Hypoglycemia And Adrenal Fatigue - Lab Tests Don't Tell All [010619]

Post Time: 2025-07-29

Understanding why your HbA1c (glycated hemoglobin) level is higher than recommended can be a crucial step in managing your health, particularly if you're concerned about diabetes or pre-diabetes. HbA1c is a blood test that reflects your average blood sugar levels over the past two to three months. It's a vital tool for diagnosing and monitoring diabetes because it provides a long-term view of your glucose control, rather than just a snapshot like a fasting blood sugar test. A high HbA1c indicates persistently elevated blood glucose levels, which can lead to various health complications if not addressed.

What Does a High HbA1c Mean?

An HbA1c level is typically reported as a percentage. Generally, here's what those percentages mean:

• Normal: Below 5.7%
• Pre-diabetes: 5.7% to 6.4%
• Diabetes: 6.5% or higher

When your HbA1c is in the pre-diabetes range, it indicates that you're at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. If your HbA1c is in the diabetes range, this usually confirms a diagnosis, though further tests may be needed to determine the specific type of diabetes.

But, if you know you're not quite within the normal or optimal ranges, there are many underlying reasons why your levels might be higher than they should be, and it's not always just about eating sugary foods. Understanding these can help guide the necessary steps you need to take to bring your HbA1c back to where it should be.

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Common Reasons for Elevated HbA1c Levels

Several factors can contribute to higher than desired HbA1c levels. These can range from lifestyle choices to underlying medical conditions. Here are some of the common causes:

1. Diet

• High Carbohydrate Intake: Consuming a diet that is rich in simple carbohydrates (e.g., white bread, sugary drinks, processed foods) can lead to rapid spikes in blood sugar levels, which contribute to a high HbA1c.
• Irregular Meal Patterns: Inconsistent eating habits, such as skipping meals or having large, infrequent meals, can make it harder to control blood sugar levels.
• Poor Portion Control: Overeating can cause high glucose levels, as your body struggles to process excess carbohydrates effectively.
• Excessive sugar consumption: Sugary foods and beverages lead to rapid increases in blood sugar levels, contributing to higher HbA1c readings over time.

2. Lack of Physical Activity

• Sedentary Lifestyle: Insufficient physical activity can make your body less sensitive to insulin, the hormone that helps regulate blood sugar. This insulin resistance can result in high glucose levels.

• Low-Intensity Exercise: While some movement is beneficial, engaging in less intense or less frequent exercise won't promote adequate insulin sensitivity compared to regular moderate-to-vigorous activity.

  Exercise Intensity	Impact on Insulin Sensitivity	Example Activities
  Low	Minimal improvements	Light walking, stretching
  Moderate	Moderate improvements	Brisk walking, swimming
  High	Substantial improvements	Running, high-intensity training

3. Genetics and Family History

• Hereditary Factors: A family history of type 2 diabetes significantly increases your risk of developing it. This predisposition may contribute to higher HbA1c levels.
• Genetic mutations: Specific genetic mutations can increase an individual's likelihood of developing conditions that affect blood sugar regulation, indirectly raising HbA1c levels.

4. Age and Hormonal Changes

• Increased Age: As we age, insulin sensitivity tends to decrease, which can result in elevated blood sugar levels.
• Hormonal Fluctuations: Women may experience variations in their HbA1c levels due to hormonal changes associated with menstruation, pregnancy, or menopause.

5. Medications and Health Conditions

• Steroid Use: Certain medications, like corticosteroids (commonly used for inflammation) can increase blood sugar levels.
• Other Medical Conditions: Conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), Cushing’s syndrome, and pancreatic disease, as well as sleep disorders like sleep apnea can affect insulin resistance, and lead to high HbA1c readings.

6. Lifestyle Factors

• Chronic Stress: Prolonged periods of stress can affect blood sugar levels by influencing the production of cortisol. Elevated stress can make glucose management more difficult and lead to higher readings on the HbA1c test.
• Smoking: Nicotine in cigarettes can impair the functionality of insulin, causing the body to develop higher insulin resistance.

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What Can You Do to Lower Your HbA1c?

If your HbA1c level is higher than it should be, you're not powerless! Here are some steps you can take to help lower it and improve your health:

