Disclaimer

This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider with any questions regarding a medical condition.

What is blood sugar regulation and why is it important.

Blood sugar regulation is the art of keeping the levels of sugar in the blood as stable as possible.

Sugar in the blood also known as glucose, the main fuel for your brain, needs to stay balanced within a narrow range. In fact, too little blood sugar and you may get low energy, but also too much sugar is not good for you because it damages the blood vessels. Therefore it is important to support our body to keep this levels stable so that you can have stable energy throughout the day, better mood, and improved overall health.

With modern lifestyle come challenges to this balance. Stress, high sugar and low fibre foods, and lack of water are only a few factors that put pressure on this delicate balance.

The three heroes of blood sugar regulation: bowels, pancreas, and adrenals.

Have a look a the following graph

This is a representation of normal oscillations of blood sugar after eating a general whole food balanced meal. The sugar from the food is slowly absorbed, slowly increases in the blood and then, gracefully, your pancreas does a wonderful job at bringing it back down to baseline.

Now look what happens if we eat a meal with processed food, low fibre, or sugar.

First, what happens is that the bowel cannot defend the blood from incoming sugar because there is no fibre that slows down the release.

Then, the blood sugar spikes above normal range and therefore the pancreas starts having a hard time. It deploys all its guys (aka insulin) to reduce blood sugar. Remember? Too much blood sugar is dangerous. Though, too much insulin guys overdo their job, and eventually the blood sugar falls too low below normal range.

At this point two other very important glands of your body, also known as adrenals, kick into panic mode. Adrenals are the last resort for blood sugar regulation. Too low blood sugar? Red code emergency! Here you go with some stress hormones because they increase the glucose in the blood. This is how stress derives in many cases from diet.

If we go through the second situation more often than the first situation because of diet, psychology, or lifestyle, we say that the blood sugar is imbalanced.

What influences blood sugar regulation

We have already seen a few factors that send blood sugar regulation out of balance. However, the following is a more complete list:

Possible symptoms of imbalanced blood sugar

Imbalanced blood sugar can trigger a wide variety of symptoms. Here are the most common:

• fatigue

• irritability

• anxiety

• nightmares

• lack of sex drive

• cold extremities

• excessive sweating

• weight gain

• unable to lose weight

• depression

• hyperactivity

• premenstrual syndrome

• poor concentration

• headaches

• breathlessness

• cravings

• asthma

• allergies

• nausea

Strategies to balance your blood sugar levels

Finally, let’s have a look at how you can improve your blood sugar regulation

1. Hydration

The liver is considered the main blood glucose regulation organ of the human body. Though, it cannot function at its full potential without proper hydration. Drinking enough water and in the right way supports your liver and also makes every chemical process of your body run more smoothly, for example by increasing insulin-sensitivity at the cellular receptors.

For more information check

axismundi.life/water

2. Protein

Include (balanced) protein at every meal (axismundi.life/protein)

Protein allows the sugar to be released in the blood more slowly, therefore keeping the blood sugar oscillations within normal range.

3. Decrease stress

Stress is a major factor disrupting blood sugar regulation for two main reasons. First it is dehydrating to the body, and you have seen that hydration is key for this balance. Second, it triggers the adrenal glands to release blood sugar. That’s why it is addictive. Too much or constant stress can trigger a vicious cycle: a back and forth activation of adrenals and pancreas because blood sugar oscillate too much outside the normal range.

4. Eat Whole foods

Whole foods are packed with fibre and other nutrients that are there to process the sugar in the food. When whole food becomes processed, these nutrients are lost and the sugar is released too fast in the blood, plus the body will use stored nutrients from before to process the sugar, entering the so-called nutrient debt.

What is a whole food? Simple. Ask yourself the question “Can I find this in Nature as it is?” If the answer is yes then it is whole. For example, a broccoli, some rice, seeds, walnuts, an apple. On the other hand, you cannot find a bag of white flour, or a snack bar, or a pre-made meal in Nature, because it was processed before.

5. Meal order

Eating vegetables and protein first during a meal, and then carbohydrates, helps to slows down the absorption of sugar and maintain the balance of blood sugar regulation.

6. Minimise and remove caffeine

Caffeine has an undesirable effect on blood sugar because it acts as a stressor to the body. In fact, it activates the adrenal glands, AND it dehydrates. Therefore, to maintain your blood glucose as stable as possible aim to decrease your coffee consumption, doing this week by week to avoid withdrawal symptoms.

7. Improve gut health

Eat fermented foods and prebiotic foods to support the microbiome because this is involved in glucose regulation [source].

Wondering what fermented foods and prebiotic foods are?

Check out axismundi.life/microbiome

8. Prioritise sleep

Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep every night. Low sleep quality is associated with poor blood sugar regulation [source]

9. Move after meals

Plan a short walk of 10-15 minutes after meals. This can significantly balance blood sugar post-eating. [source]

10. Limit liquid calories

Sugary drinks like sodas, fruit juices, cause a sharp rise in blood sugar that sends the blood glucose out of balance. It is best to limit their consumption to keep the blood sugar stable.

Marco Caspani

Last update: 14/05/2025

Note that these are general guidelines. For a personalised approach that suits your constitution and lifestyle: