Is It Menopause Or Low Blood Sugars Causing Your Night Sweats?
Do you wake up at night and throw off your covers because you are feeling hot and damp? Do you have a family history of Type 2 diabetes? Did you eat a lot of crackers, ice cream, pretzels or chips in the evening and wake up with soaked sheets? There are many causes of night sweats but often times people who have not been diagnosed with diabetes or prediabetes do not consider the possibility that they might be having low blood sugars in the middle of the night and not just hot flashes from menopause. Low Blood Sugars Could Be Causing Your Night Sweats If you have a family history of diabetes, you are “overwaist” with a waist circumference greater than 35 for a woman, you do not exercise regularly and you eat refined carbohydrates in excessive amounts, you might have prediabetes. Eating a large amount of sugary foods or white flour products can cause a rapid rise in blood sugar which then tells your pancreas to release extra amounts of insulin. This extra insulin can bring your blood sugar down rapidly and actually cause a low blood sugar. Have you ever felt shaky mid morning after eating cold cereal or pancakes with lots of syrup for breakfast. Have you munched on a whole bag of pretzels commending yourself for them being low fat but noticed you had night sweats that woke you in the middle of the night? Have you noticed on the days you eat more whole grains, lean protein, Greek yogurt, nuts, lots of veggies with a small night snack of fruit that you do not wake up with night sweats? To get a better understanding let me explain what happens with Type 2 diabetes. What Is Type 2 Diabetes? Type 2 diabetes is a completely different disease process than Type 1 diabetes. Type 1 is an autoimmune disorder that results in complete loss of insulin production by the pancreas. Th Continue reading >>
News Flash: Hot Flashes And Sugar Control Are Linked
As a rite of passage, menopause impacts every woman as she enters the later years of life. While menopause offers a bridge to an improved sense of self and peace of mind, this life transition holds the reputation as one of misery. In other words, the beauty of this relatively short season is sometimes overshadowed by the negative. Yes, menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes, raise dread in those approaching the 50-year mark and complaints from those already there. However, lifestyle changes, particularly diet adjustments, decrease these symptoms. In particular and to the point, sugar control begets hot flash control. Ongoing Body Changes in Women In looking at the link between blood sugar levels and hot flash occurrences, the perspective is important. For women, the body changes continually from childhood growth through puberty, possibly pregnancy, and nursing, through to aging and into menopause. Adapting to these bodily changes can become wearisome if you don’t take care of yourself. Keeping a positive perspective as to the miracle of the female body and adjusting as necessary brings you to menopause in a healthy state of mind. This outlook combats the negative impact of many of the menopausal symptoms you may experience. It may help to keep in mind that the one constant in life is change. Understanding Menopause Simply put, menopause is the cessation of a woman’s menstrual cycle and the closure of her reproductive years. This natural, biological process happens when the ovaries stop releasing eggs. An end to fertility, menopause does not signal an end to sexuality, vitality or health. When and How It Happens Typically, this change of life occurs after age 40 with the average age of around 51 years in the United States. However, hysterectomies, chemotherapy trea Continue reading >>
Drinking Excessive Fluids, Excessive Sweating, Fatigue And Hot Flashes
WebMD Symptom Checker helps you find the most common medical conditions indicated by the symptoms drinking excessive fluids, excessive sweating, fatigue and hot flashes including Diabetes, type 2, Panic attack, and Generalized anxiety disorder. There are 89 conditions associated with drinking excessive fluids, excessive sweating, fatigue and hot flashes. The links below will provide you with more detailed information on these medical conditions from the WebMD Symptom Checker and help provide a better understanding of causes and treatment of these related conditions. Diabetes, type 2 Diabetes can make you feel hungry, tired, or thirsty; you may urinate more than normal and have blurry vision. Panic attack When someone has a panic attack, that person feels a sudden, intense fear that can't be controlled. Generalized anxiety disorder Generalized anxiety disorder is a condition in which a person has nearly constant anxiety. Dehydration (Children) Dehydration, or not getting enough fluid, causes dry and sticky mouth, tearless crying, and more in children. Medication reaction or side-effect Medication side effects include nausea, vomiting, stomach upset, weakness, dizziness, seizures, and more. Mononucleosis Mononucleosis is a viral infection causing extreme fatigue, sore throat, fever, rash, muscle aches, and more. Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) Low blood sugar, or low glucose levels, causes shakiness, anxiety, clammy skin, irritability, hunger, and more. Multiple sclerosis Multiple sclerosis is a disease of the nervous system causing difficulties with balance, speech, and movement. Diabetes, type 1 Diabetes can make you feel hungry, tired, or thirsty; you may urinate more than normal and have blurry vision. Supraventricular tachycardia Supraventricular tachycardia is fast h Continue reading >>
