Hypoglycemia Insomnia – Sleep Problems Due to Hypoglycemia

One of the most frustrating symptoms of hypoglycemia is insomnia. Already severe strained and fatigues due to hypoglycemia, insomnia can literally push you into total breakdown. The constant pain, fatigue and sleep deprivation will wear anyone down physically and mentally.

Insomnia is the inability to fall asleep or to remain asleep throughout the night. This inability to fall asleep can be caused by stress, anxiety about sleeping or stimulants such as coffee and tea. If you are a sufferer of hypoglycemia, then it is very likely that the cause of your insomnia is due to low blood sugar. When your blood sugar drops below a certain level, your brain will become stimulated and you will be woken up – prompting you to get something to eat. This is part of the body’s defense mechanism.

If your insomnia is caused by hypoglycemia, the use of sleeping pills or other remedies can never help you to overcome insomnia because the root cause of the problem is not addressed – low blood sugar. Thus, in order to overcome your hypoglycemia induced insomnia, you will need to find way to maintain your blood sugar throughout the night.

One of the best ways to go about doing this is to have a light snack 1-2 hours before bed time. The choice of the snack should high in complex carbohydrates because they increase serotonin, a brain neurotransmitter that promotes sleep. In addition, complex carbohydrates are harder to break down into glucose and thus, they are absorbed slowly but constantly into the bloodstream. This property is what you are looking for to keep your sugar level constant throughout the night.

A few example of good bed time snacks are: bread (whole-grain), oatmeal, salads, etc.

Stimulants such as coffee, tea and alcohol should be avoided as they keep you mentally alert. Food high in sugar contents should also be avoided as they can raise your blood sugar level very quickly, prompting your pancreas to produce large amounts of insulin which will subsequently send you into hypoglycemic mode.