Symptoms of Low Blood Sugar and How to Balance It
First off, what do we mean by "blood sugar levels," anyways? That term is used a lot, and often in the context of diabetes (maybe that's where the panic sets in).
The term "blood sugar" refers to the amount of glucose (sugar in its basic form) molecules in your blood stream at any given time. For instance, when a person who is diabetic tests their "blood sugar levels," they are measuring how much glucose is in their blood at that moment. Most often we notice signs of low blood sugar, as opposed to high.
BLOOD SUGAR SYMPTOMS
A nutritional assessment client recently, showed a strong need for support with their blood sugar handling. After I sent the results, the client responded with something to the tune of, "I freaked out and am now tracking all my sugar intake!"
No, no, no, no, no, friends....
There is nothing to be scared of, here.
Let's talk this out.
First off, what do we mean by "blood sugar levels," anyways? That term is used a lot, and often in the context of diabetes (maybe that's where the panic sets in).
The term "blood sugar" refers to the amount of glucose (sugar in its basic form) molecules in your blood stream at any given time. For instance, when a person who is diabetic tests their "blood sugar levels," they are measuring how much glucose is in their blood at that moment. Most often we notice signs of low blood sugar, as opposed to high.
HOW BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS AFFECT YOU
Let’s start with Blood Sugar 101…
Glucose in the blood is shuttled into cells by insulin (a hormone produced by the pancreas) to be used to make energy. Any glucose remaining after the cells have gotten their fill, is sent to the liver where it is converted into triglycerides (fat), or glycogen, which is the storage form of glucose in the liver and muscles.
When all glucose in the blood has been used, and there is none left in our blood (this is low blood sugar), our body views this as an emergency because our cells cannot produce the energy they need in order to function.
Our body's response? It releases cortisol. Cortisol is a stress hormone secreted by the adrenal glands. In this case, it stimulates the pancreas to secrete another hormone (called glucagon), which stimulates the breakdown of stored forms of glucose (glycogen), to put more glucose in the blood to be shuttled into cells, etc., etc., etc.. This type of process is called a feedback loop.
When we have low blood sugar and our body goes into stress response, this causes us to feel shaky, on edge, heart racing (because our body wants us to flee danger). Ever been "hangry?" This is why.
How do we "balance" our blood sugar levels?
By eating less sugar? By eating more frequently? By eating less frequently?
Let’s take a look.
WHAT BLOOD SUGAR BALANCE IS…
minimizing intake of processed foods
eating adequate protein + fiber each meal
minimizing intake of sweets, refined grains, & starches
exercising regularly (increases the utilization of glucose by cells)
WHAT BLOOD SUGAR BALANCE IS NOT…
eating foods marked "lite," "sugar free," or "zero calorie"
calorie counting (quality counts far more than quantity)
cutting out every sweet, all the time
ONLY cutting sweets (grains, starches, sugar, caffeine - they all impact blood sugar)
Blood sugar regulation involves these components:
what you eat
pancreas function
adrenal glands function
liver function
cellular health
thyroid (not mentioned yet, but the thyroid regulates how quickly the cells turn glucose into energy)
various micronutrients (think vitamins & minerals) involved in these processes
You could be eating all the right things, but, say, your adrenal glands are dysfunctioning. Or maybe your cells have lost their ability to receive insulin (known as insulin resistance).
These components will change how sugar is metabolized in your body. This is why blood sugar balance is dependent on your body. It may not look the same for two people, even if they eat the same foods.
Yes, there are things you can do that generally will help (and we will talk about these in this post!).
But at the end of the day, understanding WHY your body is not functioning as it should is the only effective way to address the problem and get REAL RESULTS.
It's why Nutritional Therapy is successful, and why people come to see me to help them with signs of low blood sugar.
HOW TO IMPROVE BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS
A person whose organs are well-functioning will manage their blood sugar by generally following these food guidelines:
eating in a relaxed state
eating foods in their whole form as much as possible
eating a generous amount of quality fiber from fresh foods with each meal
eating a small fist size portion of quality protein each meal
regularly consuming quality fats from cold-pressed oils, nuts, seeds, avocados, and grass-fed dairy
By consuming protein, fats, and fiber, especially in conjunction with sugar or carbs, this slows the breakdown of sugars into glucose molecules.
Refined sugars (this includes starchy foods & grains), and sugars consumed in the absence of fiber, fat, and protein, will break down much more rapidly, causing a sudden "spike" in blood sugar.
And we can see from this diagram that glucose spikes lead to suddenly low blood sugar levels.
The trick is to keep it steady. Turn those sharp spikes and drops into a shallow, wavy line.
But, how do we do that?
Here are some ways to improve blood sugar balance:
eat while seated + screens OFF - eating in a relaxed state ensures all of your digestive organs can function properly.
fill half of your plate with quality, raw vegetables (lightly steamed if you have trouble digesting), each meal.
include 3-4 ounces of quality protein from wild, pasture-raised, and grass-fed sources, each meal
if grains are tolerated, include <1/2 cup quality grain, like wild rice or quinoa, each meal.
don't shy away from the fats - drizzling a cold-pressed olive oil, or grass-fed butter over your rice or vegetables is a great way to incorporate fats
stop snacking - this may be tricky during a transition period - LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. You may NEED snacks to help keep you feeling well between meals, and that's okay. If so, choose quality, whole-food snacks, complete with protein and fiber.
over time, as you incorporate more quality fats, fibers, and protein into meals, you will find you stay more full between meals, naturally nixing the need for snacks.
intentionally move for >20 minutes daily - this can be a speedy walk, weight resistance, HIIT, yoga, Pilates, sports - whatever floats your boat. Resistance movement is especially good at increasing the uptake of glucose into cells.
