What EXACTLY do we mean by balanced blood sugar levels?
If you regularly experience symptoms such as mood swings, fatigue, irritability, low mood, brain fog, carbohydrate/sugar cravings, insomnia, night sweats, hot flushes and unwanted weight gain, did you know that dysregulated blood sugar levels may be driving these?
Maintaining balanced blood sugar is critical for many aspects of our health. It helps us cope with stress and anxiety, it helps us maintain our weight, it supports sex hormone production, it contributes to a good night’s sleep, and it improves physical and mental performance.
But, what exactly do we mean by balanced blood sugar levels?
Blood sugar or blood glucose levels are the levels of glucose present in the blood. Glucose is the primary source of energy for our body, and in order to sustain life, blood glucose has to be at a certain level for us to function optimally. Our bodies work hard to regulate blood sugar levels.
Where do we get the glucose from? It mainly comes from foods rich in carbohydrates like bread, pasta, cereals, vegetables and fruit. The body breaks down the carbohydrates that we eat into glucose which is then absorbed into our blood stream. As it travels through the bloodstream to our cells, it's called blood glucose or blood sugar.
There are different types of carbohydrates which are known as simple and complex carbohydrates. Simple and refined carbohydrates such as white bread, white pasta, white rice, cake, biscuits, sugary cereals, sweets (you get the picture!) are swiftly digested by the body and cause blood sugar levels to rise quickly, creating a spike (which is undesirable). Carbohydrates with a more complex structure (‘complex carbohydrates’) such as whole grains like brown rice and wholewheat pasta, oats, legumes and vegetables take the body longer to break down. The rise in blood sugar is therefore much slower, and this is what we are aiming for. Fats and proteins eaten alongside carbohydrates also slow down the rise in blood sugar levels.
Where does insulin come in? Insulin is a hormone that moves glucose from your blood into cells for energy and storage. People with diabetes have higher-than-normal levels of glucose in their blood, either because they don’t produce enough insulin, or because their cells don’t respond to insulin as well as they should (known as insulin resistance).
As mentioned above, blood glucose has to be at a certain level for us to function optimally, so our bodies work hard to regulate blood sugar levels. For example, when eat a slice of cake or have a glass of wine, our blood sugar levels will spike and then will drop quite dramatically as insulin works quickly to remove the high levels of sugar from our blood stream.
Fluctuating blood sugar levels can cause short term symptoms like fatigue, hot flushes, irritability, anxiety, mood swings, poor concentration, caffeine and sugar cravings, and often result in over-eating.
In the long term, the cells in the body can stop responding properly to insulin, known as insulin resistance. Insulin resistance results in higher than optimal levels of blood sugar and over time may lead to type 2 diabetes and other health complications.
What can lead blood sugar imbalances?
An excess of carbohydrates in the diet, particularly sugar, starch and refined carbohydrates
Irregular eating habits
Overeating
Eating meals and snacks that aren’t balanced and sustainable (i.e. they don’t have the correct ratio of carbohydrates, proteins and fats to provide energy for at least the following 3-4 hours)
A sedentary lifestyle - exercise helps keep blood sugar levels in balance by promoting the uptake of glucose into muscles
Stress, which stimulates the adrenal hormones, which in turn encourage the liver to release glucose into the blood. Ongoing stress can perpetuate a roller-coaster of blood sugar highs and lows, leading to short-term bursts of energy followed by fatigue. And in turn, this rise and fall in blood sugar can make it harder to cope with stressful situations
High intake of stimulants such as alcohol, tea, coffee, and nicotine which also stimulate the adrenal hormones.