Everyone's Health

Post-meal meltdown?

Lately, I have been noticing that soon after eating anything that is somewhat sweet or starchy, I become very groggy and feel the urge to doze off. The drowsiness is often so bad that I have to fight to stay awake. When I am out, such as walking around the streets of the city, I can fight it, but I get nervous and shaky. Someone suggested that I may have reactive hypoglycemia, but I thought those theories were discounted decades ago.

Sugars and other carbohydrates are energy sources, but they can also be associated with drowsiness and even with the shakiness. One possible explanation relates to the way sugar affects the body and the brain, coupled with inadvertent miscues we give the body through the way we eat.

Glucose is the main sugar used by the body. The body is set up to maintain its blood-glucose level within narrow limits, and this keeps the metabolism on an even keel. All the digestible carbohydrates we eat are broken down to simpler sugars, and most end up as glucose in the blood. As glucose from a meal enters the body, the blood-glucose level rises. A rising glucose level is read by the body as an “I am fed” signal.

At this point, insulin gets released by the pancreas; this is the hormone that allows sugar to enter the cells, where it provides energy to perform work, build new tissue or create needed substances.

One potential connection with drowsiness is the fact that a release of insulin helps produce relaxation-inducing chemicals in the brain. (This is why we have the urge to veg out after a big meal.)

But if the insulin is unable to carry out its assignment and the glucose is unable to enter the cells, mental confusion and lethargy can result. The symptoms are similar, but they have vastly different causes.

Rreactive hypoglycemia. Although not as common as was once thought, this condition can develop in some individuals. Reactive hypoglycemia occurs when the body releases too much insulin for a given amount of glucose in the bloodstream.

If the blood glucose continues to drop below an acceptable level, a defense mechanism is triggered to bolster the sagging glucose level. One of the hormones involved in this process is adrenaline, the body's “fight or flight” hormone. Aside from helping provide a small amount of glucose, adrenaline also revs up the body's muscles and gets them ready for action.

Under the influence of adrenaline, you can feel your heart pounding in your chest as it pushes blood into the working muscles to prepare them for action. It is not a pleasant sensation, and the nervousness and shakes you report may be connected to this phenomenon.

One other possibility is that you might be in the throes of adult-onset diabetes, a condition that has a genetic component and is aggravated by excess weight and poor dietary habits.

I have outlined some basic issues, but one certainty is that you need to contact a medical doctor to find out what is going on. There are tests that can determine what is happening, and it is in your interest to find out as soon as possible.

Stay off the sweet stuff – especially on an empty stomach.

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