What do balanced blood sugar levels look like?
steady energy throughout the day
no more shaky, "hangry" feelings
long-term cellular health (goodbye diabetes!!)
clearer skin
reduced allergy symptoms
reduced inflammation (can look like less frequent headaches, reduced joint pain, etc.)
WHERE THINGS CAN GO WRONG
If you're eating all the right things, and you still feel low energy, hangry, irritable, or other symptoms of low blood sugar, further assessment may be needed to determine what else is not working properly.
Here’s a few things to consider.
Adrenal Glands
You already know that your adrenal glands are responsible for much of our body's response to stress.
But stress nowadays is much different than it was 1,000 years ago.
Stress back then meant fleeing a tiger, hungrily trying to catch your food, or lack of shelter from cold or hot weather.
Stress now is traffic, rushing kids around, meetings with the boss, or arguments with your partner.
The problem is our body response to stress is the same whether we are fleeing danger, or running late for a meeting. It releases stress hormones, constricts blood vessels to organs that are unnecessary when fleeing danger (eg. digestive organs), and increases blood flow to muscles, heart, & lungs. This is your Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) in action.
We have a lot more instances of "stress" than we used to. This causes our adrenal glands to get overworked and our hormones out of balance. Our bodies simply cannot keep up.
The fix:
Taking several moments throughout the day to intentionally sit and breathe, especially when eating, will go a long way to addressing adrenal stress. Enjoying these moments outside is especially effective at doing this.
Adaptogenic herbs that have been used for centuries in Ayurvedic medicine that have a potent impact on adrenal function. Having a trusted health care provider administer proper testing to determine whether your adrenal glands are over functioning (hyper adrenal), or under functioning (hypo adrenal) will help you to know which of these herbs is best suited for your adrenal health.
Liver
The liver wears a lot of hats. It is responsible for filtering out toxins (this includes alcohol and caffeine) from our blood, preparing excess hormones for excretion, converting sugars into fats and glycogen (and converting fats and glycogen back in to sugar)...
It is BUSY.
Depending on your lifestyle, your liver may be prioritizing the filtering of certain toxins over metabolizing sugar.
When we are in the habit of consuming refined carbohydrates, refined sugars, and alcohols, this causes fatty deposits to build up in the liver, blocking detox pathways, and causing liver damage.
The fix:
Easing the stress on our liver by consuming balanced portions of macronutrients (fats, carbohydrates, and protein) is one way we can ease the stress.
Minimize use of drugs and stimulants. To give you an example, when we consume alcohol, our liver will stop all other processes in order to metabolize the alcohol. Our body views it as the highest priority, and it can take up to 8 hours for the liver to process one alcoholic drink.
Regularly consuming liver-cleansing foods, like artichoke, dandelion root, milk thistle, and turmeric, as well as liver supporting nutrients, like broccoli, brussels sprouts, and avocados, will effectively allow your liver to function better.
Insulin Resistance
Often when we've been in a habit of regularly consuming refined foods, the receptors on our cells that are supposed to recognize insulin and allow it to enter, begin to desensitize.
Think of it this way (based on what we've covered so far):
insulin is secreted when glucose is present
if glucose is present OFTEN, insulin is also present OFTEN
when glucose stores are full, and cells have all the glucose they need, our cells begin to say, "WE'VE HAD ENOUGH!" and slam the door to insulin, blocking it out.
This is called Insulin Resistance, and it is common in people with diabetes, but can also occur in non-diabetics.
The problem is, rather than addressing the insensitivity, doctors will often give these patients MORE insulin. More insulin leads to further DECREASED insulin sensitivity, causing the doctor to INCREASE the dose of insulin, and so on, and so on...
It is a vicious cycle.
The fix:
First and foremost, changing the diet is crucial. Cutting out all forms of sugar, grains, and starches, in addition to following the blood sugar balancing guidelines mentioned earlier, will effectively prevent the problem from getting worse.
There has been some great research on the effects of Intermittent Fasting (here’s a great article about Fasting) on the insulin resistance, and in some cases has even reversed diabetes.
I do not advise undergoing Intermittent Fasting (not to be confused with Time-Restricted Feeding, wherein a person will "fast" for 12-16 hours between dinner and breakfast) unless under the supervision of a qualified health professional.
In my personal experience, as a person predisposed to insulin resistance due to PCOS (PolyCystic Ovary Syndrome), I used to suffer from hypoglycemia (rapid drops of blood glucose). I not only defeated hypoglycemia, but also improved PCOS symptoms (menstrual cycle regulation, difficulty losing weight, acne). I attribute those changes to the use of Intermittent Fasting.
While I do not condone Intermittent Fasting without the supervision of a qualified health care practitioner, a great resource I would recommend if wanting to learn more about it is this book by Jason Fung.
Pancreatic Dysfunction
It's possible the pancreas is having trouble producing and/or secreting the hormones, insulin & glucagon. If that is the case, there won't be enough fight in your body to utilize glucose, and its function should be further assessed.
One possibility of this dysfunction could be the effects of Type I Diabetes, wherein the cells of the pancreas are being attacked (autoimmune disorder), and they are too damaged to function properly.
If this is suspected, I recommend seeing your PCP as soon as possible to begin assessment.
Additional Support
Many improvements to blood sugar management can be made by making simple lifestyle changes, like the ones mentioned above. Although in some cases when the symptoms of blood sugar imbalance are more severe or more noticeable, temporary supplementation can also help while your body heals.
This guide will help you to determine which supplements would support you while you work to get in balance.
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