Are you on the blood sugar rollercoaster?
You know the one—where your energy spikes after a meal, only to come crashing down a couple of hours later, leaving you tired, cranky, and reaching for the nearest snack. If you’ve ever felt irritable, “hangry,” or like you can’t make it through the day without an afternoon nap or sugary snack, you’re not alone. These are telltale signs that your blood sugar might be out of balance.
Blood sugar isn’t just about avoiding diabetes; it’s a crucial marker of overall health. When it’s steady, you feel energized, focused, and in control. But when it’s on a wild ride, your body—and your mood—pay the price.
Understanding your blood sugar levels and how to manage it can transform your daily life. It’s not about cutting out all your favorite foods or going on a restrictive diet; it’s about making smarter choices that keep your energy steady throughout the day. Small changes like eating balanced meals with protein, fiber, and healthy fats, or being mindful of how much sugar you’re consuming, can make a big difference.
Here’s the thing, your blood sugar is controlled by your insulin hormone, which is a “fat storing” hormone! 😮
If your insulin hormone gets too high, or stays high like with insulin resistance, pre-diabetes, or diabetes, then your cells are not letting the insulin in to balance your blood sugar, so your blood sugar stays high. Unfortunately, high blood sugar and insulin can cause INFLAMMATION, one of the BIGGEST drivers of issues like diabetes, heart disease, obesity and cancer.
In my functional medicine and health coaching practice this is one of the most common hormone issues I see for women! The main reason women come to see me is for low energy, poor sleep, and weight gain or being “stuck” with their weight and the inability to lose weight, and blood sugar and insulin imbalances are one of the main culprits for these issues.
How do you know you are on the blood sugar rollercoaster?
- You can have energy slumps or tiredness throughout the day, or can be tired after meals.
- You may crave that afternoon pic-me-up, with sugary snacks or caffeine.
- Your sleep can be affected by high or low blood sugar, you can have difficulty staying asleep, or wake up hungry at night.
- It can cause weight gain, or keep you stuck with your weight.
- Do you have aches and pains, or joint pain? The blood sugar rollercoaster will cause highs AND lows, and can eventually break down to cause high insulin and inflammation.
- Lack of focus or mental clarity, or low mood.
What you can do if you are on the blood sugar rollercoaster:
First of all, if you are struggling with any of these STOP GUESSING and get tested!
It’s pretty easy to figure out with blood testing. There are several markers to check such as:
- Fasting blood glucose
- A1C
- Fasting insulin
- Triglycerides
- C- Reactive protein (for inflammation)
These tests are the roadmap to where you are starting from and where you need to go! The tricky thing is getting these tests, as many women who come to work with me get very minimal testing from their doctor, and many times not even the all important A1C test. But that’s why I do what I do, which is that I do ALL the testing to get to the root cause.
So where to start? With or without testing, you can still tell by how you feel, check the list above to see where you are. Here are some tips to balance your blood sugar:
- Get blood testing! Either done by me, or your doctor, and this will give you a roadmap on how to move forward.
- Are you eating ENOUGH protein? This doesn’t mean high protein, but one of the common things I see with women I work with is they are NOT eating enough protein.
- Are you eating enough HEALTHY FATS? Like avocado, avocado oil, olive oil, coconut oil, butter, nuts, seeds, and fish?
- Are you eating TOO many carbohydrates? This is the biggest reason for blood sugar imbalances. Too many refined carbs (for your body and metabolism) such as breads, rice, pasta, sugary coffee drinks or soda, or desserts will spike your blood sugar for sure. I teach women to be aware of what they are eating and how they feel!
- Are you eating TOO many starchy carbs? You know the ones, that are called healthy, like sweet potatoes, whole grain bread, quinoa? While they may be healthy, it all depends on what your blood sugar and insulin are doing. This is what you learn from testing, finding out your “personal carbohydrate tolerance” level.
- What’s your Personal Carbohydrate Tolerance level? this is where you can lose weight, or maintain your healthy weight, have good energy throughout the day, sleep well, have good mental clarity and focus! It’s different for everyone, depending on your metabolic health, which is your blood sugar and inflammation levels (and cortisol too!)
- You can also try different ways of eating, such as low and controlled carbohydrate, a ketogenic diet, a paleo diet, or following the glycemic index.
If you’re tired of guesswork and want personalized guidance to optimize your health, schedule a Free Healthy Hormone Call with me today. We can talk about testing and what is right for you. Let’s see what ideas I may have for you to take a step towards your desired health!
And here’s my Free Guide with some tips on balancing your blood sugar, “5 Steps for Women to Have More Energy” click HERE to download.
