• Really hungry all the time especially craving carbohydrates such as bread, sugar, juice, soda/fizzy drinks, dried fruits – just eaten a full meal but feel that you need something else to eat. Almost an insatiable hunger.

• Stress and emotions running high, mood swings, anger, patterns outside of normal behaviour
  

• Sweating. This symptom is controlled by the autonomic nervous system (the part of the central nervous system that governs the skin, among other things) is a good indication that blood sugar is out of balance.
  

• Dizziness and light-headedness. This can be a little dangerous, depending on the job you are doing.

• Lack of concentration and being able to focus – foggy thinking, tired all the time.

• Shakes and tremors. The central nervous system starts to malfunction when glucose (sugar) levels are out of balance, and the release of a chemical compound catecholamines, which stimulates the production of glucose production, may produce these symptoms until the blood sugar levels out.

• Anxiety and Heart Palpitations. When glucose (sugar) levels fall too low, the hormonal system instructs the adrenal glands to release the hormone ephinephrine (also called adrenaline), which sends a message to the liver to release glucose (sugar). This can sometimes be too much and you get a rush of adrenaline (ephinephrine) which can cause you to have an anxiety attack which may cause your heart to palpitate (pump)

• Restless nights, low blood sugar may cause a number of sleep disturbances with symptoms such as night sweats, dreams/nightmares, waking suddenly, feeling of unrest and confusion upon waking.

• Blurred vision or poor night vision may be due to a drop in blood sugar.

• Slurred speech is caused by low blood glucose to the brain – this may sound like you have had too much alcohol.

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Hypoglycaemia basically means low blood sugar. Other terms used to describe this syndrome of low blood sugar are:

1. Hyperinsulinism which refers to an overactive pancreas gland secreting excess levels of insulin.
2. Hypodrenocorticism which refers to adrenal glands which are exhausted and can therefore no longer function normally in rescuing excessively high sugar levels from crashing under the influence of excessive insulin levels.

This increasingly common phenomenon of functional or reactive hypoglycaemia was first discovered by Dr Seale Harris in 1924 when he observed that some of his patients produced too much insulin causing their blood sugar levels to drop. The single most essential fuel for the human body is sugar or glucose. The nervous system and brain are acutely sensitive to the fluctuations in blood sugar levels.

The brain functions best on a small but steady supply of glucose and reacts immediately if this basic requirement is not met. It is no wonder that so many of the symptoms of hypoglycaemia relate to the brain, mind and nervous system. Another important factor in hypoglycaemia affecting the brain is that when the blood sugar levels fall dramatically, electrolytes such as potassium and chloride are driven into the cells. This attracts extracellular fluid into the cells causing them to swell up adding further to the brain dysfunction.

What actually happens in hypoglycaemia?

Hypoglycaemia basically occurs when sugars or carbohydrates are not metabolised correctly. A normal blood sugar level response occurs when, after ingestion of unrefined good quality food, the blood sugar level rises slowly and gradually. This signals the pancreas to release a corresponding amount of insulin into the blood stream, which in turn helps to bring about a gradual return of the blood sugar level to approximately what it was before eating. This normal response is what brings stability to the body and mind in how it provides a consistent level of fuel (sugar) to the areas that need it most.

A Hypoglycaemic or low blood sugar response occurs when by the nature of the food ingested (usually refined and high glycaemic, table sugar, white bread, chocolate etc.) sugar is released very rapidly into the bloodstream causing a sharp rise or peak in sugar levels. The pancreas then overreacts and secretes an excess of insulin to counteract and correct the peak level of sugar. This excess amount of insulin overcorrects and removes sugar too rapidly from the bloodstream causing the level to crash well below what it was before eating. It almost becomes like an emergency state in the body, hence the need for a ‘quick fix’ and the resultant cravings for sweet foods. This ‘quick fix’ need not necessarily only be sweet foods, it can be anything that will stimulate the adrenal glands into action to rescue the drop in sugar levels such as coffee and tea, alcohol, smoking, the use of drugs as well as of course the craving of high glycaemic foods. It is this crash in sugar levels which causes some or all of the wide range of hypoglycaemic symptoms listed below.

Symptom of Hypoglycaemia

• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Depression
  Anxiety
• Panic attacks
• Nervousness
  Restlessness
• Irritability
• Hyperactivity
  Mood swings
• Poor concentration
• Poor memory
• Difficulty making decisions
• Dizziness
• Convulsions/Seizures
  Nervous exhaustion
• Nervous stomach
• Constant worrying
  Drowsiness
• Allergies
• Hay fever
• Tingling
• Tremors
  Insomnia
• Low libido
• Noise sensitivity
  Antisocial behavior
• Intense hunger
• Excessive sweating
  Blurred vision
• Palpitations
• Nightmares
• Difficulty coping with the unexplained
• Sighing/Yawning
  Normal stresses
• Fears/insecurities
• Gasping for breath

You will note these symptoms seem all too familiar but can also be associated with other illness, so how do you know you have this particular problem ?

Unfortunately most people will go to their Doctor with any or all of these symptoms – he will probably diagnose diabetes and in one fail swoop you are now considered a diabetic with all the trimmings, health insurance hits the roof, drivers licence is under threat and possibly your career may take a sideways swipe.

I have worked with many people with all of the above symptoms – they are not always in the hypoglycaemic state but change in diet and sometimes looking at stress if appropriate, will get rid of all of the symptoms listed and avoid the onslaught of drugs, tests and hospital visits. (see associated article on diabetes). I have also worked with people whose blood sugars have hit the roof and within less than 30 days working purely with diet, these have returned to normal. Of course maintaining this still has to be worked at because of the problems associated with excess sugar in the blood (see article on diabetes).

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