Blood Sugar rising on its own.

[benjo123456]

Hi. Sorry to keep asking questions, but I'm really trying to understand some stuff.

When my blood sugar goes below about 5.0, it naturally begins to rise without food. As I understand it, this is a natural function of my body. When the body produces its own glucose it releases stress hormones. This is why I am getting depression and anxiety attacks when my BS is perceived to be low by my body.

It is usually worse when I wake up. Obviously night time is the longest that I go without food, and I wake up sweating and nervous. I am trying to eat small meals of complex carbs on good fats every 4 hours or so, but my body still keeps trying to raise my blood sugar, leading to anxiety attacks.

Am I getting this right? How long will it be until I adjust to this lower calorie way of eating?

Any help greatly appreciated.

 

[Deleted Account]

I recommend reading about "Dawn Phenomenon" where our liver "dumps" glucose to give us energy to start the day.
This is something which many people with diabetes experience from at the start of the day.

 

[novorapidboi26]

So, you are saying you have anxiety attacks when your body, the liver specifically, starts to release glucose to lift your BG levels?

More so related to the stress hormones...?

If so, I cant see how it will ever dissapear as you will always have a release of stress hormones in the body on waking that will start the release of glucose from the liver and increase insulin resistance...

you could train your body to get used to levels below 5 however and this should stop this hormonal process or lighten it anyway...

has a connection been made to the hormones and anxiety by a medical professional.....?

 

[benjo123456]

I'm not sure of the anxiety is the release of the hormones to raise BS, or just because of low BS. I was a completely normal, content and happy person up to a few weeks ago when, after having overeaten for years I decided to cut calories. Since then my emotions have been havoc. When I get these anxiety attacks, the symptoms go after eating, so it is %100 a food problem, I'm just trying to work out if the anxiety is due to the release of glucose or just because of my perceived low BS.

I have seen 2 doctors and a nurse, and they have been completely useless. They just said my body's probably in shock from cutting calories, but couldn't be any more specific than that.

 

[novorapidboi26]

I think the theory that your body is in shock could be valid.....well, maybe not shock, but certainly acclimatizing to its new level of calorie intake.....

certainly when medicated diabetics have a hypo there can be many types of symptoms that manifest as the body tries to warn us.....one of them can be the feeling of panic/anxiety, as well as shaking and sweating.....there are more and they can change from one hypo to the next....

although you may not be having a diabetic hypo that needs treatment you may still be having a lower level which your body isn't used to.....

I would say that these feelings should ease as your body becomes used to the lower levels.....I hope that reassures you.....

please vent your worries here though......we are here to support each other...

 

[benjo123456]

Thanks. I am just seeking reassurance more than anything because this has been really hard.

From what I can gather, I am having false hypos. Even though my BS isn't technically low, and I'm not diabetic, my body thinks it is low because it is used to having much more food, (I never tested my BS before this so I have no idea what it was, it wouldn't have been healthy, though.)

I still want to know how long this is going to go on for, or what else I can do to get over it. I don't want to go back to overeating, but at the same time going through this is horrible. I will continue to go through it regardless, because it needs to be fixed,

 

[kokhongw]

From what I can gather, I am having false hypos.

If you suspect false hypo, you may want to consider taking bulletproof coffee...(coffee/butter/virgin coconut oil). And see if that keeps you stable. The rationale behind this is that virgin coconut oil can provide some level of ketones to keep our brain humming along even when it has impaired glucose uptake.

 

[benjo123456]

I will look into that Kokhongw, thanks.

 

[ickihun]

This morning I woke shaky and nervous but 6.9 on meter. I retested to see 7.8, which accounts for my normal liver dump. I've been jumpy all morning.
However, I've recently restarted metformin which influences my periods and female hormones. So I've put mine down to female hormones jiggering around again due to metformin treatment for pcos and diabetes.
I've been told I'm too young for the change to start by 2 GPs but some nurses have told me, not necessarily.
I haven't checked whether this would apply to you. I can only see you tagged as a member, no other info.
I hope you get to the bottom of your anxiety. Low bgs do make me sad and higher bgs make me giddy, like drunk, at times.

 

[benjo123456]

I'm a guy, so not all of that applies! However, low blood sugar does make me just like you say. I haven't had high blood sugar since all this started as I've been so careful with my food, but I did used to compare overeating to being a drug addict, it did give me a sort of high, it's just more socially acceptable than other drugs.

 

[ickihun]

To prevent too many liver dumps then don't go too long inbetween meals. Maybe a protein nibble before bed, helps me. Bulletproof coffee on rising, is great too. Fasting can help with insulin resistance only whilst fasting mode. Once out of fasting mode the insulin output continues but can be a wee slower, for a little while.
All great techniques to keep bgs and hba1c results lower.
A few nuts or few tiny cubes of cheese for supper stopped my night fluctuations. I often went to bed on a 6 and woke back on a 6.

 

[benjo123456]

Thanks

 

[Lamont D]

Thanks. I am just seeking reassurance more than anything because this has been really hard.

From what I can gather, I am having false hypos. Even though my BS isn't technically low, and I'm not diabetic, my body thinks it is low because it is used to having much more food, (I never tested my BS before this so I have no idea what it was, it wouldn't have been healthy, though.)

I still want to know how long this is going to go on for, or what else I can do to get over it. I don't want to go back to overeating, but at the same time going through this is horrible. I will continue to go through it regardless, because it needs to be fixed,

The symptom of anxiety is usually caused by low blood glucose levels, (hypos)
The lack of glucose because of the high insulin, hyperinsulinaemia and insulin resistance causes hypos, lack of glucose to the brain will cause many symptoms which includes anxiety.

