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Reactive hypoglycemia is a condition that sometimes occurs with diabetes. And though we aren’t completely sure why, diabetes is also quite common among people who have fibromyalgia. That indirectly puts people with fibromyalgia at a higher risk of suffering from episodes of reactive hypoglycemia.
So what exactly is this condition? What causes it? And what can you do to treat it?
What Is Reactive Hypoglycemia?
Reactive hypoglycemia is a term that describes a “hypoglycemic” period after eating. Essentially, the levels of glucose in the blood drop to dangerous levels after a meal, which produces a host of unpleasant symptoms.
The symptoms of a hypoglycemic episode include anxiety, blurred vision, confusion, dizziness, fatigue, headaches, heart palpitations, and light-headedness.
In cases of reactive hypoglycemia, these symptoms usually appear around four hours after eating and recur frequently, which can make finding a way to manage a diet that doesn’t leave you going into sudden dizzy spells difficult.
For this reason, many people with this condition need to be careful about when they eat. For instance, they should wait for a few hours before driving a car, as their symptoms can impair their ability to operate a vehicle.
What Causes It?
The basic mechanism behind this condition is a sudden drop in blood sugar as your body attempts to process the food you eat. Your body breaks down much of what you eat into something called glucose. And it does this by producing a substance called insulin in your pancreas that then helps process food into glucose.
But sometimes, your pancreas can produce too much insulin. As a result, after your body has processed all the glucose the insulin continues to flow into your bloodstream. It then binds to the glucose, breaking it down and reducing the amount of glucose in your blood. This is what causes the drop in blood sugar, which is primarily glucose.
Nailing down what causes this extra production of insulin is a bit trickier. We do know that this condition is common among people with diabetes. Diabetes is a condition where your body loses the ability to absorb insulin, which leaves your pancreas producing more insulin to compensate. Although, in many cases of diabetes, the pancreas eventually loses the ability to produce insulin completely. So that may not be the best answer to the question of what causes reactive hypoglycemia in the long term. It may be that the condition strikes the same sort of people rather than being directly caused by diabetes.
Other possibilities are tumors growing on the pancreas, which stimulate insulin production, or a break-down in the natural chemicals your body produces to regulate insulin production. At the moment, the exact cause isn’t established conclusively. And there is no conclusive way to cure the condition.
But there are still things you can do to manage it.
How Can You Treat It?
Doctors advise most patients who suffer from this condition to monitor their diet carefully. There are certain types of foods that break down more readily into glucose, and these foods are more likely to trigger an episode.
Avoid foods heavy in carbohydrates like bread, pasta, and soda. Instead, focus on eating a balanced diet full of protein and vitamins.
In addition, when eating it’s important not to overdo it. A heavy meal is more likely to tax your body’s ability to process your food on its own and is thus more likely to trigger a hypoglycemic episode. Instead, space your meals out so that you’re eating more frequent, smaller meals.
Finally, make sure that when you do eat, you give yourself time to make sure that your body isn’t going into hypoglycemia. This reduces the risk of finding yourself light-headed at an important time like when you’re driving.
In addition to diet, exercise is an important part of managing the condition. Make sure to exercise regularly. This extra activity helps your body naturally manage its insulin production and avoid dips in blood sugar. Doctors recommend getting at least thirty minutes of exercise a day, five days a week.
This can be difficult if you’re suffering from a condition that causes nerve pain, like fibromyalgia or diabetes. And in the case of fibromyalgia, too much exertion can trigger painful flare ups, where your symptoms get worse. It’s best to take it easy at first while your body adjusts. Start with easy walks and if you’re able to manage that, you can elevate your activity levels to light jogging or weight lifting.
The important thing is to be proactive about managing the condition so that you can reduce the severity of your symptoms.
So, do you suffer from hypoglycemia after eating? How do you manage it? Let us know in the comments.
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