Hypoglycemia Forum - Fix Your Adrenals, Fix Your Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) commonly occurs in Adrenal Fatigue due to the combination of low cortisol and high insulin levels during stress of any kind. Low cortisol levels lead to a slowing of glucose (blood sugar) production and high insulin levels lead to increased demand for glucose.

This increased demand and decreased availability of glucose creates a state of hypoglycemia. As a result the body cells do not get the glucose and other nutrients they require. There is a very close relationship between adrenal function and blood sugar levels.

We have known for almost a century that people who suffer from low blood sugar frequently suffer from Adrenal Fatigue. We also know that people who suffer from Adrenal Fatigue almost always have some form of irregular blood sugar pattern, of which hypoglycemia is the most common.

With hypoglycemia there are usually cravings for sugar and there are real physiological reasons why these cravings exist. When the adrenals are fatigued, their cortisol output is diminished, resulting in lower cortisol levels circulating in the blood.

With lowered blood cortisol, the liver has a more difficult time converting glycogen (stored blood sugar) into glucose (active blood sugar) which is necessary for energy production.

Fats, proteins and carbohydrates, which normally can be converted into glucose (gluconeogenesis), also cannot be as readily converted into glucose. These reserve energy pools controlled by cortisol are critical to achieving and maintaining normal blood sugar levels, and thus energy levels, especially during stress.

Further complicating this matter is that during stress, insulin levels are increased because the demand for energy in the cells is greater. Insulin opens the cell wall membranes to take in more glucose in order to provide more energy to the cells.

Without adequate cortisol levels to elevate blood sugar levels by facilitating the conversion of glycogen, fats and proteins to new glucose supplies, this increased demand is difficult or impossible to meet. Cortisol also normally protects the cells against the detrimental effects of excessive amounts of glucose by helping create insulin resistance at the cell membrane to keep too much glucose from flooding into the cell.

When cortisol levels are low, there is less inhibition of this process, further reducing energy supplies. All this combines to produce low blood sugar (hypoglycemia).

People with Adrenal Fatigue are in a real bind because when they are under stress (even a mild stress such as a math exam or an argument at home), demand for blood glucose increases, but their fatigued adrenals cannot produce enough cortisol to generate higher glucose levels from reserves.

In the presence of increased insulin and decreased cortisol, blood sugar drops rapidly. If this happens at the same time as an increasing demand for glucose, the stage is set for tragedy.

Without available energy, every energy-requiring mechanism of the cell slows dramatically. This lack of energy combined with the electrolyte imbalance (resulting from decreased aldosterone and other adrenal hormones) produces a cell in crisis.

When energy and electrolytes once again become available and the cellular stress decreases, the damaged cell must be repaired or replaced. The reactivation of normal cell functions is an energy consuming series of events that uses up a greater amount of energy than is normally required.

Yet this has to take place in a situation in which your body is struggling just to produce enough energy to maintain some semblance of homeostasis.

In a physical survival situation this hypoglycemic condition might lead to death because response times slow down, thinking easily becomes confused, muscular strength is weakened, and other problems occur which render the individual too helpless to effectively defend themselves or escape.

Typically in our society in which physical survival is not usually a daily source of stress, people handle their low adrenal related hypoglycemia symptoms with a double-edged sword; they eat something sweet with a coffee or cola. This is a short acting emergency remedy that temporarily increases blood sugar with nearly immediate impact.

They can almost feel it hit the back of the brain as their blood sugar moves out of the basement and shoots for the stars, relieving their hypoglycemic symptoms for about 45-90 minutes.

However, this is inevitably followed by a precipitous plunge back to even lower blood sugar levels than they started with.

Many individuals do this day in and day out, not realizing that hypoglycemia itself is a significant stress on the entire body, and especially on the adrenals. With each plunge their Adrenal Fatigue increases and their hypoglycemia worsens.

