Hypoglycemia and insulin resistance occur together frequently. Patients with diabetes who have insulin resistance can have low blood sugar levels. When cells do not respond properly to insulin, the body reacts by creating more insulin. The overproduction of insulin causes blood sugar levels to drop too low. High levels of insulin can cause serious health consequences. According to Ei-Resource.org, anytime a hormone in our body is chronically raised, the cells that react to it become less and less sensitive to it.
Our bodies were not meant to deal with a constant flow of simple sugars. Simple sugars require little or no digestion, and therefore are absorbed into the bloodstream quickly. This requires a rapid insulin response. Eventually it results in hypoglycemia and insulin resistance. This insulin resistance leads to type-2 diabetes if simple sugars are consumed on a regular basis. This is why one should avoid eating refined carbohydrates and simple sugars as much as possible.
Avoiding Insulin Resistance and Hypoglycemia
A glycemic index (GI) is a good tool to use to avoid hypoglycemia and insulin resistance. You can look at this index to see how fast certain foods are released into the bloodstream. By limiting your intake of foods with a high GI, you can maintain constant blood sugar levels and prevent hypoglycemia and insulin resistance.
Stress plays a major role in hypoglycemia and insulin resistance. This is because stress increases the production of adrenal hormones. These hormones increase insulin resistance. When someone is under chronic stress, cortisol levels are constantly elevated. When cortisol is too high it shuts down functions such as insulin production. In addition, prolonged stress lowers your metabolic rate. This causes you to feel tired, gain weight, and crave sugary food. This, of course, contributes to hypoglycemia and insulin resistance.
Aside from a healthy diet, exercise is the best way to avoid problems with hypoglycemia and insulin resistance. It has even been known to reverse insulin resistance. Regular exercise helps you to reduce fat and gain muscle, balance blood sugar levels, and reduce insulin levels. Exercise helps to fix insulin resistance because getting the circulation going allows the insulin to do its job of delivering glucose to the cells.
Exercise also helps you to increase muscle mass. This is good for hypoglycemia and insulin resistance because muscles can store glucose. Therefore, the more muscle you have the more glucose can be stored. This keeps the overproduction of insulin to a minimum. Just don’t overdo it, check with your doctor to see what types of exercise are good for you.
