I read an article whose first line was ‘Many experts believe that most people who have anxiety disorders have hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) or are borderline hypoglycemic.’

That may sound a little vague, but the reasons behind it make a lot of sense. Glucose (simple sugar) is the food of the brain. If your blood sugar drops, the brain thinks it’s starving and sends a message to the adrenal glands to pump adrenaline into the system to get some glucose headed north quickly. And we all know what happens when the adrenaline starts flowing…anxiety levels goes straight up.

I’ve had trouble with my blood sugar for years (ever since my pregnancy with my oldest daughter). I keep snack crackers or fruit and cereal bars in my desk at work-just in case. I try to be very careful that I eat enough to keep my blood sugar in check. I’m given a very small window of warning that my blood sugar is falling before drops like a stone.

Yesterday I felt it dropping, ate something (only partially worked) and ended up drinking a coke to get myself back in line. But my anxiety was all over the place after that until I went to bed. It was not a good day at all.

I’m not sure how valid this article I read was, but after yesterday, it made a lot of sense to me. I’m not a big breakfast eater, but this morning I choked down a bowl of cheerios before work and brought extra food supplies for my desk. I figure if eating three meals and a couple of snacks a day keeps my blood sugar (and hopefully helps keep my anxiety) in line, then at least it’s something I can do.

Anyone else experience issues with low blood sugar and anxiety increases?

I totally do. I can get really extreme at times. When I am really hungry, I feel like I am going to loose my sht and have an anxiety attack. There at times when I have had one bc I my blood sugar was low. I feel better (overall) when I munch throughout the day... I do not eat breakfast.

I think the better term or one you may find more info using is insulin resistance. It is a specific form of hypoglycemia. I noticed as I have had plenty of years of the crappy symptoms to see some patterens. I had in the past before I knew things I had as panic attacks were that. I would get caught sucking on the chocolate syryp bottle to get the dizzy and faintness to fade away. It is still a form of hypoglycemia but it can cause symptoms like PTSD to flare up. You can be tested for it but the doctors have to know that when they do the blood sugar tests they are looking for insulin resistance as they do the test differently than the norm.

I never mentioned it as well, when the panic attacks got really really bad I thought I was dying all the time and took a long time to learn I wasn't and I was OK. I figured if I have this test done it is simple, done over 4 hours every 30 minutes seeing what you blood sugar does. I see sometimes my eating habits can effect how I feel panic wise, and also I am eating so much healtier but continue to gain, or wonder if my thyroid needs checking again?

But I was researching this very thing the other day. Run some searches with insulin resisitance and PTSD. I figured it cannot hurt. And considering what PTSD does to our bodies I do not see it out of the realm of possibles that it can develope. I mean we are already at a higher risk for diabetes. Though this is actually a pretty rare thing I see. But hell I have always been "lucky" LOL...

Oh and I get the hunger pains, I get hungry I turn into satan.

ETA things I have read about this seem to almost mimic a lot of our normal PTSD symptoms. So if we can find something we can control through diet it is way better than suffering, I just find having to eat so often even if small amounts really drives me nuts as I feel like a cow as it is now, but I do notice a change in how I feel. good topic.

Definitely a connection; i have it too and have been told that i have to eat something small, a healthy snack, every 3 hours or i will start getting tense. I've worked out that some of my worst panic attacks came after not eating for 5 or more hours. (And yet, i can also starve myself easily and it sometimes "feels good" to go past the hunger stage to he ghostly ethereal stage of not having eating for a few days, but then thats probly me getting into punishing myself). i'm also hypothyroid, which has also been shown to have connections to anxiety, depression and panic attacks. The body is a strange and complex thing, one condition can aggravate another, or can start up a "chain reaction" especially when you throw other things into the mix like psych medications.....i also get an allergic reaction of hives when i'm stressed and the Docs still dont know the cause of it.

But the glucose/anxiety thing is definitely connected. It helps to eliminate all sugar from your diet and eat more protein instead. Its also hereditary, and my mum who has it swears by chromium supplements. Shes been a chocoholic all her life; luckily i dont crave sweets but crave pickles and salty things instead. Try a diabetic diet, low carb high protein. Lots of nuts and seeds, an egg a day, and keep hydrated by always having a bottle of water with you. i keep emergency snacks in my bag, which is also practically a pharmacy, it like it jingles as i walk there's so many pill bottles in there i had to buy a key ring with bells on it to disguise the sound, lol.

May not know the cause, but I thought this was normal. My husband can look at my ask why am I stressed? I have for years had them just show up when stressed or upset. Funny thing is they normally show up on just my face 99% of the time... jaw line and forehead mostly. Talk about pretty. Looks like a skeeter net was used inside out haha.

Just a weird point on the blood sugar levels i have type two diabetes my blood sugar levels were always high sitting around the 12 mark going up and down from there should be under 7. Since my accident my blood sugar levels have dropped so much that i can be a little shit and not take my diabetes meds without my levels going up so much so that my diabetes specialist reckons i am doing great controling my levels (dont tell him) i check my b/levels a few times a week the more my PTSD symptoms rise my b/levels lower.

nugget,

I'd tell you doctor just to see the look on his face!!! LOL

Hi Marlene, get your doctor to check you for diabetes.
Scott

Been checked...sugar gets low, not high. But thanks for the concern. :-)