Here's what I have experienced with hypoglycemia. I was diagnosed with it by my doctor 20 years ago, when I was under great stress from a divorce. However, when I learned about the disease and symptoms I could see that I had had the condition since I was a teenager or earlier. My hypoglycemia is not related to taking insulin for diabetes.

I then changed my diet but it was difficult because I still had a craving for sweets. It felt like being an alcoholic. I would "fall off the wagon" when presented with sweets for free, say cookies at work or at a conference dinner. At first it was very hard to resist this but over time the cravings went away, when I changed how I dealt with it, more below.

My sugar crash comes about 2 hours after eating. I've read that each person's symptoms differ because of our individual body chemistry so yours may be different. You can learn what works for your body by paying attention to how it responds to various foods, and other conditions like lack of sleep, stress, over exertion.

After carefully watching how my body responds to food, I have learned that what I originally read about hypoglycemia was much too simplistic. It's true that if I ate too large a meal or too much sweet foods (to be more specific, foods with too high a glycemic load including potatoes and white bread), then after two hours I would get tired, dry-mouthed and dizzy. The symptoms would be worse if I had been eating an oversweet diet for some days and hadn't slept well, or was overstressed. Then at the two hour mark I would have a hard time thinking and even pass out except I could still hear so was conscious but unable to do much for perhaps ten or fifteen minutes.

The answer was to eat something but not something sweet to bring me out of it. If I ate something sweet or with lots of refined carbos, that just sets up a yo-yo effect, where i'd tire again in another two hours and need to eat something sweet or snacky again.

Instead, if I generally avoided foods that turn into bloodsugar too quickly, but instead ate foods that were slower to digest, I began to feel better. Foods that were better include whole grains, fresh fruit, vegetables, lean meats, while I avoided white bread, anything with refined flour, white rice, foods with sugars/corn syrup/fruit juice as a short list. More importantly I found if maintained this 'healthier' diet for several days, I felt even better and didn't crave sugary foods very much at all. Then I could even occasionally eat something with sugar or white bread without feeling much of an effect. However, if I start to eat a lot of it, my body starts to feel tired, edgy and I go back into all the symptoms again. Once I go back to a healthy diet, it takes a couple of days to work the effects out of my system until I am feeling my best again. So there is a longer cycle in my body chemistry that builds up stamina to blood sugars, but erodes if I eat too many refined carbos for several meals.

It also really helps to make sure I get enough sleep and to exercise. That increases my stamina and ability to handle a meal with poor foods, say if I am traveling and get stuck without healthy food choices.

Since I am not a doctor, I cannot give you good advice about your depression but I can say that I have a much brighter view of the world when I eat well and get enough sleep and exercise. And some of your description of your craving for sugar when you stopped eating sweet foods reminded me of the yo-yo effect for me when I would try to combat the tired feeling by eating a small amount of sweets. The better answer for me was to eat something that didn't hit my bloodstream so quickly, and to know that it would continue to get better over several days.

By paying attention to how your body reacts to various foods, and being aware of the glycemic load of different foods, you should be able to feel much better. Good luck!

Hi, I agree with all that the other person said about food choices and lifestyle choices such as sleep and exercise. They are right on the mark that these few items can change your whole outlook on life for the better and just make the grass look greener.

As for me, I have ad/hd which affects my executive functioning capability, that of time management, prioritization, judgment, impulsivity, etc. It is as a result what produces a high level of anxiety with me 24/7 (i thought this is how everyone feels). It also induces depression, which then further attacks my executive functioning capability and further compounding my difficulties.

So, what does all this mean? The byproduct, which includes personality extremes that translate in anti-social mannerisms and behavior, is something I have to manage aggressively. One book I can recommend on this is "what does everyone else know that I don't" by michelle novotni; a real revelation and potential life changer as for healthy, enjoyable and satisfying relationships. “driven to distraction” by holowell and ratey is very good too.

You may want to get a psychiatrist to evaluate you for ad/hd or other disorders that contribute to your symptoms and frustrations. If it is something like this there are treatment pathways that are quite effective, but should also include the diet, exercise and sleep (for me sleep is the foundation of success in all areas). If not, then you have at least ruled this out. I suggest that you research the set of doctor options and choose someone known for their expertise in this field. Chadd is an organization that you most likely have available locally and can help you gather a short list of choices. Importantly I suggest that this evaluation include an extensive neuropsych evaluation which can validate any diagnosis given and can also give you detailed visibility to what exactly is going on so that you can at least address your now quantified symptoms.

The outcome for me is that I can now be in control of my life much better than before and have begun to build a healthy me in the physical, emotional and spiritual sense. I am forming new healthy relationships in my life and am restoring those that I have damaged. I have lost weight and have a much better self-esteem. Bottom-line, I am enjoying participating in my life today.

Whew...

Hope this helps...

My name is whitney i'm 19 years old , and ive had hypoglycemia since an infant. I've had to be put in the hospital multiple times for low sugar level I am not a diabetic my symptoms are if I dont eat dinner or some kind of protein before bedtime I will experience nausa, my facial color will deteriorate, weak cant move, dizziness and if I wait too long my stomach wont handle for and I will regurgitate and all that protein from my body will be gone. One day this happened 2 years ago when I didnt eat very well I had thrown up 15 times in a 12 hr period I felt so bad that I laid on the bathroom floor and could not move and slept right there. I've had to have about 4 iv's at once I was so dehydrated. Now right now ive gone from 74 pounds in 9th grade to 107 now and I eat healthy and make the right choices I dont eat the junk food cuz I know I need protein. We all have to take care of our bodies and make healthy choices I hope everyone does and good luck with your health I know that I will always have this.

Thanks for reading
whitney

Had bouts of hypo as a small child so I know it's not in my head, no matter what the endocrinologist said. My older sister has symptoms as does my dad. Neither has the severity of symptoms that I have.

I am 38 and have had plenty of time to try to deal with the problem. Most of my life I have spent eating and drinking what I like and dealing with the consequences. A few weeks ago I gave up alcohol, last week I gave up caffeine and started watching my carb intake.

Today I shared your depression.

The only thing that works for me is to get exercise. Most important for me is to lift weights. It is amazing what it does to lift my spirits and it also makes it easier for me to avoid the things I shouldn't eat or drink.

Obviously what works for me may not work for you, but it won't hurt to try.