Dr. Jeremy Lam, MD: What is reactive hypoglycemia? Reactive
hypoglycemia is also sometimes called postprandial
hypoglycemia. This is not the same as diabetes. People with
this condition experience hypoglycemia symptoms within the
few hours of consuming a meal that's rich in carbohydrates.
It's thought that symptoms like dizziness, nausea, fatigue and
mood changes occur because that large dose of carbohydrates
causes a flood of insulin into the body that continues for too
long. However, this condition is very hard to identify and it is
often ignored. If you think you have this condition, then visit
your doctor to help identify what's happening in your body.
Your doctor may want to measure your blood sugar levels over the
course of a few months, or perform a six hour glucose
tolerance test. You can also follow a reactive hypoglycemia
diet, which involves regular exercise, a ban on sugar and
eating small frequent meals that contain high fiber and starchy
foods. If you feel better on this diet, then you may know
that you have this condition.
Do you have reactive hypoglycemia? There is no way to
tell how common reactive hypoglycemia actually is,
because it's very hard to identify. However, most people
with this condition experience symptoms of this such as
insomnia, visual disturbances, cardiac arrhythmias, feeling
really fatigued and dizzy, mood changes, irritability,
difficulty concentrating, nausea, vomiting, sugar
cravings, headaches, numbness in the feet and the hands,
disorientation and also problems sleeping at night and waking up
in the middle of the night as well. Symptoms and their
severity may vary depending on your hydration levels and your
sensitivity to the blood sugar level drop. So talk to a doctor
if you're concerned that you may be suffering from this
condition.
The dangers of reactive hypoglycemia and adrenal
fatigue. It can be hard to identify reactive hypoglycemia.
Adrenal Fatigue makes this even more complex. Adrenal Fatigue
occurs when you're chronically stressed, and your adrenal
glands start to malfunction because of the ongoing high
demand for cortisol which is your anti stress hormone.
Here's how hyperglycemia and adrenal fatigue interact and
impact each other. Hypoglycemia may be subclinical, which means
that your glucose levels will probably be normal even if you
experience symptoms. Normal fasting glucose tolerance test
results also come back normal. And if your adrenal fatigue is
advanced, then your blood sugars dip more rapidly below the
hypoglycemia symptom threshold compared to a healthy
individual. The reactive hyperglycemia diet can be both
helpful and both adrenal fatigue and hyperglycemia as it will
help stabilize your blood sugar levels and ensure that your body
gets the appropriate right timing of nutrients that it
needs.
A beginner's guide to reactive hypoglycemia diet. If your body
reacts badly to a lot of carbohydrates, then you may want
to try reactive hypoglycemia diet. This diet is fairly easy
to follow. And so here are some quick guidelines. Eat six small
meals to prevent frequent blood sugar drops, including some
protein, some fats with every meal to make sure that you have
a slow release of sugar into your bloodstream. Avoid all
foods with glycemic index of 60 or higher. Eat more foods that
are high in fiber. So then that slows your digestion and glucose
absorption. Choose more complex carbs like oatmeal, barley,
whole grain pastas, and make sure you eat them with healthy
fats and protein. Eliminate caffeine and alcohol. Limit your
fruit intake as they're high in sugar. Most of all, listen to
your body and eat what it's trying to tell you to eat.
A Beginner's Guide to reactive hypoglycemia lifestyle. To
reverse hypoglycemia that is reactive, you need to do more
than just eat right. You have to make lifestyle changes that
become part of your daily routine. That means that the
changes need to be small, gradual at first to make sure
that you can maintain them throughout a long period of
time. So here are some changes that you should make to help you
with reactive hypoglycemia. Eat mindfully so you enjoy your food
and also stop eating when you're full. Keep a food journal of
everything you eat and drink as well as medications and
supplements that you take for at least a week. Plan ahead to make
sure that you have foods that you can eat always on hand.
Always eat breakfast as soon as waking up and then relax and go
easy on yourself when you eat the wrong thing. Just start up
the diet again and then results to do better moving forward.
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