involved.
If you have low blood sugar quite often and for long periods, you may end up suffering from dementia.
This is more often the case in older people where concentration, ability to think clearly, motor skills and reaction times become impeded.
Low blood sugar can also cause nausea and headaches.
One US study conducted on a group of 1000 people aged between 70 and 79 revealed people who ended up in hospital due to severe hypoglycemia were twice as likely to develop dementia.
The opposite was also found to be true: people with dementia were twice as likely to suffer from one or more hypoglycemic attacks.
If you have an attack, your body tends to go into starvation mode and this can cause deterioration in your brain function.
One reason for the link is severe attacks can kill off some of your brain cells and damage sections of your brain responsible for memory, especially in people who are elderly.
If you have cerebrovascular damage, diagnosed or not, that may be another factor contributing to this problem.
Tests show insulin and sulfonylureas may not be suitable for older diabetics or those who are in the high risk category for any form of mental impairment.
However, other medications may also cause side effects so it's important to ask your doctor what side effects may occur as a result of taking any of your prescribed medication.
One reason why dementia is more likely if you have diabetes and low blood sugar often, is because your brain uses sugar as energy to fully function.
A lack of energy means your brain can't function at its peak - it would be like riding a bicycle with only one pedal.
If you have multiple hypoglycemic attacks, the risk of dementia increases even more...
- one test revealed just one attack increased the risk of dementia by 26%
- two attacks boosted the increase by 80%, and
- three episodes doubled the risk of contracting dementia
If you need to be hospitalized for your hypoglycemic episodes, the risk for developing dementia is even greater because it's clear low blood sugar is a severe problem in your case.
Regardless of your age, you should do everything within your power to manage your diabetes and other health issues so you don't fall victim to dementia.