Your body converts food into fuel, called glucose. Any glucose you don't need for energy right away gets stored in your fat cells for later use. But if you constantly supply your body with glucose by overeating, your body doesn't have a chance to use stored fat for energy. When your body uses stored fat for fuel, it's not the same as glucose, and you may experience some of the symptoms of hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar.
The Low Blood Sugar Roller Coaster
Low glucose levels can be caused by a number of factors, but needing to eat is the most common cause. Your body most easily converts sugar and simple carbohydrates to glucose, which is why you often crave sweets when you've waited too long between meals: it's your body's way of ensuring it gets the glucose it needs as soon as possible. Carbohydrates can trigger an overproduction of insulin. Extra insulin in your bloodstream signals your brain for more glucose, and results in sugar cravings.This cycle continues until eventually your pancreas can't keep up with the demand for insulin and you develop insulin resistance, or pre-diabetes.
Carbs, Cravings and the Atkins Diet
The Atkins diet limits carb consumption, which helps your body off the hypoglycemic roller coaster. The first stage of the Atkins diet drastically reduces your carbohydrate intake specifically to stop food cravings. The Atkins program is divided into four phases and the first phase -- induction -- is the most carb-restricted. You're limited to no more than 20 g of nutrient-rich carbs daily. You may experience episodes of hypoglycemia during induction; however, eating every 3 to 4 hours helps keep blood sugar levels stable.
The Atkins and Hypoglycemia
After the induction phase, your episodes of hypoglycemia should pass. Later phases of Atkins add more carbs into your daily diet, with an emphasis on choosing carbs low on the glycemic index, or GI. The GI ranks foods based on their potential to raise blood sugar. Choosing low-GI carbs, those that score less than 55 on the index, will keep you from getting back on the blood sugar roller coaster. Following a low-GI diet actually prevents episodes of hypoglycemia and may reduce your risk of heart disease and diabetes, according to the Glycemic Index website.
The Symptoms and Dangers of Hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia can strike suddenly -- leaving you feeling hungry, tired and irritable. Other symptoms of low blood sugar include feeling shaky, sweaty, nervous, anxious or confused. Extreme hypoglycemia may cause fainting. Although there are no long-term health complications caused by hypoglycemia, it can be dangerous to drive with low blood sugar because it affects focus and concentration.
