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Carbs and tiredness

Sarah69

Sarah69

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,529
Location
Hethersett, Norwich
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Anything healthy!
I've read many times on here that carbs make some people sleepy. As it doesn't effect me I don't understand that at all. I'd like to know if carbs effected people like that before they were diabetic?
 
Not so much in the evenings, but if I had a carb heavy lunch(pasta/rice etc) I always felt like an afternoon nap!
 
Before I was diagnosed, i.e. when I was prediabetic and then unknowingly in T2-land, I ate a lot of carbs - bread, potatoes, pasta etc. My increasing lethargy and constant tiredness was what caused me to contact my GP, I didn't have any of the other symptoms such as extreme thirst or needing to pee a lot.
 
It is as if eating carbs leaches out all my pep, vim and vigour. My limbs get heavy, I need more sleep (but it is less satisfying), by concentration and memory deteriorate. The thought of walking down to the corner shop is so off putting that I change the evening's menu rather than go out and buy a single ingredient...

On the other hand, when eating low carb (after the initial adjustment phase), I feel great! I potter about finding things to do, add an extra loop to the dog walk, do extra housework, keep focused for hours. It is like being a different person.
 
It was feeling tired all the time that led me to go to see my dr in the first place, and after multi blood tests I had my diagnosis. The need to sleep after eating had been affecting me for nearly a year, especially following my early evening meal. Now I have my BG levels mainly in the non diabetic range I'm not so bad unless I eat something I shouldn't and then it's zzzzzzz! I am still experimenting and trying and testing different foods and if my BG goes above 8 I feel it.
 
I can't say they have ever affected me, or not so I noticed. I ate mounds of bread and potatoes, Yorkshire puddings and battered stuff, but don't have a sweet tooth so rarely had puddings or cakes or sugary stuff. I can't remember ever falling asleep after eating. Weird how we are all different.
 
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