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    Navigate: FAQ Home Page > Nutrition > Hypoglycemia
    Posted on: 09/08/2005

    Question

    I feel tired about one hour after meal and even more if I eat complex carbohydrates or simple carbohydrates. But at the moment I eat, I feel so energetic -- way more than when I eat proteins or other things. After like two hours after meal, I feel tired. Sometimes I feel like crying without any reason and I 'm like more fearful and stressed. I feel like I'm not here anymore in a way that I'm like less aware of what is happening. But it doesn't happen all days. Could it be hypoglycemia?

    Answer

    I divide "hypoglycemia" into two categories to help people understand it. "True hypoglycemia" is when you have the symptoms of low blood sugar and when tested, your blood sugar is significantly below normal. This is uncommon in people who do not have diabetes or another reason to cause their blood sugar to drop since actually very low blood sugar is incompatible with life.

    "Relative hypoglycemia" in my experience is very common. In this condition, a person might still have "normal" blood sugar levels if we test it but they can still have symptoms. I believe that these people are just more "sensitive" to changes in their blood sugars (even though these changes still keep them in the normal range). This sounds like what is happening in your case. Carbohydrates are quickly broken down into sugar in your body. If you eat proteins or foods with more fat content, it needs to slow down the breakdown of the carbohydrates or absorption of the sugar. Your body has ways to process the sugars/carbohydrates but it could be that when you eat carbohydrates, it is being broken down too fast for your body to keep your blood sugars steady and that's why you might feel a rush of energy. However, then your body works really hard to catch up and might overcompensate and then your blood sugar might drop a little (but still be in the normal range). The best solution is to modify your diet a little and eat a combination of protein, fat and carbohydrates at once.


    Answered By:
    Irene Lin , M.D.


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