Anxiety and Carbohydrate Consumption

[mtatum4496]

This may seem a little off the wall, but does anyone experience a slight decrease in anxiety levels after consuming carbohydrates? Not necessarily anything that lasts for more than thirty minutes to an hour, but some slight drop in your symptoms?

[Lilith1980]

I've cant say I've ever experienced this but I think that looking after yourself and eating a good balanced diet certainly helps reduce anxiety levels.

I know that when I put in the effort to eat plenty and vegetables and healthy meals, I feel better inside.

Jo xxxxx

[Cathy V]

Mt, funnily enough ive just logged onto your thread 10mins after reading some of the 'member's personal stories'. Don't know if you've ever read any of them (scroll down to this section from the main menu on left).

One in particular, called Helen's Story is all about her struggle over 17 years with severe anx/pa's agoraphobia/claustrophobia...the lot. She'd also struggled with her weight and had seen numerous doctors who all offered her meds which she declined for many years, and was on the brink of despair, when she went to see one last 'specialist' who told her her problems seemed to be Hypoglycemia. She was very sceptical after all the years of anx that it could simply be food connected, but she decided to try the advice and changed some of the food she ate and she says within 48 hours her panic, which was almost constant by then, had disappeared.

She goes on to explain the connection with blood insulin levels, something that interested me since i discovered that Propranolol raises blood insulin and i asked to be taken off it as my weight had also increased dramatically on it.

My answer to your question would be that i think theres a good chance that there is a connection between blood glucose levels and anxiety, and you're not the first member to suggest this, so other people have thoughts about it too. Its just trying to get the docs to acknowlege that at least for some people (obviously not all) there is this connection, instead of throwing drugs at us to paper the cracks.

Its worth a read of Helen's story anyway.
Regards
Cathy :)

[mtatum4496]

Thank you, Cathy. I am currently watching my carbohydrate intake, as I am in a pre-diabetic state. My anxiety/panic/agoraphobia predate the discovery of this situation. But then, my current doctor has told me that anxiety can sometimes impact the way the body handles glucose, so it may be that I have been been watching my carbs a little too closely and thus unknowingly making a bad situation worse. Thank you for referring me to Helen's story.