The interconnectedness of all things

This week begins one month since the office has begun helping people regain their health using a Stelo continuous glucose monitor and it has been a fascinating journey, for sure.

In looking at the ads that course through social media feeds, we find that each digital creator usually has something that they swear will change your health. Some focus on thyroid health, exercise, every kind of weight loss idea/pill/ shot, diet, sleep aid that focuses on that one BIG thing that is plaguing our current complaint with our health. Cortisol is a huge catchword, and people are buying supplements and drinking drinks to take care of their symptoms of "cortisol". I could write for hours on this topic alone. Desperate people buy "things" to help combat symptoms. I will tell you this, symptoms are very rarely only about one thing that is troubling, it is a cascade of things that contribute to not feeling well, but we chose to pay attention to the symptoms that scream the loudest and often believe that one supplement, one food, one way of eating, one "thing" will make life better. This is usually not the correct answer, but that "thing" gives us hope and we give it a whirl.

Today I will tell you about what we have uncovered while using a continuous glucose monitor (Stelo). One of the patterns of note is either not eating in the morning, or grabbing something easy. Lunch is pretty light and may have some grab-and-go foods, but is sometimes light on protein and heavy on carbs and people find a slump where they are tired and even exhausted an hour or two after lunch. Dinner may be more substantial, but an hour or two after dinner, people find themselves hungry. Perhaps the body senses that there has not been enough to eat during the day. Maybe the body has burned the blood sugar and it is becoming a little low. Often people have collapsed in a chair and maybe even fallen asleep after dinner but then are on the prowl in the kitchen looking for more food and usually find something quick that will satisfy a feeling of hunger.

Then it is morning again and many find it hard to wake up, or don't feel rested and the day (and cycle) begins again.

There are a few things at play here. There is not enough nutrition happening during the earlier part of the day, so food intake happens later in the evening/night. Blood sugar raises and the body works to digest food eaten later. Gastric reflux can happen as laying down can cause contents of the stomach, especially from foods with higher sugar content to ride up in the esophagus. Increased snoring can occur with occasional sleep apnea which makes the body more insulin resistant and causes higher blood sugars. This causes stress and may make cortisol levels increase. There may be wakeful times during the night because the high blood sugar is now decreasing and may actually wake us up to move so that the body releases some glucose from muscles so that we don't struggle with the rebound low-levels of glucose.

Here is an example of eating pretty balanced through the day with no sugar spikes, but higher glucose foods later in the evening, probably around 6:30-7 pm and blood sugar when going to bed at 9:30 was elevated

The blood sugar remained high though the night, not above range, but in the higher range and this person woke feeling groggy, lethargic, not wanting to get up and get going and the day did not improve from there. If this person were to have a fasting blood sugar drawn at this time, they would need more testing because this value would qualify them as diabetic. They are insulin resistant, but this has to do with food and they require a change in how they manage their "fuel", not a medication (with poor side effects) to reduce their blood sugar.

Here is another example of inefficient "fuel management" with issues with the body burning fuel quickly and the need for more food and protein, fiber, and fat to sustain this person through the day. Complaints were headaches, irritability, edginess, brain fog during the day, but we often think it is "something else".

Eating around 6-6:30 improved the blood sugars coming into evening

Balancing the blood sugar and getting enough fuel on board is key to feeling well and sleeping well. There are many reasons why we don't sleep well at night, but when we wake up at 3 and move around trying to get back to sleep, could it be that our blood sugar takes a dive and our body feels the need to move because the blood sugar gets too low? Yes, that could be a piece of the puzzle. Waking up with a headache, feeling tired and maybe even having nausea can cause a sleep cycle that doesn't help us to feel well.

Every person is different, every person uses foods differently. People can eat exactly the same foods and one of them can be thin and the other overweight, but that doesn't mean that blood sugars are not the cause of symptoms besides weight. The result of how blood sugar is processed is different. Weight cannot be a indicator that people are well, in fact, some of the people with normal weights using the CGM in the office have some of the worst glucose outcomes which present, not as weight gain, but pain in muscles and joints, sleep and energy issues, digestive issues, headaches, and the list goes on. Many of these people do not identify as diabetic or pre-diabetic, because a fasting blood sugar or HgbA1c number is normal once or twice a year, but if you are not feeling well, this may be a missing piece of your wellness puzzle. Using a continuous glucose monitor can help find patterns and useful information. It could be a gamechanger for many especially with provider support for success.