It’s 3 pm, and your energy is tanked. You decide that you either need a nap, a venti Starbucks latte, or a one of the frosted donuts in the break room. A nap is definitely out of the question since you still have a client case to review, and you are definitely craving something sweet right now. Donut it is! You crush the donut, get a temporary energy boost, but an hour later you are feeling more tired than before your afternoon snack. What gives?

Blood sugar balance is something we should all pay attention to. You do not have to have diabetes to feel the effects of blood sugar imbalance. In fact, blood sugar balance has multiple downstream outcomes that affect how we feel each day.

Any of these symptoms can be due to an imbalance of blood sugar.

1. Craving sweets– You body uses both sugar (in the form of glucose), and fats for energy in the body. When you eat a meal that is high in refined sugar, your body can very rapidly break it down to use as glucose (or energy) in the cells. Because of how quickly your body can break this down, there is a rapid dip in blood glucose, and the cells are left “hungry” for more. They signal to your brain that they need more glucose to function, and the brain chooses a fast fix to get you there. (Enter another refined sugar snack or treat for a fast sugar craving fix). And the cycle continues.
2. Brain fog- Your brain’s primary source of fuel is glucose (aka sugar). When your levels are rapidly spiking up then down, you will feel foggy or have less ability to concentrate in the dips.
3. Waking in the middle of the night- Your body is still working while you sleep, especially the liver and kidneys. Their job is to clean out the toxins and filter your system, and they are hard at work overnight. When your body does not have good blood sugar balance, you will experience a massive dip in the evening. To compensate for this dip, your brain will signal to your kidneys to release cortisol to wake you up and get more glucose in your system. Thus the early am wake time.
4. Difficulty losing weight- Weight gain or difficulty losing weight, especially around the middle, often has to do with insulin resistance. Insulin is the hormone responsible for shuttling blood glucose into cells to be used for energy, or stored in muscle to be used later for energy. If your body has rapid elevations of glucose, your insulin has to work harder to usher it into the cells quickly, which then leaves excess insulin in the blood stream. Over time, your body can stop being as responsive to insulin, making it less effective in being able to bring glucose into cells, or to be stored for later use. When your body doesn’t respond to the insulin as it should, the pancreas makes even more insulin to try to help your body bring down your glucose (blood sugar levels). It creates a vicious cycle that can lead to increased fatty tissue, and an inability to lose weight.
5. Feeling sleepy in the afternoon- When you’ve got elevated sugar in the blood, but not in the cells, fatigue or sleepiness can occur since your cells are not getting the energy they need to function. Throw in that sweet pastry as a quick breakfast, and your insulin spikes up, which can then cause a dip which causes fatigue.
6. Feeling Hangry-  Are you someone who can’t “miss” a meal?  When you are balanced, you should be able to go at least 3 hours between meals without feeling starved.  If you are hungry within an hour  or two of your last meal, you likely have an unbalanced blood sugar.  You may feel anxious or irritated if you don’t get a meal, which can be directly related to a rapid dip in your sugar levels.

 

So what can you do to improve blood sugar balance?

It’s not as hard as you may think, but you will need to adjust a few things. First of all, let’s ditch the refined and processed sugars and carbs. A refined or processed carb has been stripped of all of it’s nutritional value, so it’s super easy and fast for the body to break it down causing the rapid release then crash of blood sugar levels. Eating complex carbohydrates and natural sources of sweet is the answer. Complex carbohydrates are well, more complex! Your body has to work harder to break these down, which results in a slower release of glucose.

Second, I always recommend combining your complex carbohydrate with a protein, fat, or both! Proteins and fats take more work to break down, and neither of these macros break down into glucose. In addition to slowing the release of sugar into the bloodstream, you will also feel full for a longer period of time, allowing your insulin levels to return to normal levels. This gives your pancreas a break, and inhibits insulin from floating around in excess in the blood stream.

Fiber my friends, you’ve got to eat more. Fiber is a complex carbohydrate that is not able to be fully broken down by the body. The benefits of fiber include cardiovascular benefits, reduce incidence of Type 2 diabetes, and promote greater weight loss.

Take a walk after meals. Even a 10 minute walk can aid in blood glucose balance, as well as help with GI motility. You may not be able to get a walk in after EVERY meal, so if you can pick only one meal to finish up with a walk, go for dinner. This will help regulate not only the GI system, but it can also have a calming effect on the nervous system, aiding you in winding down for sleep.

Working to adjust blood sugar balance can take some time for it to become second nature, but when you’re feeling more energetic, more alert, and your clothes fit better, the choice becomes crystal clear.  

If you feel like you need more help with blood sugar balance, check out my Nourish + Thrive program.  I created this program to simplify nutrition for bodies in motion!  Click the link below to learn more!

Cheers to your Health!