How normal blood sugar works
The level of sugar in your blood fluctuates with eating, sleeping, and other activities. When you eat, your blood sugar level goes up. When you use energy, your blood sugar goes down. The most important thing for you to understand about your blood sugar level is that because you are sugar sensitive, it has a powerful effect on how you feel. If your brain or you muscles can't get the blood sugar they need to perform, they will tell you very clearly that something is wrong. You may get tired, shaky, or irritable. You may have a hard time concentrating. You may forget things. You may reach for something sweet to provide a quick pickmeup.
Most of the sugar in your blood comes from the foods you eat. The rest comes from the extra sugar stored in your liver, which is to be used if you run out of food for energy. The most effeciient source of sugar for the average person is carbohydrates because they require the least amount of work by the body to convert them from "food" to sugar in your blood. Carbohydrates can either be simple, like beer, sugar and white flour, or they can be complex, like potatoes, oatmeal, and whole grains. The simpler a carbohydrate is, the more quickly it is broken down into glucose (the simplest sugar) and realeased into your bloodstream, where it can be carried to your cells and burned for energy. The more complex a carbohydrate is, the longer it takes to be broken down and realeased in to your blood.
Your body's goal is to maintain the perfect level of sugar in your blood- neither too high nor too low. First, it draws from the regular sugar pool in your blood. Your body does this by releasing a hormone called insulin, which instructs your cells to open up, move sugar out of your blood and pull it into the cells themselves, where it can be burned for fuel. When the level of sugar in your blood goes up, your body releases more insulin and thereby moves more sugar into your cells. This not only provides fuel for your cells, it also keeps your blood sugar on an even keel.
If the level of sugar in your blood drops, your body will turn to the backup sugar supply in your liver. Your liver stores about 400 calories worth of sugar at any given time. After this backup supply is used up, you are in trouble. Your body needs more sugar to keep functionaing. It tells you to eat. Now!
Some people are biochemically sugar sensitive. When they eat sufar, their bodies overreact by releasing far more insulin than is needed. The result is that their cells open up and pull in more sugar than they should. This causes the level of sugar in the blood to drop too low and triggers those "crazy" Mr. Hyde symptoms of low blood sugar, including fatigue, restlessness, confusion, frustration, poor memory, and irritability.
Stay tuned for the next article...
Most of the sugar in your blood comes from the foods you eat. The rest comes from the extra sugar stored in your liver, which is to be used if you run out of food for energy. The most effeciient source of sugar for the average person is carbohydrates because they require the least amount of work by the body to convert them from "food" to sugar in your blood. Carbohydrates can either be simple, like beer, sugar and white flour, or they can be complex, like potatoes, oatmeal, and whole grains. The simpler a carbohydrate is, the more quickly it is broken down into glucose (the simplest sugar) and realeased into your bloodstream, where it can be carried to your cells and burned for energy. The more complex a carbohydrate is, the longer it takes to be broken down and realeased in to your blood.
Your body's goal is to maintain the perfect level of sugar in your blood- neither too high nor too low. First, it draws from the regular sugar pool in your blood. Your body does this by releasing a hormone called insulin, which instructs your cells to open up, move sugar out of your blood and pull it into the cells themselves, where it can be burned for fuel. When the level of sugar in your blood goes up, your body releases more insulin and thereby moves more sugar into your cells. This not only provides fuel for your cells, it also keeps your blood sugar on an even keel.
If the level of sugar in your blood drops, your body will turn to the backup sugar supply in your liver. Your liver stores about 400 calories worth of sugar at any given time. After this backup supply is used up, you are in trouble. Your body needs more sugar to keep functionaing. It tells you to eat. Now!
Some people are biochemically sugar sensitive. When they eat sufar, their bodies overreact by releasing far more insulin than is needed. The result is that their cells open up and pull in more sugar than they should. This causes the level of sugar in the blood to drop too low and triggers those "crazy" Mr. Hyde symptoms of low blood sugar, including fatigue, restlessness, confusion, frustration, poor memory, and irritability.
Stay tuned for the next article...
posted by jauggy at 6:30 PM
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