View Full Version : Anxiety,Food, blood sugar, related ?
Hi I'm new here (first post)
Ive been depressed anxious since April this year (probably a good deal longer just didn't know) The eventual trigger was a combination of high work stress and an ankle injury that kep me working at home for 3 months solid.
I was put on CIT May to Mid Sept, it didn't help and made me feel very bad indeed. Ive been of CIT since 9/9. My problems with anxiety are the same as they ever were, although I'm not worrying about work anymore, more health . seems I just "need" something to worry about.
My question is, can this be blood sugar / food related as most evenings I feel fine after eating a fairy healthy meal, I go to be feeling "ok". I then wake up and within 2mins my anxiety is back again fpr most of the day. I have had periods of up to 3 days where I feel fine .
Can this be food / digestion / blood sugar related. ?
Anyone having similar experiences ?
Thanks
Anyone else have similar ?
Yes most people say their anxiety is worse first thing on a morning due to drop in sugar levels. I get up and get some breakfast as soon as I wake which helps a lot.
sarahblonde32
28-10-13, 12:44
Hi,
I am still convinced that my anxiety is related to something happening with my thyroid or food related. But i have had lots of tests and nothing has shown up so now i am trying to deal with the fact that it is all in my head. I am certain it is worse when i am hungry or havent eat enough and it is almost always hormone or connected to our physiological make up somehow.
sarah
Yep definately a connection. If I'm hungry I get giddy or short temperd & that evokes similar agitated feelings of panic. Very strange I also suspect gluten intolerance? I'm going to get this checked.
X
Thanks all for your comments glad I'm not on my own with this. I'm going to have some blood tests to see whatcan be found. I will let you know.
All the best
Im diabetic, and the only time it should affect you is if its very high (unlikely for a non diabetic) or very low, ie under 4. If mine goes under 4 which it often does, I feel ill and even more anxious, as well as dizzy and confused, I then take glucose tabs to bring it back up. In a non diabetic, your liver would dump glucose into your system if you became too low. You can get a quick test at a Lloyds chemist I think for blood sugars, or very quickly at the docs, you dont need a blood test for it.
Unless you are diabetic, then speaking as one myself Id find it difficult to relate your anxiety to blood sugar - the quick fix if it was is to eat regular normal meals and it wouldnt affect you.
Edit to add, when you wake up, your blood sugar would normally be around 5-7 at a guess, which is normal. What I find is, if I go to bed at night and expect to wake up anxious, then I will wake up anxious because Im expecting myself to feel that way. Eating a nice meal, or some nice food always makes people feel better, which is why eating perks you up a little bit and a reason some people comfort eat, ie it makes them feel better.
Dazza & Mazpod, blood sugar spikes & drops can absolutely be a problem for non diabetics, and it's important that people suffering with anxiety are aware of this. Some people are just more sensitive to blood sugar drops than others, and it's not uncommon to have panic or anxiety attacks related to a blood sugar drop (it's happened to me and I'm not diabetic).
Sometimes people with anxiety problems don't look after their diet either by eating a bad diet that causes blood sugar spikes & drops, or by eating very little and skipping meals. Also when we are sick and stressed we'll burn up sugars faster in our bodies. And some of us just need to eat regularly because we burn food up quickly.
Following the rules of a hypoglycemic lifestyle by eating regularly, never skipping meals and eating foods that stabilise blood sugars is a good plan for any anxiety sufferer. It's a good plan for everyone really, but it's particularly good for those who are sensitive to these things or under a lot of stress.
At the end of the day we all need to get to know our bodies and how they work, and live according to the things we learn about ourselves. I've learned that I need to eat regularly or I'll start to shake, get anxious and depressed. I've spoken to my doctor about it, but since I'm not diabetic there's no concern and I just need to be careful about how & what I eat. I've no doubt that there are other people here who are like me and would benefit from keeping an eye on when they eat & how it affects their anxiety levels.
Low blood sugars are fixed easily by eating balanced meals regularly throughout the day, and making sure you eat more foods that will burn up slowly in your system while avoiding too many of the foods that will give you a spike in sugar levels. When your sugars are low it can cause all kinds of symptoms like shaking, feeling weak or faint, panic, anxiety, low mood, paranoia, sweating, fast heart rate, racing thoughts and headache/brain fog.
For anyone dealing with anxiety regular meals & not skipping meals is a necessity.
