Did you know that blood sugar levels can affect you even if you don’t have diabetes?

While our bodies do great work at letting us know when something is wrong, you might not always identify these red flags in time. There are a lot of people who don’t realise they have unstable blood sugar levels. Believe it or not, the signs might just go under the radar. And if you're wondering this too, you're certainly not alone.

Your blood sugar level can fluctuate throughout the day depending upon your diet and lifestyle. While people with diabetes are more familiar with maintaining their sugar level, what if you're not diabetic?

Well, whether or not you have diabetes, maintaining a healthy blood glucose level is essential for long-term fitness.

Let’s look at the 8 blood sugar imbalance symptoms that you just can’t ignore.

Blood Sugar Imbalance Symptoms

1. Increased Sugar Cravings

Craving pasta, sweets, cakes, soda, and other carbs lately? Well, you already know that blood sugar or glucose is the primary source of energy for your body. However, these sugar cravings can be a result of low blood sugar levels. Since your body isn’t getting enough glucose to function properly, your brain will tell you that you need more sugar than actually needed.

2. Moodiness

Blood sugar imbalance can often play with your mood. Do you feel irritated more often? Getting increasingly moody lately, but don’t really know why? Well, chances are your blood sugar level is either low or you have excess sugar in your body. In both situations, your glucose level is not regulated which can lead to anxiety, moodiness, irritability,  even depression.

3. Excess Belly Fat

One of the biggest blood sugar imbalance symptoms is excess belly fat. You may begin to gain more weight or struggle to lose weight.

• In case of high sugar levels, your cells will receive more glucose than they might need and your body will secrete more insulin to control the sugar level. As now your body is using up more energy than usual, you may experience increased appetite.
• If you have low blood sugar, your body is essentially deprived of its main energy source. As a result, your body will start storing sugar and fat to make up for it.

And the outcome? Increased body weight or belly fat.

4. Fatigue after Eating Carbohydrates

Foods rich in carbohydrates can often make you feel extra sleepy post-meal. The carbohydrate you take is directly broken down into sugar and energy, and the brain releases a chemical named serotonin. This chemical is the key hormone that helps with eating, sleeping, and digestion.

5. Feeling Energized after Meals

So you’ve had a hearty meal rich in carbohydrates and simple sugars and you don’t feel sleepy at all. Perhaps your body feels buzzed with energy. The possibility is, you have high blood sugar levels. You might feel hyper, thirstier, exhausted, etc., after eating carbohydrates or sugar. This can happen when your pancreas doesn’t secrete enough insulin to lower blood sugar balance, and you experience hyperglycemia.

6. Female Hormone Imbalance

You’d be surprised to know that healthy female hormones depend largely upon stable blood sugar levels. Insulin can increase the production of testosterone in the female body. This testosterone is converted into estrogen due to belly fat tissues. Consequently, too much estrogen can lead to too little progesterone. Because progesterone is a calming hormone, lack of it will cause symptoms like insomnia, anxiety, fertility issues, and more.

7. Uncontrollable Hunger

Have you heard of the trending term “Hangry”? This modern term is a combination of “Hunger” and “Angry”, and has a lot to do with low blood sugar levels affecting your brain. This is a major blood sugar imbalance symptom.

In this situation, your brain will release hormones like adrenaline to raise your sugar level and regain balance. So if you feel dizzy, irritable, or moody, remember that it is a chemical reaction triggered by your brain because of low blood glucose levels.

8. Thyroid Disease

Your blood sugar levels and thyroid are interconnected. How? Stable blood glucose levels are essential for a healthy thyroid.  A strong thyroid is necessary for balanced blood sugar. In case of high sugar levels, excess insulin secretion can affect the thyroid gland for those who have autoimmune thyroid disease.

The bottom line

A healthy body is a secret to a long, happy life. An important aspect of a healthy lifestyle is to avoid blood sugar imbalances. Begin with knowing the signs and follow up with the proper diet, exercise, and effective lifestyle changes to restore the sugar balance and avoid chronic diseases in the long term.