Is it really adrenal fatigue?
Is it really PCOS?
Is it really heart disease?
Is it really Alzheimers?
Is it really fibromyalgia?
…or do the roots of these conditions have to do with blood sugar dysregulation?
If you’ve been given gobs of adrenal supplements because you were told you had adrenal insufficiency or adrenal fatigue, but the needle isn’t budging in your recovery than there’s likely more to the story.
Dysglycemia (any abnormalities in blood glucose levels) is often silently present in those who struggle with many types of conditions such as heart disease, Alzheimer’s, autoimmunity, migraines, hair loss, fatigue, brain fog, infertility or hormone imbalances, anxiety/depression, sleep problems and more.
Insomnia for an example is often a blood sugar issue. Trouble staying asleep and wake up around 3 or 4 am? This can be what is known as nocturnal hypoglycemia. The body will wake up suddenly due to a drop in blood sugar resulting in a spike of epinephrine to activate glycogenolysis so your blood sugar will normalize.
Chronic hyperglycemia and insulin resistance impacts the brain, too. We see this with Alzheimer’s and dementia. The term “Type 3 Diabetes” has been proposed to explain the link between what happens to the brain when it is becomes impaired by these blood sugar issues. Impaired glucose metabolism in the brain leads to further degeneration and it can also manifest in the form anxiety, attention issues and depression.
Blood sugar dysregulation is often silently present in those who struggle with many types of conditions – heart disease, Alzheimer’s, autoimmunity, migraines, hair loss, fatigue, brain fog, infertility or hormone imbalances, anxiety/depression, sleep problems and more.
Furthermore, those who have a history of TBI (traumatic brain injury) will often develop dysautonomia. When this occurs, areas of the brain that control autonomic function degenerate and the ability to control cortisol rhythms and consequently blood sugar become impaired. These people often get ignored in conventional medicine and blood sugar is never even considered.
HOW TO KNOW IF YOUR BLOOD SUGAR IS OFF
Normal glucose response:
— Wake up with energy and feel well rested. Brain & tissue get proper glucose throughout night.
— Wake up with an appetite in morning within an hour or so.
— No major cravings, no nausea, no headaches.
— Don’t need stimulants to function.
Hypoglycemia Response:
— Feel relief immediately after eating, get irritable with too long between meals.
— Difficulty waking up. Wake up feeling like you didn’t sleep much.
— Don’t recover well from exercise.
— Wake up in the middle of night suddenly (rush of adrenaline).
— Wake up without appetite and feel nauseous.
— Used to not eating until the afternoon (skips breakfast often).
— Hair loss, headaches, mood swings, cold hands/feet
Insulin Resistance Response:
— Wakes up ready to eat, looks for carbs.
— Crave sweets after meals.
— Feels a big slump after a meal.
— Inability to lose weight.
— Craves stimulants, coffee, chocolate, tea, sugar.
— Joints and body feel stiff so avoid working out much.
— Feels overall inflamed.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT BLOOD SUGAR ISSUES?
For Hypoglycemic Pattern:
— Reestablish circadian rhythm – expose eyes to LIGHT first thing in morning.
— Do high intensity workout for 5-10 min within first few minutes of waking up.
— Eat heavier meals in beginning of day not at night.
— Can’t do fasting yet, need to stabilize blood sugar for a few months first ideally.
— Lots of healthy fat, high fiber.
— Eat before the crash in blood sugar, don’t wait to eat.
— Branched chain amino acids (BCAA), L-Carnitine, adaptogenic herbs in morning.
— Apex Energetics Protoglysen, Apex Energetics GlycemoVite
For Insulin Resistance Pattern:
— Cut out sugar, no refined carbs and high plant fiber
— Smaller meals
— Eat a portion that doesn’t make you tired, everyone’s different.
— Exercise to tolerance. High intensity exercise is best and alternate with strength training.
— Fasting and keto diet great for this pattern.
