Daddy Yankee suffers from hypoglycemia, which is a condition characterized by abnormally low blood sugar. The Puerto Rican reggaetonero recently opened up about his experience with living with this condition and pre-diabetes, something that has become a family matter.
“Struggling with hypoglycemia, struggling with sugar that is aggravated, pre-diabetes…I’m trying to manage all of this, knowing the changes that happen to my body, like how sugar keeps working. This is not new for me, because I’ve had hypoglycemia for a decade, but now since it changed to a different level, now it’s different,” said Daddy Yankee in an interview with Univision.
Signs and Symptoms of Hypoglycemia (American Diabetes Association)
- Shakiness
- Nervousness or anxiety
- Sweating, chills and clamminess
- Irritability or impatience Confusion, including delirium
- Rapid/fast heartbeat
- Lightheadedness or dizziness
- Hunger and nausea
- Sleepiness
- Blurred/impaired vision
- Tingling or numbness in the lips or tongue
- Headaches
- Weakness or fatigue
- Anger, stubbornness, or sadness
- Lack of coordination
- Nightmares or crying out during sleep
- Seizures Unconsciousness
Hypoglycemia happens when your sugar goes way below the normal range. The normal blood sugar range is between 70 and 99 and someone who has hypoglycemia has blood sugar below 50 or 60. If your sugar gets that low it can cause your system to shut down, many people suffer from blurry vision, rapid heart rate, and can faint. When this happens the easiest thing you can do is eat something and check your blood glucose 15 minutes later. If you think you suffer from hypoglycemia, be sure to visit your doctor and don’t take the symptoms lightly.
“One of my daughters, also has this, and I’m battling this with her, since I don’t leave her alone in the battle. I have one daughter with diabetes and another with hypertension, so this is a family matter,” he says to La Prensa.
Hypoglycemia and pre-diabetes require a lot of discipline, such as eating the right things and exercising. Unfortunately for many Latinos, pre-diabetes and diabetes is hereditary, but you can limit your chances of developing this chronic disease by leading a healthy lifestyle.