1. Consult with a Healthcare Professional:
   • Medical Assessment: Have your doctor assess your current health and identify any underlying conditions that might be contributing to your high HbA1c. This could include looking at your family history, current medications, and any additional testing that could help guide treatment.
   • Personalized Recommendations: A doctor can help create an individualized plan for diet, exercise, and medication if needed. This ensures that your approach is tailored to your particular needs and health conditions.
2. Adopt a Balanced Diet:
   • Low-Glycemic Foods: Opt for foods that release sugar into the bloodstream slowly (such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins). Avoid excessive processed foods and sugary beverages.
   • Portion Control: Practice mindful eating and stick to appropriate portion sizes. Tools like using a smaller plate and measuring food can be beneficial.
3. Increase Physical Activity:
   • Regular Exercise: Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week, such as brisk walking, jogging, swimming, or cycling, and try to make it a habit. Any regular movement is useful.
   • Strength Training: Incorporating resistance exercises can increase insulin sensitivity by building muscle mass.
4. Monitor Blood Glucose Levels Regularly:
   • Home Testing: Regularly check your blood sugar levels at home. A glucometer will help you understand how diet and lifestyle are impacting your readings. Keeping a log can help identify patterns.
   • Track Data: Note down your food intake, physical activity, and any other factors that might affect your blood glucose. This will help guide adjustments to your care plan.
5. Reduce Stress Levels:
   • Relaxation Techniques: Practice relaxation techniques, such as yoga, meditation, or deep breathing, to help reduce stress and improve blood glucose management.
   • Sufficient Sleep: Aim for 7-8 hours of good quality sleep per night to regulate cortisol and insulin levels.
6. Medication Management:
   • Adherence to Prescriptions: Take any prescribed medications for diabetes or related conditions exactly as instructed by your healthcare provider.
   • Regular Check-ins: Be sure to schedule and attend regular check-ups with your health care provider to manage any issues that arise in relation to the effects of prescribed medication.
7. Weight Management
   • Healthy weight: Reaching and maintaining a healthy weight will greatly reduce your chances of developing diabetes and reduce the effects of insulin resistance.
8. Quit Smoking:
   • Eliminate Smoking: To reduce the effects of nicotine on insulin sensitivity, and improve overall health and wellbeing.
9. Consider the impact of your mental health
   • Support System: Make sure to utilize a strong support system so that you have emotional support during a potentially stressful process.
   • Professional guidance: Reach out to mental health professionals, if needed.

Lowering your HbA1c is a gradual process that may involve various lifestyle modifications. It may take a few months to see any significant difference. It's important to stick to your prescribed plan and follow up regularly with your healthcare provider. Be patient and celebrate small victories as you improve your HbA1c and your overall well being. Remember to consult your doctor with any new or recurring concerns that may arise during the course of your treatment plan.

One of the most common complaints of fatigue and symptoms of adrenal fatigue is the need to have food in order to avoid fatigue, brain fog, soon after a meal is taken. In this video, we will go over the mechanics of what happens in this for of hypoglycemia which we call reactive hypoglycemia. This is Dr. Lam, founder of DrLam.com. When the blood sugar is dropping then the term hypoglycemia is used. Usually clinically we see the laboratory value of sugar less than 60-70 mg per decimeter, but in the case of adrenal fatigue associated how to balance blood sugar naturally with hypoglycemic episodes, the blood sugar actually is normal. Now, we don't exactly know why this is happening, but we do know that there is a form of reactive type of hypoglycemia, a form of hypoglycemia that is called reactive hypoglycemia, I should be clearer, in that it is not the absolute level of blood sugar that will rice raise blood sugar decides whether you have symptoms or not; however, it is that you are of normal blood sugar, let's say 100-120 mg per decimeter to the 60-70 or even 80, so while you can have a blood sugar of 80 and be considered normal, the drop from 110-80 is what triggers the hypoglycemic symptoms. This is why it is called reactive hypoglycemia, and when you have this which is commonly associated with adrenal fatigue, laboratory tests will show normal. Now what you can do is to eat a bit more frequently, and that is the common thing to do, but you also want to not just simply eat but understand the physiology that this is the way your body is telling you that it is metabolically deranged and in need. You are not necessarily in a diabetic situation and you are not necessarily having a medical clinical diagnosis of hypoglycemia, but you have hypoglycemic symptoms, and laboratory results are normal. Now, eating small snacks is a good thing to do, repeat blood test is not usually productive, but reactive hypoglycemia is a sign of later stages of adrenal fatigue, and usually when that happens to you it is a sign that you have to look and see what else is going on. Usually, it also accompanied by brain fog, irritability, and at night time it can actually wake you up after you've been sleeping. During the day time, after lunch, you may have to find that you need a snack about two hours before, or afterwards I'm sorry, otherwise you will feel really draggy, and fatigued and slumpy. The same thing may happen in the morning around 10 am around 2 or 3 hours after breakfast, before lunch, you will then feel a sense that you really need food and if you don't have that food supply or the sugar boost then your body will feel very, very weak. These are classic signs of reactive hypoglycemia in the situation of adrenal fatigue. Now, it is very important also to check with your doctor to see that there are other forms of metabolic imbalances. Those people who have a family history of diabetes especially should be a little bit more careful because your body can react in different ways under those situations. But, if you really put the picture together clinically, in adrenal fatigue you can really sense the big picture, and that big picture is what counts it is not just the hypoglycemic episode on its own. Sometimes it can be accompanied as I said earlier with brain fog, heart palpitations, pain of unknown origin, insomnia, heart palpitations and arrhythmia, joint pains, etc., etc. So knowing this is one of the leads that bring us to adrenal fatigue and how to overcome this is something that we can deal with once we understand the physiology. ----- Could you have Adrenal Fatigue? Learn the real signs and symptoms: 1. Educate yourself: Read our main article, ""Fundamentals of Adrenal Fatigue"": » 2. Take our 3-minute Test and learn if you could be experiencing Adrenal Fatigue: » 3. Have any questions? Ask Dr. Lam: » SHARE this video: » SUBSCRIBE to our video channel: » FIND ME ONLINE HERE: » Website: » Facebook: » Instagram: » Pinterest: DrLam® and Body. Mind. Nutrition® blood sugar 4.4 - Worldwide Nutritional Coaching Since 2001Hypoglycemia And Adrenal Fatigue - Lab Tests Don't Tell All [010619]