Three feelings dominate society today: anxiety, fatigue, and brain fog. While there can be many things that contribute to these feelings, there is likely a common denominator – sugar. Not just sugar, but how sugar responds in your body.
Your brain requires a lot of fuel – glucose – but it doesn’t store much, and it does not require refined sugar to obtain it. That fuel comes from your diet and from internal storage locations, but it needs to be released in a stable way. When you eat or drink something sugary, it hits the blood stream and causes a surge in insulin. That can also trigger adrenaline and cortisol – both parts of the fight or flight mechanism. That results in a blood sugar crash, which then can result in anxiety, brain fog, and mid-morning or mid-afternoon energy drain from the brain and your body. Adrenaline and cortisol are released to push glucose back up. Adrenaline doesn’t feel calm. It feels like anxiety, racing heart, trembling, irritability, or even panic. Cortisol adds a wired-but-tired sensation. You may feel restless yet exhausted at the same time, and at night it can interrupt your sleep.
Luckily, there are ways to manage that: First and foremost, the less sugar you consume, the easier it is to prevent these surges and crashes. However, if you are glucose sensitive, even “normal” carbohydrates can spike these hormones (which, by the way, are also stress hormones). Reducing sugar is foundational, but stabilizing how quickly glucose enters the bloodstream is equally important. How do we do that? Fiber, protein and fat. When these nutrients are combined at each meal, they slow gastric emptying and moderate insulin release, helping maintain steadier glucose levels for several hours rather than minutes. Slowing the rate at which sugar enters the blood stream is key to preventing those hormonal surges.
For instance, most agree oatmeal is good for you. But it is mostly carbohydrate and fiber. If you add sugar, honey or fruit, you add to the sugar (carbohydrate) load. If, instead, you add some butter and some nuts, you’ve now increased the 3 stabilizing nutrients, slowing the surge into the bloodstream and stabilizing your energy, anxiety and brain fog.
Acupuncture can also help. By regulating autonomic nervous system tone, it reduces the exaggerated adrenaline and cortisol responses that accompany blood sugar dips. It also helps regulate the pancreas and liver to stabilize blood sugar. In addition, acupuncture helps stabilize moods, improves efficiency of the blood sugar mechanism and straightens out sleep. Patients often report fewer crashes, steadier mood, clearer thinking and sounder sleep as their system recalibrates.
If you experience anxiety, fatigue, or brain fog—especially if it improves after eating—consider looking at blood sugar stability as a root contributor. When we smooth the spikes and soften the crashes, the mind often becomes calmer, energy steadier, and thinking sharper.
Want to hear more from Dr. Carling? Check out our podcast. Search for VitalHealth4You on your favorite podcast listening app or go to vitalhealthcda.com/podcasts/
Learn more about our approach to blood sugar and diabetes here.
Learn more about our approach to brain fog, memory and focus here.