Perimenopause And Diabetes
Hot flashes and night sweats are the two hallmark symptoms of perimenopause. They also happen to be the hallmark symptoms of low blood sugar for someone with type 1 diabetes. When the wind begins to blow and change is in air, what’s a girl to do? Know as much as possible about the course, as you head into the winds of change I have long suffered from being too cold. In the middle of summer, I can be found sleeping with socks on, and no matter the temperature of the room, I have a sheet and blanket over me. On a hot steamy August night, I woke up feeling sweaty, and my Dexcom reading was 120. I took my blood sugar with my meter and it read 132. What? And this happened a couple more times. I started to notice that I was feeling warmer and also I noticed that on some days, my blood sugars were roaring high, or roaring low, like I’ve never experienced. I started to wonder if at 48, I might be seeing the symptoms for perimenopause. With this trend in hand, I called my CDE, Judy, who is a CDE, RD and type 1 for over 50 years and who happens to be 60. I knew if I needed to understand, or confirm this process, she’d be golden! Here’s what Judy and I discussed about "the change." Understanding perimenopause To clarify the difference, menopause is when a woman does not have her period for a year; perimenopause is when the hormones begin to fluctuate as a woman begins to walk toward menopause. It can last for 3-5 years before a woman hits menopause. For women with diabetes, perimenopause and menopause can make diabetes management more challenging. The following is a list of symptoms that could affect every woman. While I’m listing quite a few, don’t despair, you won’t have them all, nor will you have all of them at the same time. Menstrual irregularity. As ovulation Continue reading >>
- American Diabetes Association® Releases 2018 Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes, with Notable New Recommendations for People with Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes
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The Effect Of Dietary Intake On Hot Flashes In Menopausal Women
Menopausal hot flashes (HFs) are experienced by approximately 80% of the 20 million women of menopausal age (45-54) in the United States, making this a significant concern during menopause. The incidence is even greater for women who have their ovaries surgically removed with 95% to 100% of this population experiencing HFs (Bachmann, 1999). Hot flashes can disrupt women’s lives and affect work responsibilities, social activities, and sleep (Dormire, 2003; Greendale & Sowers, 1997). The impact of HF on women’s lives is revealed in health care utilization data indicating that the majority of women seeking care related to menopausal symptoms do so because of the discomfort associated with HF (Kronenberg, 1994). Although HFs occur widely, the HF physiological trigger mechanism is unknown. The current standard management for HF is hormone therapy (HT), used by approximately 3 million American women. However, confusion and anxiety about HT have dominated management concerns following the publication of findings regarding increased risk for cardiovascular events and invasive breast cancer in both the Heart and Estrogen Replacement Study II (Grady et al., 2002) and the Women’s Health Initiative (Writing Group for the Women’s Health Initiative Investigators, 2002). The association of breast cancer and cardiovascular events with HT leaves women in the difficult situation of having to choose between these risks and the distress they endure from HF. If the physiological mechanisms of HF were known, alternative management strategies could be developed and directed toward the underlying cause. Research focused on uncovering the HF mechanism has the potential to redirect treatment strategies. An emerging model, the Impaired Glucose Delivery Model of Hot Flashes, indicates that Continue reading >>
Diabetes And Menopause: A Twin Challenge