— Berberine 250-500 mg per meal or Rose Hip 200 mg per meal
ALSO IMPORTANT FOR ANY DYSGLYCEMIA
Real Foods.
Junk food or frankenfoods don’t have a place in healing. Eat from the earth, eat real foods that you can pronounce. Less packaging and as close to the natural state as possible. This is nature’s medicine. Organic matters too, meaning no or little pesticide residue. These residues contribute to a whole host of ill effects and we see this repeatedly in the research.
Exercise.
Movement matters for many reasons. One, we were not meant to be sedentary and when we are lymphatics get backed up. Secondly, when we train, particularly strength training, we create more mitochondria. This in-turn creates more efficient metabolism.
Sleep.
Without deep restorative sleep, healing from any ailment proves to be difficult. Sleep is of utmost priority. A small randomized crossover study found that sleep restriction results in an insulin-resistant state. Other studies show a link between poor sleep quality and increased risk of obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
Bottom line is that sleep is critical and you don’t need an research to tell you that, the body will.
“Insufficient sleep duration and poorer sleep quality are associated with a greater BMI and markers of cardiometabolic risk, including insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and higher blood pressure in youth.”
Ann Intern Med. 2012 Oct 16;157(8):549-57.
Endocrine Disruptors.
Also we know that reduction to endocrine disrupting chemicals, particularly during early years, can contribute to reducing metabolic dysfunction. Exposure to these in utero or during early development can permanently alter fat cell number.
Hepatic Biotransformation.
Improve Phase I and II liver detoxification with supplements like molybdenum chelate, milk thistle extract seed, panax ginseng and L-glutathione.
Support for healthy bile formation, secretion, and flow include dandelion root, milk thistle seed, ginger, taurine, beet concentrate, vitamin C and phosphatidylcholine. Cellcore’s TUDCA also is a good one to use.
Meal Timing.
Eating earlier in the day versus late in the day is a simple and powerful fix. Many people are eating a heavy dinner and missing earlier meals. Focus on eating more of your calories in the earlier part of the day. Also ensure you’re getting a balance of healthy fats as well, not just a big plate of carbohydrates.
“In summary, our results demonstrate that high‐calorie breakfast shows increased compliance and is more beneficial than high‐calorie dinner for weight loss, insulin sensitivity, and hunger suppression. Our study indicates that avoidance of large meals in the evening may be particularly beneficial in improving glucose and lipid profiles and may lead to reduced risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases”
Obesity (Silver Spring). 2013 Dec; 21(12):2504-12.
Fiber.
Fiber stabilizes blood sugar, especially in the presence of existing metabolic dysfunction. Supplementing with a fiber product each meal can be helpful until it’s more stabilized. Many find benefit with 2-5 capsules each meal.
I like Apex Energetics Fibromin and Standard Process GastroFiber.
RESOURCES
Impaired Insulin Signaling in Human Adipocytes After Experimental Sleep Restriction
https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/0003-4819-157-8-201210160-00005?articleid=1379773&
Sleep Restriction for 1 Week Reduces Insulin Sensitivity in Healthy Men
https://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/59/9/2126
Characteristics of skeletal muscle mitochondrial biogenesis induced by moderate-intensity exercise and weight loss in obesity
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17332268/
Endocrine Disruptors and Obesity
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28205155/
High caloric intake at breakfast vs. dinner differentially influences weight loss of overweight and obese women
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23512957/
Obesity-associated gut microbiota is enriched in Lactobacillus reuteri and depleted in Bifidobacterium animalis and Methanobrevibacter smithii
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3374072/
Intestinal permeability is associated with visceral adiposity in healthy women
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21852815/
Circulating Zonulin, a Marker of Intestinal Permeability, Is Increased in Association with Obesity-Associated Insulin Resistance
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0037160
Gut microbiota and sirtuins in obesity-related inflammation and bowel dysfunction
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22115311/
Insulin Resistance in Alzheimer’s Disease
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30542257/
Is Alzheimer’s disease a Type 3 Diabetes? A critical appraisal
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27567931/
