Low Blood Sugar IS Stress [c09add]
Post Time: 2025-07-29
Maintaining a healthy blood sugar range is crucial for optimal health. When it comes to blood glucose levels, what's considered normal can vary greatly depending on factors such as age, weight, and activity level. According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), the ideal fasting plasma glucose (FPG) goal is less than 100 mg/dL. However, some research suggests that an even lower target of below 90 mg/dL may be beneficial for reducing cardiovascular risk.
The ADA also recommends a preprandial (before meal) blood sugar range of less than 140 mg/dL and a postprandial (after meal) level of less than 180 mg/dL. To achieve these targets, it's essential to monitor your blood glucose levels regularly using a glucometer or continuous glucose monitoring system (CGM). By doing so, you can identify patterns and make informed lifestyle choices to maintain your desired range.
The Link Between Diet and Blood Sugar Control
A well-planned diet is one of the most effective ways to regulate blood sugar levels. Certain foods have been shown to help stabilize blood sugar, such as fiber-rich fruits and vegetables like berries, broccoli, and carrots. These plant-based foods are low on the glycemic index (GI), which means they won't cause a significant spike in blood glucose.
On the other hand, some carbohydrates can quickly raise blood sugar levels due to their high GI or simple sugars content. Examples of such food items include white bread, sugary snacks like cookies and cakes, and sweetened beverages like soda and sports drinks. Limiting these foods can make it easier to maintain your ideal blood sugar range.
Exercise: The Dynamic Duo with Diet for Blood Sugar Regulation
Regular physical activity is another critical component in maintaining healthy blood sugar levels. Research has consistently shown that exercise enhances insulin sensitivity, allowing cells throughout the body to absorb glucose more efficiently from the bloodstream. Moreover, regular physical activity can also help reduce stress and anxiety – two factors known to impact blood sugar regulation.
Aerobic exercises like brisk walking, cycling, or swimming are excellent options for improving cardiovascular health while regulating blood sugar levels. Resistance training is another effective method that combines building muscle mass with enhancing insulin sensitivity.
Stress Management: The Missing Piece in Blood Sugar Regulation
While we often hear about the benefits of a balanced diet and regular exercise on overall well-being, few people realize how essential stress management can be for maintaining healthy blood sugar ranges. Stress affects our body's response to glucose by raising cortisol levels – an alarm signal that signals increased energy production through glycogen breakdown.
Managing daily stressors effectively involves developing coping mechanisms like deep breathing exercises, yoga practice, and meditation sessions. Even a short 10-15 minute break in the middle of your day can provide immense relaxation benefits for stabilizing blood sugar ranges.
Insulin Sensitivity: The Unseen Champion for Healthy Blood Sugar Levels
Understanding insulin sensitivity is vital to grasping why some individuals struggle with regulating their blood glucose levels despite an otherwise balanced diet and active lifestyle. In essence, when cells in our body are less responsive to insulin (a hormone produced by the pancreas that enables glucose absorption), it increases demand on other bodily systems like liver stores.
The good news? Lifestyle interventions such as regular exercise, healthy weight management, a fiber-rich diet with whole grains and fresh fruits & vegetables – combined with moderate carbohydrate intake especially from slow-burning natural sources can significantly enhance insulin sensitivity over time. This boost in glucose absorption efficiency helps control blood sugar levels by allowing them to more easily pass through the walls of our gut cells into muscle for energy production.
A Holistic Approach: Navigating Lifestyle Changes and Supplements for Blood Sugar Regulation
Given the array of options at hand today, we should be open-minded towards various holistic interventions. A diet that combines moderate carbohydrate consumption – emphasizing complex unprocessed grains like quinoa or brown rice along with non-starchy vegetables is more effective than just focusing on low-GI foods alone.
Certain supplements may also contribute to a well-rounded management approach by stabilizing cortisol levels, enhancing digestion, and promoting satiety in addition to maintaining blood sugar balance. This would involve regular review of your personal health goals, discussing the necessity with your healthcare provider about potential medication adjustments if you are diagnosed diabetic or prediabetic as it directly correlates with lowering risk through lifestyle adaptation
With the rise in diet fads such as fasting and ketogenic diets, it is crucial to understand the role that glucose plays in our bodies and how nourishing our cells at a metabolic level is the key to moving away from stress and burnout. Balancing your blood sugar appropriately on a cellular level is different from how social media trends tell you to manage your blood sugar. They almost want you to think of blood sugar and insulin as bad. But there are no bad hormones! Insulin is responsible for helping our cells use glucose for metabolic function - which is necessary for survival. When our cells are starved of glucose, we are depriving some of the most important bodily systems of the energy that they need to do their jobs appropriately. Without the appropriate intake of glucose, our bodies will begin to create glucose by breaking down stored glycogen for fuel. This is the kicker for so many fad diets - “your body makes its own glucose!” And, yes, this is true, but you have to consider the costs. Glycogen is stored for emergencies so that you have energy when you’re actually starving or when you’re running on adrenaline and in a state can cancer cause high blood sugar of fight or flight. Your cells are not meant to deplete your glycogen stores and then continue to operate after you run out of glycogen. This comes at a very metabolically damaging price. While managing your blood sugar is a huge component in managing your stress levels - it is not the only factor that you need to focus on healing. Blood sugar management alone will not help you heal your energy and nervous system to manage your stress completely. Our physiology and our spiritual energies are intertwined, and we must always address the needs of both. Listen in today to hear more about the key to managing your low blood sugar and how it can help you manage your stress, step away from burnout, and get back to a place of healing! In this episode: [00:41] Welcome back to the Fully Nourished Podcast! [05:16] We are diving into blood sugar in blood sugar support para que sirve this episode and how managing your blood sugar can help you manage your stress. [10:26] While low blood sugar is a large component to stress, it’s not the only factor. [15:15] The physiology behind balancing your blood sugar and the actions that take place in your liver. [21:32] Glycogen storage in your muscles is not used for blood sugar metabolism. [22:37] The impact of fasting and exercise on glycogen stores. [24:51] Our Central Nervous System uses more glucose than any other system in our bodies, and the impact of low blood sugar on the brain. [28:18] This is what happens in your body when it has to make its own glucose in response to low blood sugar and why it’s metabolically destructive. [35:13] How the keto diet actually impacts your physiology. [36:49] Insulin and glucose in your cells. [38:26] Our state of being impacts our utilization of food. [39:59] These are the factors that impact our carbohydrate tolerance. [41:23] Healing must occur both physically and spiritually because our structure and energy are intertwined. [44:42] Thanks for listening today! Join us in part 2, where we talk more about nourishment as we begin to balance our blood sugar. Links and Resources: Checkout Jigsaw Health and use code Jess10 for $10.00 of your order: Episode 2: My Health Hourney & having a Meaningful Nutrition Philosophy: Episode 3: Energy is Everything: An Introduction to Bioenergetics: Connect with Jessica: Have Sunday tea with me! Sign-up for my natural food to lower blood sugar Sunday newsletter where I share what’s on my brain from the nutritional to spiritual: Ready to go deeper? Learn how to nourish yourself in a way that respects your unique female physiology in my signature Fully Nourished course: Join the Fully Nourished community! Follow me @jessicaashwellness on Instagram: #alternativehealth #functionalnutrition