You have likely heard me talk about balancing blood sugar and how helpful this is for our hormones, thyroid and reducing overall stress on the body many times. Blood sugar balance is a key pillar for supporting your long-term hormone health. But what does it mean? That’s what we are going to dig into today!

Blood Sugar Basics

When we eat food, carbohydrates are broken down into glucose (sugar) which then enters the blood stream and causes blood sugar to rise. Glucose is the primary and preferred source of energy used to power our brains, central nervous system, muscles and organs. When the body senses a rise in blood sugar after eating, the pancreas releases a hormone called insulin. Insulin is one of the key hormones involved in managing blood sugar levels. Insulin then transports blood sugar out of the blood stream and into our cells, where it goes to be used for energy, or stored for later use. This process helps to keep blood sugar from getting too high.

So when we’re talking about balanced blood sugar – really the goal is to have a slow gradual rise in blood sugar after eating, and a slow decline in the hours after. What we don’t want is a big increase in blood sugar, which then leads to a big decrease. If balanced blood sugar were on a graph, it would look like small rolling hills. Imbalanced blood sugar would look more like a big mountain and a large drop off.

What Throws Off Our Blood Sugar

• Nutrition–lack of balance of macros, erratic meal frequency
• Stress–impact of cortisol
• Nutrient deficiencies
• Lack of sleep
• Over or under exercising
• Insulin resistance
• Whatever you want to cover!

Understanding Insulin Resistance

Insulin as a hormone gets a bad wrap, but insulin is not bad—in fact, it’s one of the key hormones involved in managing blood sugar levels. Insulin resistance, on the other hand, occurs when the cells don’t respond properly to insulin after eating, and too much sugar remains in the blood stream. The pancreas senses this and continues to pump out even more insulin to drive sugar into the cells—causing high levels of both insulin AND blood sugar over time. This also drives of androgens (male hormones like testosterone) in women. These high androgens are what makes ovulation difficult and delayed leading to irregular cycles and a further imbalance in sex hormones like estrogen and progesterone (remember, the only way we make progesterone is if we ovulate).

While women with PCOS and/or insulin resistance tend to be prone to high blood sugar, it’s easy to forget that they’re also prone to low blood sugar or blood sugar swings. Blood sugar crashes are just as harmful and disruptive to the body as high blood sugar, which is why the goal is to have a slow gradual rise in blood sugar after eating, and a slow decline in the hours after.

What are some signs of insulin resistance?

⚠️ Intense sugar and carb cravings

⚠️ Difficulty feeling full

⚠️ Feeling shaky, dizzy, or anxiety after not eating for a while

⚠️ Fatigue after meals

⚠️ Abdominal fat accumulation

⚠️ Skin tags

⚠️ Dark velvety patches in folds of skin

⚠️ High fasting insulin, blood sugar, and A1c

How To Reduce Insulin Resistance

When it comes to reducing insulin resistance, there are three main areas we want to think about:

1. Nutrition
2. Movement & Environment
3. Stress

Nutrition Strategies For Balanced Blood Sugar

Remember, if we can avoid highs and lows in blood sugar, we can reduce insulin resistance. Highs lead to lows and lows lead cortisol (stress hormone), glucose, and then insulin release.

• Incorporate 25-35 grams of protein at every meal.
• Avoid overly restricting carbohydrates — focus on consistent intake alongside protein and monitor how your body feels with different proportions. If we can get a consistent amount of carbs throughout the day, this can be really helpful for keeping blood sugar balanced and consistent.
• Increase mineral consumption like potassium and magnesium. Potassium helps to sensitive the uptake of glucose into our cells, meaning it has an insulin-like effect. Pretty cool, huh? Potassium-rich foods are also rich in glucose/carbs, so this makes sense! Nature is smart. Incorporating foods like fruit (especially citrus), coconut water, aloe vera juice, tomatoes, potatoes, butternut squash, etc., can all boost potassium.
• ️Aim for 35 grams of fiber daily (from real food versus supplements)
• Align your meal timing with your circadian rhythm, meaning eat soon after waking up and eat the majority of your food when it is light out.

Movement & Environment

Pop outside for a short walk after meals. Walking has a laundry list of health benefits, but taking a quick walk after meals is a simple strategy that can help to lower the blood sugar response to that meal and improve insulin sensitivity.

Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep per night. Sleep deprivation reduces insulin sensitivity (even just one night of poor sleep!).

Incorporate regular strength training. Strength training enhances your body’s ability to manage blood sugar and makes muscle cells more sensitive to insulin.

Optimize your circadian rhythm. Circadian rhythm misalignment from things like a wonky sleep schedule, lack of sunlight exposure, and too much blue light exposure can contribute to the progression of insulin resistance. Small habits like a consistent sleep schedule, prioritizing morning and midday sunlight, and minimizing screens at night can support circadian rhythm alignment.

Stress

I talk more about stress and how this impacts insulin resistance in this episode of the Are You Menstrual? Podcast with Jillian Greaves, RD & PCOS/Hormone Expert. We cover more on thyroid and blood sugar along with stress and its impact. 

Also, check out this podcast episode about the importance of getting light and how it can help with stress and blood sugar regulation.

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