Day 8- Hypoglycemia

Today's blog is on a subject that is so common in people nowadays, but most of us don't know better; I know I didn't. I thought that getting light headed and shaky just was a sign that I was hungry. Little did I know that this was a sign of a blood sugar issue called, hypoglycemia.

Hypoglycemia is a state of low blood sugar, and is usually related to our diet and lifestyle. Hypoglycemia is usually a result of abnormal fluctuations in insulin and cortisol. It is typically caused by diets high in simple sugars as well as frequently skipping meals. The body responds to a meal by signaling the pancreas to release a hormone called, insulin, which allows the glucose to be taken up by the cells. Some glucose is also taken up by the liver and stored there for later use. When the glucose levels from the last meal decline, insulin levels also decrease; this mechanism helps keep the blood glucose levels from falling too low. Furthermore, stored glucose is released from the liver back into the bloodstream with the help of glucagon, another pancreatic hormone.

People that eat a large amount of carbohydrates and sugars on a regular basis cause the body to respond to the large influx of sugar by releasing more insulin. When the pancreas over shoots and releases more insulin than is necessary it causes glucose in the blood to become very low, which triggers the adrenals to respond by releasing hormones to counteract. In a hypoglycemic person the adrenals release a large amount of these adrenal hormones, epinephrine and cortisol, which drive the blood sugar level back up in the blood. The over release of these adrenal hormones are where we get some of the classic symptoms of hypoglycemia: shakiness, foggy thinking, and fatigue.

After time the body gets use to releasing more insulin than is necessary to deal with the high sugar meals, eventually causing the insulin receptor sites on the cells to become unresponsive to insulin. This can lead to a more serious issue such as, insulin resistance and possibly even down the road diabetes.

Hypoglycemia symptoms are:

• Crave sweets during the day
• Irritable if meals are missed
• Depend on coffee to keep yourself going or started
• Get lightheaded if meals are missed
• Eating relieves fatigue
• Feel shaky, jittery, or have tremors
• Agitated, easily upset, nervous
• Poor memory/forgetful
• Blurred vision

A person without a blood sugar disorder should not have symptoms before or after a meal, eating should merely leave them satisfied and not hungry.

The medical community justifies hypoglycemia with a fasting glucose level of below 70. In the functional medicine world we believe this is too low and we see hypoglycemia at a fasting glucose level below 85. The goal with raising the level is that we begin to address hypoglycemia in hopes of preventing further blood sugar issues down the road, this is what we call a "preventive range" or "functional range."

So, now that you know what hypoglycemia is, what can we do about it?

Well, I mentioned earlier that hypoglycemia is mainly a diet and lifestyle issue, so that's what we need to focus on. First of all YOU MUST EAT A PROTEIN RICH BREAKFAST! I think this is the hardest point that I have to make with people. A classic sign of someone who is hypoglycemic is that they are not hungry in the morning, or if they are, they usually opt for a cup of coffee and a muffin. Breakfast is exactly like it sounds...it “breaks the fast" which is what the body is doing while we are sleeping. As we sleep the body doesn't stop using glucose, so when we wake we need to restore our glucose reserves. Eating protein in the morning instead of carbohydrates will keep our body energized longer without a big crash like the muffin would cause.

People that complain they are not hungry in the morning, or even that they feel too nauseous to eat anything that early, must still eat. It is important to understand that the feeling of nausea is due to the fact that the body is in a sympathetic (fight or flight response) overdrive from hypoglycemia. If this is you then begin by taking small bites in order to engage the parasympathetic system (rest and digest).

Here are some healthy breakfast ideas:

• Eggs- hard boiled, scrambled, poached, fried, etc.
• Turkey bacon- nitrate free
• Almond butter with celery, apple slices, rice crackers
• Yogurt with nuts (make sure yogurt is full fat and unflavored)
• Grilled veggies with chicken breast
• Piece of fish
• Handful of nuts
• Protein shake (double check ingredients to make sure that it is a good source of protein and that there are no additives and excess sugar)

Once you have mastered the protein for breakfast concept there are two other diet/lifestyle changes that you need to work on as well. These changes are to avoid quick sugars as meals and snacks and to avoid eating sugar before you go to bed. It is important to eat every 2-3 hours with a protein rich snack; going too long in between meals will cause blood sugar to drop. If you choose to eat fruit then make sure that you are eating protein along with it. Anything eaten before bed, should be high in protein and low in sugars and carbohydrates. Foods eaten at all meals should be low in the glycemic index.

If you change your eating and lifestyle habits and you are still having symptoms of hypoglycemia then you may need to consider food sensitivities. Food sensitivities can exacerbate insulin surges and cause fatigue and cravings for sugar after meals. If you are experiencing this then I recommend trying a food elimination diet in order to pinpoint those troubling foods.

Learning how to maintain your blood sugar is so important; maybe even more important than you realize! Glucose is the fuel for the brain, about 20-25% of the body's entire glucose load is used by the brain. Blood sugar imbalances can wreak havoc on neuronal function and may promote degeneration. Studies have also shown that constant insulin surges promote serotonin dysregulation.

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP