How do you control the Blood Sugar While having Fibromyalgia?
In most of the cases, people who are suffering from fibromyalgia also suffer reactive hypoglycemia.
Insulin Sensitivity and Fibromyalgia
A well-establish connection exists between fibromyalgia and insulin sensitivity. Researchers have shown that there are a lot of people with fibromyalgia that also suffers from low blood sugar, called hypoglycemia. When individuals who suffer from fibromyalgia think that they have to take more carbohydrates for increasing their energy and thus worsen the situation by leading towards a sugar crash.
As this is known by all of us that individual may have sugary carbohydrate cravings due to fatigue, which means that the high blood sugar occurred as a result cannot be processed by the body due to which weight starts increasing.
The production of insulin by the body is stimulated by carbohydrates. Insulin is used for moving the glucose from the carbohydrates into the cells and then they can be used as a fuel for energy.
There is more likely to have a hormonal imbalance in fibromyalgia sufferers due to which the body has to produce more insulin, which means that glucose has moved into the muscles and cells to be stored as fat, instead of being transferred to cells for energy.
What is reactive hypoglycemia?
Reactive hypoglycemia is a lot more different than hypoglycemia that results from fasting. If you do not eat anything, hypoglycemia occurs which is low blood sugar. Whereas, reactive hypoglycemia is not noticeable in the same way as fasting hypoglycemia does, so it is more likely to be overlooked. It can occur within few hours after the consumption of a large amount of carbohydrates.
There is a rapid absorption of glucose due to the rapid rush of carbohydrates into the small intestine which causes the pancreas to produce a large amount of insulin. Also, there is an increase in the production of adrenaline which then taxes adrenal glands. When the body is trying to reimburse for producing extra insulin due to having excess carbohydrates in the body, there is an occurrence of increased production of adrenaline. This process continues even if the blood sugar plummets.
There are a lot of chances to develop type 2 diabetes if the person doesn’t get treated for reactive hypoglycemia. Some of the symptoms can be caused by reactive hypoglycemia like;
Reactive Hypoglycemia symptoms
People have overweight issues due to reactive hypoglycemia. No matter how many times and how much they try, those extra pounds can simply don’t lose and it is one of the common problems for people with fibromyalgia.
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Moreover, a lot of other imbalances are also faced by the people with fibromyalgia, which means that their body which craves for the carbohydrates so badly just can’t effectively process by their body. Some of the common symptoms of reactive hypoglycemia are as follows:
- An increase in sweating
- Depression
- Nervousness
- Difficulty concentrating
- Cravings for carbohydrates
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
- A headache
- Irritability
- Shaky hands
- Tingling/numbness in hands/feet
Difference between hypoglycemia and Reactive Hypoglycemia
Both of these conditions are different from one another. When the level of sugar is upset due to some abnormal eating patterns or there is high consumption of carbohydrates in the body, reactive hypoglycemia occurs. However, eating something sugary can let the reactive hypoglycemia symptoms go away in 5 to 10 minutes.
According to the study, women are more affected by fibromyalgia than men and they may notice that just before the menstruation or just after the childbirth, the symptoms of reactive hypoglycemia get even worse. Moreover, if a person having fibromyalgia plans to eat limited carbohydrates, he/she may notice that a flare-up arises in the symptoms of reactive hypoglycemia.
Almost ten days will be needed to get through the difficulty before you start noticing the improvements. Keep this in mind that those ten days can be more like a hell to you. A lot of headaches and fatigue can occur. Moreover, you will have more craving for caffeine and will want to eat more sugar or carbohydrates.
Also Read: How to control blood sugar when you have fibromyalgia
Things to do
The first and foremost thing you can do to control reactive hypoglycemia is to know that your diet has a very strong influence on your whole body. So, you need to create a diet plan for you that facilitate the weight loss as well as tissues with blood sugar. A combination of lean proteins, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats in the diet is the best way to restrain the blood glucose fluctuations.
In addition, you need to have a blood glucose monitor that can give you a reading of your blood glucose, so you can make it sure that your blood sugar level is acceptable. Also, it helps you in focusing to avoid the foods that contain high amounts of glucose.
You have to make yourself aware of the glycemic index, as it is one of the best ways for starting a healthy fibromyalgia diet. It shows the measure of the speed at which your blood sugar levels increase by the specific foods. Your blood sugar level gets high quickly due to the foods that are high on the glycemic index, while rest of the foods doesn’t. A lot of books and information is available on this topic that can help you in understanding the healthy eating plans and glycemic index better.
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