In this video I'm going to teach you the easiest way to remember the Somogyi Effect.
Hey there friend, I'm Christina Rafano and today we are diving into one of those more
confusion nursing school topics: the somogyi effect.
I seriously remember taking one of my nursing school exams and starring down at that word
somogyi trying SO hard to remember what it was, like starring at it would make me remember
right?
Can you relate?
Oh, that is frustrating.
So I don't want that to be you!
So in this video we're going to break down the somogyi effect really simple for you,
so you can get those questions right on your nursing school exams.
So somogyi effect, of somogyi phenomenon, is a problem thats associated with diabetes,
either type 1 or type 2, and it's caused by the body trying to balance glucose in the
blood.
So here's what happens: when your blood glucose levels decrease, so there's less sugar in
the blood, the liver breaks down glycogen into glucose for your body to use for energy.
I like to think of glycogen as a piggy bank, and pennies as glucose.
So the liver takes all of the pennies, or sugar molecules, and puts them in a piggy
bank, and that piggy bank represents glycogen.
So the pennies are glucose, and all of those pennies together inside of the piggy bank,
make glycogen.
And your liver is keeping this piggy bank for a rainy day, when the body needs more
pennies, or more glucose.
So, when your body is running out of pennies, your liver says, oh wait!
I have some here in my piggy bank, here you go!
And it gives the body some of it's pennies.
Now, leave a comment below and let me know what you're saving your pennies for.
Are you planning for a vacation?
Want to buy a new purse?
Or maybe, you just want to get through nursing school.
Let me know what you're saving up for in the comments below.
Okay, so fun metaphor aside, here's what's going down: When you have low blood sugar,
your liver comes to the rescue and breaks down it's stored up glycogen to give you glucose
to use for energy.
Now this balancing act that the body is doing to manage blood sugar is great when you have
low blood sugar and adequate insulin to take up that extra glucose.
But if you have diabetes and don't have enough insulin to regulate the glucose levels in
the body, that's when Somogyi phenomenon can happen.
So for example, a patient with diabetes would have eaten dinner, taken their insulin, and
gone to bed.
Now what happens?
Well, their insulin dose is working, working, working to move all of their glucose from
dinner into their cells.
And so now they have a beautiful blood glucose level, but it's still the middle of the night.
So the liver sees that beautiful blood glucose level and says, "Oh my, that might get a little
too low, so I'm going to give you some glucose!
So here you go!"
And now the blood sugar level rises in the body.
But remember, our patient has diabetes, do they have enough insulin to move all of the
glucose into the cells that the liver keeps giving and keeps giving?
No sir!
So the result is hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar.
So that is the somoygi effect.
Where the liver is giving more and more glucose because the blood sugar seems to be getting
too low, but the body doesn't have enough insulin to deal with all of that extra glucose.
So the result is hyperglycemia, or more sugar in the blood.
Now, don't forget, leave a comment below and let me know what fun and fancy things you're
saving your pennies for.
And be sure to subscribe and hit that bell so you never miss out on a video.
Thank you so much for being here friend, now go become the nurse that God created only
YOU to be.
And I'll see you next time on the nursing school show.
Take care.