A few things to know about restoring blood sugar balance
There are so many different opinions about blood sugar and dietary sugar, especially when it comes to cancer. Of course, we do not want blood sugar levels to be chronically low or chronically high, both are signs of underlying imbalance.
But the truth is, our bodies are designed to process glucose, the simplest form of sugar. Every cell in the body uses glucose to make energy, and some cells are entirely dependent on it. Red blood cells, parts of the brain, and the kidneys absolutely require glucose to function.
When we don’t eat enough dietary carbohydrates, the body still has to meet its energy needs. To do that, it converts proteins from our muscles and organs into glucose through a process called gluconeogenesis. While this keeps blood sugar from dropping too low, it comes at a cost, it’s metabolically stressful, increases cortisol, and places additional strain on the body.
Over time, relying on stress hormones and muscle breakdown to maintain blood sugar can worsen fatigue, anxiety, hormonal disruption, and contribute to many chronic conditions.
Today, in the U.S., about 1 in 3 adults has prediabetes, and the majority don’t know it. Even more people experience daily blood sugar swings, crashes, spikes, anxiety, fatigue, irritability, without ever crossing the diagnostic threshold for diabetes.
This has less to do with “willpower” or sugar intake alone, and more to do with chronic stress, metabolic suppression, nutrient depletion, poor liver function, and modern eating patterns that keep the body in a constant state of instability.
Blood sugar regulation is not simply a reflection of what you eat—it reflects how well the body can store, release, and use energy under stress.
Blood sugar ≠ dietary sugar intake.
Here are a few things to know:
Common symptoms of low blood sugar include:
- Anxiety or sudden nervousness
- Irritability or feeling “on edge”
- Shakiness or tremors
- Heart palpitations
- Lightheadedness or dizziness
- Headaches
- Fatigue or sudden energy crashes
- Brain fog or difficulty concentrating
- Feeling weak or faint
- Cold hands and feet
- Sweating, especially at night
- Waking up between 2–4 a.m.
- Intense hunger or sugar cravings
- Nausea
- Mood swings
- Feeling worse when meals are delayed
- Improved symptoms shortly after eating
In more chronic cases, low blood sugar can also contribute to:
- Sleep disturbances
- Poor stress tolerance
- Hormonal imbalances like low progesterone
- Elevated cortisol and adrenaline
- Muscle loss over time
- Low thyroid function
Many people don’t realize these symptoms are blood sugar–related because they don’t feel like “classic” hypoglycemia, especially if labs are still within normal ranges.
1) Blood sugar “spikes” are not inherently bad.
Blood sugar naturally rises after eating, that’s normal physiology. A rise in glucose is what allows cells to produce energy.
The problem isn’t spikes themselves, but poor recovery:
- Blood sugar that rises too high
- Or stays elevated too long
- Or crashes sharply afterward
A healthy metabolism can handle carbohydrates and bring blood sugar back down smoothly. Demonizing any rise in glucose ignores the real issue: whether the body can use and clear glucose effectively.
2) Lowering dietary carbohydrates is not healing the root cause.
Low-carb and ketogenic diets often improve blood sugar numbers on a lab test, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the underlying problem is fixed. The body is still unable to effectively process glucose, which again is essential for metabolic health.
Carbohydrates raise blood sugar because they’re supposed to. Removing them reduces glucose input, but it can also:
- Increase stress hormones
- Reduce thyroid output
- Lower metabolic rate
- Increase reliance on fat and adrenaline for energy
Many people feel better initially, then worse over time: cold, fatigued, anxious, hormonally dysregulated. Blood sugar control achieved by restriction and stress is not the same as blood sugar control achieved by metabolic health.
3) Blood sugar is strongly influenced by fat.
Elevated circulating fats (especially free fatty acids) interfere with glucose uptake by cells. When fat availability is high, cells preferentially burn fat and become less responsive to glucose, causing glucose to remain in the bloodstream longer.
This is why high-fat diets can sometimes worsen insulin resistance. Even when dietary carbohydrates are eliminated, the body still has to produce glucose internally through gluconeogenesis to supply tissues that depend on it for energy. When there is excess fat circulating in the blood, cells become less able to take up and use this glucose. In response, the body increases glucose production through stress hormones, which can further elevate blood sugar
Because of this, lowering dietary fat intake, especially polyunsaturated fats, can be a helpful strategy for restoring blood sugar balance.
4) Stress hormones are powerful blood sugar regulators.
Cortisol and adrenaline are designed to raise blood sugar during short-term stress so the body has immediate fuel. They do this by increasing glucose release from the liver and limiting how much glucose enters cells.
When these hormones stay elevated, they:
- Raise blood sugar even without eating
- Reduce glucose uptake into muscle and fat cells
- Break down muscle tissue to create emergency energy
- Increase insulin resistance over time
Chronic psychological stress, under-eating, excessive exercise, poor sleep, and unresolved emotional stress all activate these same pathways. In this state, blood sugar instability is often a stress response rather than a problem with carbohydrate intake. Many people labeled as having “blood sugar issues” are actually running on chronic stress physiology. In fact, 1 in 4 diabetics have hypercortisolism.
5) Poor liver function is an extremely common cause of blood sugar imbalance.
The liver acts as the body’s glucose buffer. It stores sugar when it’s available and releases it steadily between meals and during stress, keeping blood sugar stable without relying on emergency hormones.
When liver glycogen is depleted—often from fasting, low-carb diets, toxin overload, chronic stress, or inadequate nutrition—the body loses this buffer.
Instead of smooth glucose release, it turns to stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline to keep blood sugar from dropping. This creates instability: spikes, crashes, nighttime waking, anxiety, and fatigue.
In many cases, improving liver energy and glycogen stores does more for blood sugar stability than changing carbohydrates alone. Supporting the liver is often the missing piece.
6) Glucose metabolism depends on nutrient status.
The body’s ability to handle blood sugar depends on having the right vitamins and minerals available. Glucose isn’t automatically turned into energy just because it’s present in the blood, it has to move through multiple nutrient-dependent steps to be used by the cell. When key nutrients are missing, glucose can’t be efficiently processed, even if insulin levels are normal. In fact:
- 70–90% of type 2 diabetics are deficient in thiamine
- 48% are deficient in magnesium
- 80% are deficient in vitamin D
- 30% are potassium deficient
Ensuring adequate nutrient status is essential for balancing blood sugar and restoring the body’s ability to use glucose.
A few practical strategies for balancing blood sugar:
- Eat carbohydrates with a balanced meal. Include protein and fiber to slow glucose absorption.
- Ensure adequate mineral intake, especially potassium, which helps move glucose into cells without relying heavily on insulin.
- Walk for 10 minutes after meals.
- Eat a snack with protein and carbohydrates before bed. This helps maintain liver glycogen throughout the night and prevents stress-hormone–driven drops in blood sugar.
- Avoid polyunsaturated fats which disrupt glucose metabolism and impair efficient energy production.
- Eat regular meals throughout the day. Long gaps between meals increase blood sugar instability.
- Avoid excessive caffeine on an empty stomach. This can trigger adrenaline-driven blood sugar swings.
- Support liver health. The liver plays a central role in storing and releasing glucose between meals.