Ask the Diabetes Educator Archive

3/2/04

Q:
I was diagnosed with hypoglycemia a few years back. My question is ;What causes me to be very tired about an hour after meals? I try to take naps, but I cannot seem to wake up, it`s very scary and I don`t really know what is causing it. These last few days I was trying out a low carb and high fat diet, but was feeling strange and my mind felt foggy, my sleeping pattern change with restless sleeping. Should I be monitoring my blood sugar, I really don`t know what to do.I do know that when I have episodes of hypoglycemia I can`t test my glucose levels and often I don`t know that I`m having an episode until it`s too late. I can`t even remember what to take to get my condition under control especially if I exercise vigorously,that might explain why I`ve abandoned going to the gym and aquasize.

A:
Quick rises in blood sugar followed by quick drops can cause fatigue. Generally this is a common pattern with uncontrolled hypoglycemia. Switching to a diet of high fat is not the solution. Protein is needed since roughly half of it becomes blood sugar 2-3 hours after eating, allowing for a more steady flow of sugar into the blood stream. Eating small, frequent meals (2-3 hours apart) is generally what we recommend for hypoglycemia. Carbohydrates should come from whole, unrefined foods. Legumes are always a wonderful choice. Protein and fats can come from both animal and plant sources. The whole focus is to keep food digesting at a fairly consistent rate so that the lows don't happen. Checking your blood sugars is a good idea until you have this under control. "Lows" have different ranges for different people. When experiencing a "low," 6 oz. of milk is an example of a good "fixer." Basically, it's 15 grams of carbs every 15 minutes until desired blood sugar is reached. If VERY low, 4 oz. of juice is quicker. It's important to not to overtreat, as blood sugars can then spike. It would be good for you have a nutritional consultation to make sure you are eating in a good pattern for management.