Balanced blood sugar levels are vital to health and wellbeing. In fact, imbalanced blood sugar is often one of the root causes of various health issues in the body, and I am not just talking about diabetes. Many of the chronic diseases that we see today are in some part or another related to blood sugar dysregulation. It impacts hormone health, quality of sleep, hunger signals, sexual function, and so much more.
Today I am going to give you so many amazing tips about how to regulate and balance blood sugar levels, creating flexible metabolic function in the body. We will dive into what blood sugar is, the role a balanced blood sugar plays in fertility and pregnancy, the problem with dysregulated blood sugar, symptoms of dysregulated blood sugar, and my top tips to regulate blood sugar levels.
What is Blood Sugar?
Before we get into how to balance blood sugar, first I want to address what it actually is.
Blood sugar can also be called glucose, the body’s preferred source of fuel, meaning that it is the most easily converted into energy by the body.
Glucose is sourced from carbohydrate sources, such as fruit, grains, sugar, and processed foods. In the digestive process, the body takes most carbohydrate forms and converts them into glucose to be used for energy.
(Note, we can also convert fat and protein into energy to be used by the body, but this is a detailed conversation for another day!)
In a balanced/metabolically flexible state, glucose allows the body to thrive in its systems, as it is provided with energy to perform all of its essential functions with ease. It can adapt to deal with the situations at hand, and allow the nervous system to move more flexibly. It also allows for the reproductive system to feel safe the create life.
Blood sugar is a little more complex than that, but because this is such a dense subject, I want to keep the concept simple for now. So now that we know the body love’s glucose and it is very important for energy production in a state of balance (homeostasis), let’s look into where things go wrong.
Importance of Blood Sugar in Fertility
In fertility, having balanced blood sugar levels is absolutely vital to conception for several reasons. Having dysregulated blood sugar can actually cause fertility issues, and can be related to a plethora of hormone issues such as PCOS. Having a balanced blood sugar to support fertility, plays a big role in pregnancy.
Importance in Pregnancy
High blood sugar can lead to a plethora of issues in pregnancy, and not only in potentially leading to gestational diabetes. High levels can harm to long-term health of baby by causing metabolic damage, and can cause other complications during pregnancy and/or birth. Your blood sugar mirrors your baby’s blood sugar.
On top of the potential ramifications of disregulated levels in pregnancy, balanced blood sugar can help keep nausea and other unpleasant symptoms at bay, as in some cases negative pregnancy symptoms can be in part related to blood sugar issues.
This is why the body works hard to keep blood sugar balanced during pregnancy, and why taking care to watch diet and lifestyle in this time can make a lasting impact on both your health and baby’s health.
The Problem with Dysregulated Blood Sugar
Now that we’ve looked into how important blood sugar is to a balanced body, we are going to look into the problem with imbalances, because it is a big problem, and a large crisis in the USA. In fact, 1 in 3 US adults live with prediabetes, according to a 2023 study by the CDC, and 81% of them are unaware.
What does this mean though, and what is the gravity of it? Let’s begin by looking into insulin resistance (which is super common in PCOS!)
Insulin Resistance
First off, insulin is a hormone that allows glucose to enter into cells in order to be transformed into energy.
With knowledge on what insulin is, you can add the word resistance to this in order to understand that insulin resistance happens when the body becomes less responsive to the effects of the hormone insulin. Insulin receptors on cells loose their sensitivity, often when overwhelmed by glucose.
This results in more insulin being produced by the body to compensate for this resistance to maintain blood glucose levels. As this continues to happen over time, insulin becomes too high in the bloodstream.
Eventually if a diet high in refined carbohydrates and glucose sources continues alongside these increasing insulin levels and insulin resistance, the body can become too tired to produce enough insulin.
How It Goes Out of Balance
With an understanding of insulin resistance, you can already see how blood sugar goes out of balance. This is issue is extremely complex, so I am trying to keep it as simple as possible!
I already addressed the basics of this in the insulin resistance section, where basically as the body is overwhelmed with foods that provide far too much glucose to the body on a consistent basis, it will ultimately become too tired to produce the mechanisms that are able to move and store this glucose properly.
This can be termed glucose intolerance, when the body is no longer able to properly metabolize glucose.
This happens in stages, where initially blood sugar dips and spikes occur, but can ultimately lead to issues such as Type 2 Diabetes over time.
Long before Type 2 Diabetes, however, comes various issues such as these swings negatively impacting hormone health. In fact, because of how intimately blood sugar regulation is related with sex hormones, issues with blood sugar can lead to hormonal issues such as PCOS, hormonal acne, painful periods, trouble conceiving, and more.