Hi I'm new here (first post)
Ive been depressed anxious since April this year (probably a good deal longer just didn't know) The eventual trigger was a combination of high work stress and an ankle injury that kep me working at home for 3 months solid.
I was put on CIT May to Mid Sept, it didn't help and made me feel very bad indeed. Ive been of CIT since 9/9. My problems with anxiety are the same as they ever were, although I'm not worrying about work anymore, more health . seems I just "need" something to worry about.
My question is, can this be blood sugar / food related as most evenings I feel fine after eating a fairy healthy meal, I go to be feeling "ok". I then wake up and within 2mins my anxiety is back again fpr most of the day. I have had periods of up to 3 days where I feel fine .
Can this be food / digestion / blood sugar related. ?
Anyone having similar experiences ?
Thanks
Anyone else have similar ?
Have you considered the possibility of a fungal infection. Fungus depends on sugar to survive and can release all kinds of nasty stuff into your symbol if it's not getting it. And if the gut bacteria is not at high levels you may not be getting natural anti-stress B-vitamins that they naturally produce.
Hi Browncow, I've not really considered that as a possibility . (Until now of course) is this a straight forward suggestion I can go to the doc with, or is there any other way to find out if I have a fungal infection and is it easy to cure.
Thanks
Hypoglycaemia in a non diabetic is usually sorted out pretty quickly by the liver dumping glucose into the blood stream to bring your body back up to speed. Yes, if you do not eat, then blood sugars will lower and you can get some symptoms of a hypo, but its nothing compared to an insulin dependant diabetic and the effect is nowhere near as bad because the person doesn't react in the same way as an insulin dependant diabetic, ie me. Your liver will always come to your rescue and sort you out, for people like me its a different story.
Sticking to a 3 meal a day routine, with maybe the odd snack inbetween would ensure a non diabetic didn't go too low, would not have any type of hypo symptoms, and would not be anxious due to blood sugar.
I have been diabetic for 37.5 of my 38 years and Im pretty sure this person isn't suffering with the effect of blood sugar rise and falls. I am quite the expert on them after living with them for a lifetime (not an expert on anything else, just this :) )
Stress certainly can make your blood glucose levels rise, but if Mazpod is eating regular balanced meals and not skipping meals then it isn't low blood sugar. A real hypo is quite severe, and not just feeling a little shaky or anxious, its 100 times worse.
I hope I do not come across as rude here as that isn't my intention, I just know the difference between feeling anxious, and having a hypo, and Mazpod isn't showing signs of a hypo.
Yes Dazza, the hypoglycemia that you would experience as a diabetic is extremely serious and dangerous compared to us non diabetics.
The low blood sugars that I'm talking about can be called reactive hypoglycemia or sometimes simply hunger symptoms without actually feeling hungry! There's a big difference between the two, but it's still very important for the anxious person to be aware of how & what they eat.
This calm clinic article explains it far better than I can: http://www.calmclinic.com/anxiety/causes/hypoglycemia. You can see that many of the symptoms can be scary to experience (for someone who suffers with anxiety) and I've seen from my own experience how suddenly feeling weird & shaky for no apparent reason can trigger a panic attack.
I hope you see what I mean, I just wanted the OP to be aware that blood sugars & diet are important to keep an eye on. While it will never be as serious as a diabetic hypo, it's still wise to keep it in mind :)
Rennie1989
29-10-13, 19:42
I think it's best to avoid giving these things names, it makes it sound more serious then it really is and will exacerbate the anxiety. We are all aware that eating a healthy, balanced diet is of massive importance, especially if you suffer from anxiety and depresison.
We are also aware that not eating enough can trigger anxiety symptoms. Without going too clinical, which is not necessary, we've just got to remember to eat properly. Have breakfast every morning, eat enough fruit and vegetables and cut down on sugar and fat. It does not need complicating.
shakey1961
30-10-13, 09:40
I am non-diabetic and I have had some really bad blood glucose readings. The worst one ever being 1.8mmol/l! I also have had readings around 2.3, 2.8, 3.2, 3.5 etc. I do not take insulin.
You will find I have written about this extensively on here, but I've been diagnosed with Coeliac Disease and one of the symptoms of that can be Hypoglycaemia. Both conditions have been shown to be very closely related through sharing the same faulty genes!!
Try removing wheat, barley, rye, but essentially remove Gluten from your diet.
I AM CURED!!! I've not panicked in 2 years and my hypos are almost gone and when I do get one it's nowhere near as severe!
Search for my other threads and replies on here
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