Diabetes and menopause may team up for varied effects on your body. Here's what to expect — and how to stay in control. Menopause — and the years leading up to it — may present unique challenges if you have diabetes. But it's not necessarily a one-two punch. First, learn what to expect. Then consider what to do about it. Diabetes and menopause: What to expect Menopause is the phase of life after your periods have stopped and your estrogen levels decline. In some women, menopause can occur as a result of surgery, when the ovaries are removed for other medical reasons. Diabetes and menopause may team up for varied effects on your body, including: Changes in blood sugar level. The hormones estrogen and progesterone affect how your cells respond to insulin. After menopause, changes in your hormone levels can trigger fluctuations in your blood sugar level. You may notice that your blood sugar level is more variable and less predictable than before. If your blood sugar gets out of control, you have a higher risk of diabetes complications. Weight gain. Some women gain weight during the menopausal transition and after menopause. This can increase the need for insulin or oral diabetes medication. Infections. Even before menopause, high blood sugar levels can contribute to urinary tract and vaginal infections. After menopause — when a drop in estrogen makes it easier for bacteria and yeast to thrive in the urinary tract and vagina — the risk is even higher. Sleep problems. After menopause, hot flashes and night sweats may keep you up at night. In turn, the sleep deprivation can make it tougher to manage your blood sugar level. Sexual problems. Diabetes can damage the nerves of the cells that line the vagina. This can interfere with arousal and orgasm. Vaginal dryness, a Continue reading >>
Fatigue, Feeling Faint, Hot Flashes And Low Blood Pressure
WebMD Symptom Checker helps you find the most common medical conditions indicated by the symptoms fatigue, feeling faint, hot flashes and low blood pressure including Low blood pressure (hypotension), Dehydration (Children), and Medication reaction or side-effect. There are 86 conditions associated with fatigue, feeling faint, hot flashes and low blood pressure. The links below will provide you with more detailed information on these medical conditions from the WebMD Symptom Checker and help provide a better understanding of causes and treatment of these related conditions. Low blood pressure (hypotension) Low blood pressure, or hypotension, can make you feel lightheaded and dizzy Dehydration (Children) Dehydration, or not getting enough fluid, causes dry and sticky mouth, tearless crying, and more in children. Medication reaction or side-effect Medication side effects include nausea, vomiting, stomach upset, weakness, dizziness, seizures, and more. Sleep deprivation Sleep deprivation occurs when the lack of restful sleep is severe enough to compromise basic body functions. Dehydration (Adult) Dehydration, or not getting enough fluid, causes low blood pressure, weakness, dizziness, fatigue, and nausea. Heart rhythm disorder Some heart rhythm disorders can cause a fluttering in the chest, shortness of breath, chest pain or dizziness. Heat exhaustion Heat exhaustion causes intense thirst, heavy sweating, pale, cool, and moist skin, muscle cramps, and more. Atrial fibrillation Atrial fibrillation is a heart condition that causes heart palpitations, confusion, dizziness and more. Hypothyroidism (adult) Hypothyroidism your body functions slow down, making you gain weight and feel tired all the time. Multiple sclerosis Multiple sclerosis is a disease of the nervous system cau Continue reading >>
Article | Hypoglycemia | Low Blood Sugar | Hoffman Center
Americans love to carbo-load. We are a society in love with carbohydratesand it shows in our poor health standing versus some of the other industrialized nations of the world. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, diabetes contributed to a total of 224,092 deaths in 2002all stemming from poor eating habits (source: www.cdc.gov). But Americans dont get their nutrition information from the government or even from their doctors they get it from advertising. Though we talk up things like fiber, what is often palmed off as a high-fiber food is a highly refined commercial brown bread made of food coloring and white flour in a wrapper depicting a log cabin on the front a far cry from the fiber intake of our Stone-Age ancestors: roots, shoots, foliage and occasional berries. In essence, hypoglycemia is low blood sugar, and it is increasingly prevalent in our society. Hypoglycemia can cause an array of symptoms, including dizziness, fatigue, mood changes, PMS, sugar cravings, headaches, difficulty concentrating, tremors, temperamental outbursts, depression, excessive sweating, hot flashes, palpitations, cold extremities, abdominal pain and panic attacks. If you have any of these symptoms, the next time you go to a doctor try asking him or her if the symptoms you experience could be due to hypoglycemia. You may provoke a bemused or annoyed look, or perhaps your doctor will, in fact, suggest a glucose tolerance test. Dont bother. Glucose tolerance tests, as performed conventionally, are not designed to detect hypoglycemia until or unless it has reached a very extreme level. The truth is that hypoglycemia is far more prevalent than were led to believe. Studies show that even in its full-blown form it often is misdiagnosed. Consider this example: In one study Continue reading >>
Is It Hot Flashes Or Low Blood Sugar?
Menopause gets a bad rap and deservedly so, but some menopausal symptoms may not be caused by menopause. It might be because we’re not taking proper care of ourselves. Here’s my story (remember, it’s my story and not medical advice). I’m well within my menopause years and had suffered from my share of hot flashes. I found a solution to my hot flashes so I no longer suffer with them. Unexpected Night Sweats Not too long ago I started suffering from night sweats. These night sweats weren’t like hot flashes. With hot flashes I used to get the pre-flash tingling. There was no tingling with these night sweats. The only clue of my nightly sweats was damp sleep wear. I wasn’t uncomfortable or overheated, just noticed that my night clothes had been sweat through. Around the same week of my night sweats, I also noticed periodic heart palpitations during the day. In addition to the palpitations, I developed a headache that wouldn’t quit. Normally when I get a headache I know that it’s my body’s way of telling me that something wasn’t right. Usually I’m dehydrated, hungry or tired. When I first got the headache in the beginning of the week I increased my fluid intake which didn’t do anything to mitigate the headache. Then I ate a meal thinking that would help it but it didn’t. I knew I was in trouble when the headache persisted during my sleep hours. I’ve never had a headache that hurt when I slept. Solving the Night Sweat Problem After the third day, I knew I had to ramp things up a bit. What I discovered that I was causing my own problems. I have a tendency to go for long stretches of time between meals (I’m talking 6, 7 or 8-hour gaps). I’m not one to run to the doctor often so I thought I’d do a quick research online to find out what the possi Continue reading >>
Low Blood Sugar Symptoms And Ranges
Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) definition and facts Hypoglycemia is the medical term for low blood sugar. It typically occurs as a side effect of medications for diabetes. The normal range of blood glucose is from 70 to 100 mg/dL in an individual without diabetes, Most people will feel the effects and symptoms of low blood sugar when blood glucose levels are lower than 50 mg/dL. Low blood sugar is treated by giving a readily absorbed source of sugar, including soft drinks, juice, or foods containing sugar. If the hypoglycemia has progressed to the point at which the patient cannot take anything by mouth, an injection of glucagon may be given. Glucagon is a hormone that causes a fast release of glucose from the liver. Hypoglycemia or low blood sugar is syndrome that results from low blood sugar. The severity and symptoms of hypoglycemia can vary from person to person. Blood tests can diagnose low blood sugar, and symptoms resolve when the levels of sugar in the blood return to the normal range. The medical term for blood sugar is blood glucose. What can cause low blood sugar? Despite advances in the treatment of diabetes, low blood sugar episodes occur as a side effect of many treatments for diabetes. In fact, these episodes are often the limiting factor in achieving optimal blood sugar control, because many medications that are effective in treating diabetes carry the risk of lowering the blood sugar level too much, causing symptoms. In large scale studies looking at tight control in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, low blood sugars occurred more often in the patients who were managed most intensively. This is important for patients and physicians to recognize, especially as the goal for treating patients with diabetes becomes tighter control of blood sugar. While peopl Continue reading >>
What Your Hot Flashes Could Be Telling You
Women with diabetes tend to experience hot flashes that aren't just a sudden rush of feeling too warm. Instead, you may have noticed your hot flashes come with flushing, sweating or shakiness, as well as confusion and weakness. This might be because these aren't hot flashes like those associated with menopause. The issue here is with your blood sugar. Does diabetes cause hot flashes? Diabetes itself does not directly cause hot flashes. Instead, hot flashes and sweating can come from low blood sugar. In fact, a sudden hot flash can be a sign of hypoglycemia. If you get hot flashes after eating, check how much insulin you're giving yourself. If you take more insulin than the amount of food you just ate requires, your blood sugar can dip too low, causing hot flashes. You might also find yourself with low blood sugar if you don't eat after you take your insulin or you overdo it at the gym. What can you do about hot flashes? The solution to diabetic hot flashes lies in managing your blood glucose levels. If you frequently get hot flashes and have diabetes, you should discuss this with your doctor to see whether your treatment regimen needs adjustment. When you're having a hot flash, the first thing you should do is check your blood sugar. Low blood sugar is very serious and can have severe consequences if you don't address it, so treat your hot flashes as a warning sign from your body and take action. How to treat low blood sugar The first thing you need to do is consume 15 to 20 grams of glucose or simple carbohydrates, according to the American Diabetes Association. This can be in the form of glucose tablets or gel, four ounces of juice, hard candies, or a couple of tablespoons of raisins. Once you've done this, check your blood sugar again in 15 minutes and consume more g Continue reading >>
Can Sugar Cause Hot Flashes Or Night Sweats?
Hi. My name is Dr. Ryan Shelton. I’m with lifeclimax.com. I’m a physician and a researcher and for over a decade now, I’ve been a specialist in the field of menopause. I’ve worked with colleagues from around the world developing really comprehensive strategies for the effective evaluation and treatment for women transitioning through menopause. Today, I get to do one of my favorite things, which is answer a question from the public. This is from Diane from Minneapolis. Diane writes, “Does sugar cause hot flashes and night sweats?” So, Diane, it’s well known that refined sugar, refined carbohydrates in the form of sweets and desserts, can cause hot flashes and night sweats in a number of women. That’s pretty clear. Not in all women, but certainly sugar, refined carbohydrates can serve as a trigger for hot flashes and night sweats in some women. Let’s go a little deeper than that, though. What we do know is we’ve studied a lot of women and monitored triggers and seen what happens in the body when they actually experience a hot flash, and we know that women who struggle with reactive hypoglycemia tend to have more problems with hot flashes than those who don’t. Let’s say you go a couple of hours without eating and the first thing you have is something really sweet, your blood sugar spikes up, and then it crashes, and that crash is associated with the experience of a hot flash. Also, low blood sugar, in general, is associated with hot flash triggers, so in a fasting state or if you’re walking around hungry and you haven’t eaten for five/six hours, you’re more likely to get a hot flash during those times. Not only that, but refined sugar and carbohydrates is one of the main causes of metabolic syndrome, which is much higher in incidence postmeno Continue reading >>
Diabetes & Hot Flashes After Eating Breakfast
Diabetes causes changes in blood sugar levels that can occur suddenly, especially after eating. While most diabetics focus on how high their blood sugars rise after eating, a sudden drop in blood sugar, called hypoglycemia, can also cause serious problems. Since neither diabetes nor high blood sugar levels cause hot flashes, a possible cause of what appear to be hot flashes after eating may be hypoglycemia. Video of the Day Diabetics may experience hypoglycemia after eating for a number of reasons. If you take more insulin than needed for the amount of food eaten, your blood sugars can drop too low, because insulin helps glucose enter cells and tissues. Too much insulin removes too much glucose from your blood. Not eating at all after taking insulin or exercising strenuously, which burns up more calories and glucose than usual, can also cause hypoglycemia. Even if you don’t take insulin, your body may release a large amount of insulin in response to a meal high in carbohydrates. Oral hypoglycemics used to treat diabetes can also cause hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia causes flushing, sweating, fast heartbeat, shakiness, confusion and weakness, similar symptoms to hot flashes. If you don’t treat hypoglycemia, you can lose consciousness, go into a coma and in rare cases die or have permanent brain damage. Blood Glucose Levels People without diabetes don’t experience flushing, shakiness and rapid heartbeat until their blood glucose levels fall below 60 mg/dL, The Merck Manual Online Medical Library states. Diabetics may experience symptoms at higher levels, closer to 100 mg/dL, David McCulloch, M.D., of the University of Washington reports on UpToDate. In addition, long-standing diabetics may have hypoglycemia unawareness, the inability to recognize early symptoms of hypog Continue reading >>
Hot Flashes And Blood Sugar Levels
Estrogen and insulin are BOTH hormones, after all... There are differences, from what I understand. Blood sugar crashes can include shakiness, visual distortions, dizziness and even unconsciousness. I've never heard that anyone passed out from an estrogen imbalance... hm. I've been diabetic for 19 yrs... and I get "hot flashes" when my blood sugar is dropping very fast... scary fast! LOL Even my thighs sweat, like I've been running a marathon~ and talk about SHAKY! Once it dropped to 35... I got sort of lethargic and... disconnected. And first my vision got very clear, then I got tunnel vision... though I've never passed out, DH was there handing me a candy bar LOL My doctor was amazed that I didn't... On the other hand, my experience with menopause was this: I had my gallbladder removed. This was almost three years ago. It had nothing to do with my reproductive system, but I haven't had a period since. Period. "The real secret of success is enthusiasm..." thanks, Walter P. Chrysler. I believe it. That's what I want in my life--to give my imagination a chance, to live with energy and enthusiasm! P.S. I looked up enthusiasm, and it says the root words mean God within... interesting...! Ralph Waldo Emerson said 'Life belongs to the energetic.' But you don't have to be frenetic and hyper--some energy is quiet and steady, like a heartbeat... and that works too! LOL I started getting Hot years ago, not sweatty just always felt hot. My doc told me it was Thyroid. He gave me thyroid meds and I have never thought about it again. Years later another doc was horrified that I was on meds for low thyroid because I actually had an elevated thyroid. He took me off the pills, and monitored me for a couple of months, and again, I didn't think anything of it. I still sometimes get "hot Continue reading >>
Tips About Sugar, Hot Flashes, And Night Sweats
Hot flashes and night sweats are experienced by 75% of women during perimenopause and 50% of women during postmenopause. Having a healthy and balanced diet is imperative to making hot flashes and night sweats infrequent and less disruptive. Studies have shown that hot flashes occur more often in women who have diets that are high in saturated fats and sugar. Also, some researchers have shown that hot flashes are more likely to occur when blood glucose levels fall in between meals. Why Avoid Excess Fat and Sugar? Hot flashes and night sweats are connected to fluctuations in estrogen production during menopause. The part of the brain that regulates temperature, the hypothalamus, is sensitive to estrogen fluctuations, as are the blood vessels. A woman's diet can change how the body metabolizes, or processes, estrogen, which can lead to different concentrations of estrogen in the body and therefore hot flash and night sweat episodes. Diets high in unhealthy fats and sugars tend to increase the frequency of menopausal hot flashes and night sweats. What Healthy Eating Habits Help Reduce Hot Flashes? Research has found that Mediterranean diets and diets higher in fruits and vegetables reduce hot flashes. The Mediterranean diet includes garlic, peppers, salad greens, whole wheat pasta, olive oil, and fish. It is also low in red meat, processed food, and foods high in simple sugars and unhealthy fats. Mediterranean diets have high amounts of fiber, something most North Americans don't get enough of, as well as healthy fats, which are found in nuts, olive oil, avocados, and fish. Dietary Tips That Impact Hot Flashes Studies have shown that stabilizing blood glucose levels will help diminish hot flashes. A woman can take certain steps to stabilize her glucose levels. The primarily Continue reading >>
