We’ve previously discussed overall mindset and nutrition in regard to healthy sleep. Now I would like to shift our focus to a subject that is not only extremely important for sleep, but also largely related to mood, mindset and even ADHD. Your blood sugar has an effect on much of your body - that’s a given. Yet many people are unaware of how much of an effect it also has on both mind and emotion.
Before I dig into this rather deep topic, allow me to deliver some facts. What precisely is blood sugar, and how does it affect your body?
Your body breaks down food while extracting the nutrients it needs. One of the elements your body maintains is a certain type of sugar, which your body uses to fuel itself. Different foods break down in your body in different ways. Generally speaking, the foods that break down quickly are those foods that give you short bursts of energy and then have your body fading into languor.
The opposite can be said for foods that break down slowly. If this is your primary source of energy, you can understand why the subject is imperative to overall health and sleep.
People with disorders such as diabetes and hypoglycemia are far more affected by fluctuations in blood sugar than those without the disorder. That doesn’t mean that everyone isn’t affected in some way. Not only that, but anyone can eventually become diabetic or hypoglycemic if they don’t take care of their bodies.
Let’s assume you don’t have any such disorder. You will still be amazed at how much you are affected by your blood sugar once you start to pay attention.
Here are some examples of a healthy diet and it’s affect on blood sugar levels followed by the opposite scenario.
Healthy Diet
- Nice balance of protein, fat, and complex carbs.
- Very little white flower and sugar
- Mostly water as a beverage.
This type of diet will provide you with sustained energy and very little fluctuation in mood. Because most of these foods break down slowly in your body, your blood sugar will maintain steady levels.
Again, too much of any one thing is never good. Even too much healthy food can cause your body to fall go into overdrive as it tries to digest it all. This kind of consumption can often time’s leave your body with a feeling of lethargy.
Unhealthy Diet
- Too much sugar and/or simple carbs without enough protein and fat to balance it out.
- Mostly soda and/or coffee as a beverage.
- Too much juice. Many fruit juices that claim to be healthy are actually loaded to the lip with sugar!
This sort of sugar rich diet will leave your body quickly broken down, and cause a spike in energy immediately followed by a hard crash.
Next time we’ll talk about how sugar affects mind and mood. Until then, remember, if I can get better sleep, so can you!
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