Symptoms of Dysregulated Blood Sugar
You may be surprised by some of the symptoms of impaired blood glucose function. I will split it up into the different phases, since symptoms can vary so much.
Reactive Hypoglyciemia
Reactive hypoglycemia is what we see in the early stages of blood sugar issues. It can be characterized through sharp spikes and dips in blood glucose levels, where excessive insulin is created to mitigate damage against the body. This is followed by a sharp drop in blood glucose levels.
Here are some common signs of reactive hypoglycemia:
- Increased sugar/refined carb cravings
- Headaches
- Anxiety
- Hangry
- Mood Swings
- Waking at Night
- Light headed if meal is missed
- Jittery between meals
- Rapid heart beat
- Extreme hunger
- Energy Swings
Insulin Resistance and Hyperinsulinemia
This is stage 2, as it progresses past hypoglycemic events that occur from time to time. If someone experiences years of reactive hypoglycemia, this is when we start seeing insulin resistance occur.
Instead of the extreme spikes and dips, we see glucose and insulin accumulating in the blood for longer periods of time.
Here are some common symptoms of insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia:
- Weight Gain, especially in abdomen
- Increased blood sugar levels
- Brain fog
- Hyperpigmentation
- Depression
- Fertility issues
- Thyroid issues
- Slow recovery
- Premature aging
- Fatigue
- Lethargy
Metabolic Syndrome and Prediabetes
This is stage 3, following the progression of blood glucose regulation issues as poor lifestyle habits remain the same or worsen.
Prediabetes would be classified through elevated blood sugar levels just below what levels would be for diabetes. Metabolic syndrome encompasses issues with overall metabolic health.
This stage involves testing for specific diagnostic criteria such as blood sugar levels, waist circumference. HDL levels, blood pressure, and triglyceride levels.
Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes would be the final stage in the progression of long-term blood sugar issues, and is unfortunately becoming more common than people realize.
The body becomes incapable of creating enough insulin to compensate for the insulin resistance that has come as a result of long-term blood sugar spikes and dips, and can even require medication to support insulin and glucose levels. Type 2 Diabetes needs to be diagnosed by a doctor.
here are some symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes:
- Frequent urination
- Extreme thirst or hunger
- Fatigue
As you can see, having the first stage of blood sugar dysregulation is very serious, and can absolutely be managed through proper nutrition and lifestyle choices. It is something worth being proactive about for all areas of health.
Let’s get into how to mitigate this progession, and regulate the blood glucose levels so that the body is metabolically flexible, and able to thrive throughout each and every stage of life.
Tips to Balance and Regulate Blood Sugar Levels
- Eat a Whole Foods Diet and Avoid Processed Foods, especially processed carbs
- Eating a whole foods, nutrient dense diet will naturally get rid of many of the foods that cause these issues, as issues often come from the overconsumption of refined sugars, carbs, and other additives.
- A good rule of thumb is if it is in a box or can, either make it from scratch or don’t eat it. I know that’s not a realistic thing for everyone, but if you are in a place where you can prepare food, I would highly recommend making at least 90% of your food from scratch.
- Have 1 TBSP of Apple Cider Vinegar Before Each Meal
- Apple Cider Vinegar contains acetic acid, which is magical in the way it acts upon the mechanisms of blood sugar regulation. As a bonus, it aids in digestion through encouraging bile production and the release of stomach acid.
- Eat Carbs Last
- Eating carbs last means that the body will absorb them more slowly than if they were consumed first, mitigating such a big spike.
- Consume Fiber-Rich Meals
- Fiber is essential for blood sugar regulation. Like the rule above, it slows the absorption of glucose and overall is essential to digestion and wellness.
- Eat Protein and Fats!
- Not only do they slow the absorption of glucose, but proteins and fats also encourage satiety so that the body does not crave sugar and refined carbs.
- Get Movement in Daily, Especially Following Meals
- There are various studies that show even just a 10 minute walk following a meal will help reduce glucose spikes, reducing the chances of reactive hypoglycemia.
- Strength Train
- Strength training is an amazing tool to use for so many reasons, including balancing/managing blood sugar levels. Glucose uptake is increased following exercise.
- Support Gut Health
- When gut health is optimal, glucose will be better digested!
- Don’t Eat High-Sugar Desserts or snacks on an Empty Stomach
- This goes back to eating carbs last. It you eat high carb snacks or dessert on an empty stomach, you will experience a hypoglycemic event.
Recap
As you can see, keeping blood sugar in balance is essential to health, including hormone health for so many reasons. Being proactive when initial blood sugar spikes are experienced is very important, because these extreme spikes and dips are absolutely reversible.
Following even some of the 9 tips I laid out above can do wonders for your body’s blood sugar regulation.