Your body is adjusting to the lower blood glucose levels. You notice that if you have fluctuations in your levels. Also you say you have cut down on calories and some carbs. Your body is craving for the carbs, hence the false hypos symptoms.

Get over this period and all of a sudden, the symptoms will dissipate.

Hi. Sorry to keep asking questions, but I'm really trying to understand some stuff.

When my blood sugar goes below about 5.0, it naturally begins to rise without food. As I understand it, this is a natural function of my body. When the body produces its own glucose it releases stress hormones. This is why I am getting depression and anxiety attacks when my BS is perceived to be low by my body.

It is usually worse when I wake up. Obviously night time is the longest that I go without food, and I wake up sweating and nervous. I am trying to eat small meals of complex carbs on good fats every 4 hours or so, but my body still keeps trying to raise my blood sugar, leading to anxiety attacks.

Am I getting this right? How long will it be until I adjust to this lower calorie way of eating?

Any help greatly appreciated.

Complex carbs are just the same as other carbs, they all trigger the rise in glucose then insulin but a little slower.
For example, porridge with water, will raise my glucose levels by ten mmols, I will still go hypo and porridge is considered a super food. It is supposed to be healthy, but not for me! It causes havoc with my blood glucose levels.

You can get all the fibre and nutrition you need from low carb foods.

Best wishes.

Keep asking and learning, keep posting.

 

[benjo123456]

So it is good that my body produces its own glycogen, and it won't release hormones in doing so? If I am producing high insulin does this stop my body producing enough glycogen? I suspect that my insulin is high due to years of overeating. By reducing the calories I eat, will that insulin level come down?

 

[Lamont D]

You are correct. You like me have a poor first insulin response.
The changes in your glucagon/glycogen levels from the digestion process called Glucogenesis can change your insulin response and the need to trigger the secondary response is unnecessary.

 

[benjo123456]

You are correct. You like me have a poor first insulin response.
The changes in your glucagon/glycogen levels from the digestion process called Glucogenesis can change your insulin response and the need to trigger the secondary response is unnecessary.

You've lost me a bit there, but this is what I want to understand. If I have insensitive insulin, how does that effect what is going on. You may have to make it a bit more simple for me!

 

[Lamont D]

Ok, what you eat is energy derived from mostly carbs and turns to glucose to give you the energy. The process is disrupted by insulin resistance, your cells become insensitive to it. So the insulin is not used up. You then in the viscous circle of things have high circulating insulin on top of high glucose levels for a few hours until that glucose is used, the insulin takes over and you hypo.
The first insulin response is weak, the necessity of a second insulin response is the overshoot. So if you change the beta cells configuration of insulin from Glucogenesis, the insulin is strong in first response so the need for the secondary response is unnecessary.
Even though you have too much insulin circulating around your blood, the balance is restored. Your insulin levels come down because you haven't had an overshoot, your glucose levels come down back towards normal. Your insulin resistance is better, the viscous circle stops.
But the need to low carb solves that viscous circle by getting your energy from ketones rather than carbs. Once you switch to being in or around ketosis you start producing ketones that convert into energy for use for the necessary brain function that used be supplied by carbs.
That is why fasting is good for me. Because my energy levels are so much better in ketosis than out.

 

[benjo123456]

I've tried low carb in the past. People say your body adapts to it, but mine just never did after months. Each time I gave up after about 6 months. I always felt terrible on it, had no energy and felt flat in general.

I have done better in the past on a more carb plus good day diet like I am trying now, but it has never effected me like it is now, probably because I'm coming off a 2 year period of overeating. Do you think my body will still adpt on a small portion diet, or does it have to be Keto to cure this. I was thinking of getting my body adjusted as I'm doing l and then slowly transition to Keto.

 

[benjo123456]

I've tried low carb in the past. People say your body adapts to it, but mine just never did after months. Each time I gave up after about 6 months. I always felt terrible on it, had no energy and felt flat in general.

I have done better in the past on a more carb plus good fat diet like I am trying now, but it has never effected me like it is now, probably because I'm coming off a 2 year period of overeating. Do you think my body will still adpt on a small portion diet, or does it have to be Keto to cure this. I was thinking of getting my body adjusted as I'm doing l and then slowly transition to keto. My bs is getting no higher than about 6.0 on my new diet, so I am hoping that will be low enough for my body to heal.

 

[Lamont D]

I've tried low carb in the past. People say your body adapts to it, but mine just never did after months. Each time I gave up after about 6 months. I always felt terrible on it, had no energy and felt flat in general.

I have done better in the past on a more carb plus good fat diet like I am trying now, but it has never effected me like it is now, probably because I'm coming off a 2 year period of overeating. Do you think my body will still adpt on a small portion diet, or does it have to be Keto to cure this. I was thinking of getting my body adjusted as I'm doing l and then slowly transition to keto. My bs is getting no higher than about 6.0 on my new diet, so I am hoping that will be low enough for my body to heal.

I would advise slowly because it is a transitional phase to go into ketosis anyway.
I did cold turkey by fasting then eating really small meals every three hours which became a little obsessive, then I changed tack by experimenting with how my pancreas reacted to eating, every hour, every two hours, every three hours, then at normal (whose normal?) times. The only one that worked was every three hours, just a few bites hardly any carbs whatsoever in ketosis.
However, I also found that because of intermittent fasting, I didn't need to eat as 'normal' or by advice from so called experts. It wasn't bad advice just wrong for me!
I have found that eating a diet that keeps my body happy rather than my brain, I feel great.
You have to find your personal balance. I'm still learning but I do believe that being in ketosis is much better than anything else.