To the body, hypoglycemia is a strong stressor, an emergency call to action, that further drains already fatigued adrenals. People who treat their hypoglycemia with sweet snacks and caffeine are on a constant roller coaster ride throughout the day with their blood sugar erratically rising and then falling after each "sugar fix." This throws not only cortisol and insulin levels into turmoil, but also the nervous system and the entire homeostasis of the body.

Therefore, by the end of the day, the person may feel nearly exhausted without having done anything. It might take an entire evening or weekend to recover from this daily/weekly roller coaster ride. It has sometimes been characterized as driving with both the brakes and the accelerator pushed to the floor at the same time.

Low blood sugar times are most likely to occur at around 10:00 AM, 2:00 PM, and from 3-4:00 PM. The old Dr. Pepper commercials had this pattern of hypoglycemia pegged when they created the slogan encouraging people to have a Dr. Pepper (high in sugar and caffeine) at "10, 2 & 4 each day."

It is not by accident that work breaks are scheduled at about these times or that people typically have something sweet and/or caffeine during these breaks. We have a nation of hypoglycemics. Sixty percent of people suffering from hypoglycemia go on to become diabetics. So is it any wonder that we also have a nation suffering from diabetes in epidemic proportions?

The brain also requires increased energy during times of stress and is especially affected by a lack of glucose. Although it uses several different fuels, when low on glucose, it often does not do well.

In fact, most of the mechanisms involved in regulating blood sugar are designed to ensure that the brain always has adequate glucose with which to function. Many of the symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue and most of the symptoms of hypoglycemia are the result of insufficient glucose available to brain tissues.

Hypoglycemia, without proper snack and meal placement, also encourages overeating when food is available. This overeating causes rapid weight gain because the increased levels of insulin circulating in the blood usher that excess energy (glucose) from the extra food into the fat cells where it is stored as fat.

Even though the effects (weight gain) of this process may be undesirable in a hypoglycemic/Adrenal Fatigue condition, this is a beautiful and savvy compensatory mechanism that has helped us survive. Much of human history is a story of feast or famine; excess calories are a luxury in evolutionary terms.

Therefore, after coming out of a situation of temporary famine (hypoglycemia) into a situation of excess calories (fat and sugary junk food), our evolutionary history urges us unconsciously to overeat. Our bodies are designed to store that energy while it is available. In this way hypoglycemia creates a tendency to put on weight.

To avoid gaining weight, those low blood sugar dips that increase hunger and also create a tendency to store energy as fat must be avoided. This means regular exercise and eating the kinds of meals and foods that control hypoglycemia.

It also means eating regular meals and not eating those sugary foods and caffeine that send blood glucose levels on a roller coaster ride and worsen Adrenal Fatigue and hypoglycemia.

Hypoglycemia often has a food sensitivity or food allergy component. Consuming something that the body is sensitive or allergic to can set off a hypoglycemic reaction or make blood sugar levels more irregular.

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I have been on a hypoglycemia diet while treating my adrenal glands for 3 months now, and my hypoglycemia has improved remarkably. I can even go 5 hours without eating with no symptoms of onset coming on. One thing I do have to watch though is my carbohydrate intake, which usually triggers me to feel really horrible.. but even in that area, things have improved.

Basically, cortisol is what keeps your blood sugar stabilized. Your adrenals produce cortisol. When your adrenals are weak, they aren't producing enough cortisol to keep your blood sugar levels stable, thus hypoglycemia is prevelant. I highly, highly, highly recommend treating your adrenal glands to anyone that has hypoglycemia.

And just so you know I'm being legit, I contacted Dr. James L. Wilson (expert on the adrenal gland health)'s site, and asked them myself about the hypoglycemia. Direct quote fromme: "If I fix my adrenal glands and get them functioning normally again, will my hypoglycemia be gone?" and they replied back, "Yes, in many cases the hypoglycemia dissapears completely when the adrenals are corrected", so there!

This is REAL, this is not another crock of quackery. This is the problem for many of you. Good luck to you all!! I myself can't wait to live life again!