Sugar Crash

I’ve been feeling tired most of the time. It’s a serious issue because it’s starting to prevent me from getting things done. Often I just sit on the incliner, too lazy to move. Even though I have been working out regularly for quite some time now, I’m still at a low energy state. I’m starting to suspect that all the sweets I have for snacks are the culprit.

So what is sugar crash?

When we take in large amounts of carbohydrates, they are broken down to glucose, causing the level of glucose in the blood increase. When this happens, our bodies release the hormone insulin to remove glucose from the blood. If the carbohydrates are simple sugars that can be broken down easily, the blood glucose level would shoot up the roof quickly (“sugar high”). In response, the body releases a lot of insulin at once. This may actually cause the glucose level to drop below the usual fasting level, and the body feels tired when there is not enough glucose in the blood. This is the phenomenon known as “sugar crash.”

Knowing the process of blood sugar regulation can help you plan a healthy diet. Empty-kcalorie foods that contain a lot of added sugar deliver glucose but usually have few other nutrients. Complex carbohydrates like fibers will give us a sense of fullness by absorbing water and delay hunger.

Hopefully, by choosing my carbohyrates wisely, I can finally get out of my slump. But…what do I do with all the chocolate cookies I just bought?

References:
Whitney, E. and Rolfes, S.R. (2005) Understanding Nutrition (10th ed.) Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth.
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