How Are Blood Sugar And Adrenal Function Interconnected?

How is Blood Sugar and Adrenal Function Interconnected?

Do you wonder how we get through the night without eating for 8 to 10 hours? Our brain uses sugar throughout the night and if we don’t have enough, the liver releases sugars in order to give our brain the energy it needs. Once awake, our brain lets out chemical messages to make cortisol in order to give us energy. If we don’t eat, it can send our body on an energy roller coaster.

The Importance of Cortisol

Cortisol is the stress hormone that assists us in getting through the day. There is a rise in our stress hormones when we are hungry, and this is what assists us in waking from sleep. Eating right when you wake up is important, otherwise cortisol will stay at this increased level, until you eat. Further, hypoglycemic diets increase blood sugar quickly and will help us maintain our energy levels for the next few hours until they start dropping. If we don’t eat or have a snack, our brain will need more fuel and will send a message to the adrenal gland to produce more cortisol.  This can cause stress in the body for no reason, just because you are hungry and need to eat.

In addition, cortisol shuts down the creative part of our brain so that we are able to continue working without having that mid-day “crash”. Once in awhile this can be okay, but this chronic stress can wreak havoc on our daily lives. Eating nutritious food can assist our body in reducing the roller coaster effect that cortisol has on our body.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call the office at (608) 276-7635.

Here’s To A Better Life,

Dr. Steve Puckette