Blood Sugar and Central Apnea

Hey ya'll,

Quick update that some of you may be interested in. Started checking my blood sugar lately. Turns out I'm on the low end, not quite hypo, but pretty low. My fasting sugar isn't abnormal, usually around 80, but what no one ever tested is what it does after I eat. It wasn't getting up over 100. So for the past two years on my low carb gluten free diet I've been starving my brain of sugar. For the past couple days I've been eating a high complex carb diet and my sugars are up over 100 to about 111 to 120 and I feel much better. Still have brain fog, still tired, but I don't feel like a zombie. I have a little bit more energy that normal and I don't' feel like I want to sit and stare at a wall anymore. I am also curious if my low blood sugar at night has been causing my central apnea. So I ordered a CMS50D+ and last night my O2 never dropped below 95% (NO CPAP MACHINE USED FOR THIS TEST). My first sleep study I was dropping below 90 (not a lot, but had quite a few episodes) and dipped to 84% once. Is blood sugar and central apnea connected?

In your low carb diet are you getting enough fat? Far to many people think that fat is evil even on a low carb diet.

Also check your B12 levels.

It's real easy to get caught up chasing your own tail. Blood Sugar levels have many variables, it easy to overthink. Most Doctors don't have a clue, long enough patients.

Your best bet would work towards the best A XPAP treatment, without letting it take over your life. Have your Doctor do a blood panel, and a A1C test, it's a more reliable than daily sugar levels.

You will go NUTS, chasing sugar levels, mostly you will be thinking incorrectly. Best idea, eat healthy, exercise, be happy, live every day to the fullest, we are only given so many, obsession over anything is wasting valuable time. JIM

And here is study which illuminates the fact that everybody reacts to food differently when it comes to glucose levels.

By now most of us are probably pretty good at identifying healthy foods. Fruit and vegetables – good. Cakes and ice cream – bad.

But new research suggests this might not always be the case.

This surprising study comes from professor Eran Segal and Dr. Eran Elinav at Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science. The authors found that glycemic (blood sugar) responses to similar foods varied drastically across individuals. This finding is critical, as elevated blood sugar levels have been linked to diabetes, obesity and metabolic syndrome, write the authors.

According to Dr. Richard K. Bernstein (Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution)normal people who have no insulin resistance (if you can find them) run about 75 -85 after a meal. So it is not necessary to get your blood glucose over 100 after a meal. 80's is just where it should be for optimal health.

It is possible that you are having hypos at night. That's a sign that your glucose metabolism, insulin function may be impaired. A snack at bedtime of fat, protein, and a small amount of carbs may help.

Goofproof wrote:It's real easy to get caught up chasing your own tail. Blood Sugar levels have many variables, it easy to overthink. Most Doctors don't have a clue, long enough patients.

Your best bet would work towards the best A XPAP treatment, without letting it take over your life. Have your Doctor do a blood panel, and a A1C test, it's a more reliable than daily sugar levels.

You will go NUTS, chasing sugar levels, mostly you will be thinking incorrectly. Best idea, eat healthy, exercise, be happy, live every day to the fullest, we are only given so many, obsession over anything is wasting valuable time. JIM

While I agree with some of that, you're telling me to be happy, live every day to the fullest, don't obsess. It's hard when my brain feels like a "broken leg". Hard to go hike on a broken leg. Hard for me to go to work with this brain fog and fatigue. Hard to do anything because while this mystery continues, I'm not supposed to have my morning coffee, drink alcohol, can't go on trips (no money from not working), can't take my wife to dinner (again no money, not working). My life is on pause until this is resolved. A Dr isn't as motivated to cure me as I am. That is a fact. It doesn't benefit me to chase my tail looking for unicorns. I'm making educated guesses, ruling them out, and moving on. What is a "normal" blood sugar? Yes that's very hard to say for a particular person. But the fact that I have to try to get my sugar above 100 after a meal is a little interesting.

Janknitz wrote:According to Dr. Richard K. Bernstein (Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution)normal people who have no insulin resistance (if you can find them) run about 75 -85 after a meal. So it is not necessary to get your blood glucose over 100 after a meal. 80's is just where it should be for optimal health.

It is possible that you are having hypos at night. That's a sign that your glucose metabolism, insulin function may be impaired. A snack at bedtime of fat, protein, and a small amount of carbs may help.

I agree, that's what we're thinking. Thanks

Question: Why did you start a gluten free low card diet 2 years ago?

You may find the A to Z study interesting. You can find a lecture discussing the results by Christopher Gardner (Stanford) on you tube.

I have diabetes, type 2, over 35 years now, A1C 7.8, on two types of
insulin 200 units daily. There are health reasons for the control being bad.

That said for me if my levels are under 100 I can't sleep well, I might as well get up, as lie there. I have to eat before bed to sleep. My problems aren't related to yours, but maybe the symptoms are somewhat alike. I seem to go low about 6 am, 3 hours after my bedtime 3 am, then rise again during the night, as the liver releases sugar. It gets complicated, too many factors to track, so you just end up chasing it, sometimes you win sometimes you dont.

Insulin makes things both easier and harder to control, its easy to overdose, you body reacts differently everyday, its a roller coaster ride at best I'd kill to have your levels, it would help my problems. Jim

I wasn't meaning to light candles and chant, I meant attitude is a factor in our health, it can work for us or against us. It can be used as a tool to make life better.

Jim, a fellow by the name of Richard Bernstein had similar issues to what you are describing. He developed a diet to help control the swings.

If interested check out Dr. Berstein's Diabetes Solution... (2011 4th edition).

Berstein was diagnosed with diabetes in 1946 and currently at age 82 is still doing fine.