How Trauma, Blood Sugar, and Stress Intersect
Over the last few years, my wellness journey has been about more than just “feeling better.” I’ve been digging into root causes—not just putting Band-Aids on symptoms.
One of the most eye-opening parts of this process has been learning how much trauma impacts your feel-good chemicals (dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins) and your stress hormones (like cortisol and adrenaline).
I’ve been intentional about regulating both, using tools like journaling my feelings, tracking exposures and stressors, and doing at-home therapies and exercises that help reset my nervous system. This foundation has been crucial—but recently, I hit an unexpected brick wall.
When Fatigue Feels Like a Wall
Over the course of a month, I noticed that mid-morning or mid-afternoon, I would suddenly feel like I needed an immediate nap. The fatigue would hit hard—along with brain fog, irritability, and sometimes outright anger. It was as if my body just shut down without warning.
I brought this up to my functional neurologist, and we decided to try something different: a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM). I’m not diabetic, but we wanted to see if my blood sugar was part of the puzzle.
The Surprising Discovery: Reactive Hypoglycemia
Over the last six weeks, the CGM revealed something important—reactive hypoglycemia. This happens when your blood sugar spikes after eating (which is normal) but then drops too quickly and too far—often below 60 mg/dL. My monitor only reads down to 55, and I’ve dropped below that multiple times.
Those “brick wall” moments? They lined up almost perfectly with these blood sugar crashes.
What is Reactive Hypoglycemia?
Reactive hypoglycemia is a condition where your blood sugar drops too low—usually within a few hours after eating.
Here’s how it works:
- You eat a meal → Blood sugar rises as your body digests carbohydrates.
- Your pancreas releases insulin → This helps move sugar from your blood into your cells for energy.
- Too much insulin is released → Often triggered by a rapid spike in blood sugar.
- Blood sugar drops too far → Sometimes below normal levels, leading to symptoms.
Common symptoms include:
- Sudden fatigue or the need to nap
- Brain fog or difficulty concentrating
- Irritability or mood swings
- Dizziness or shakiness
- Headaches
- Anxiety or feelings of panic
Why it matters: Over time, repeated highs and lows can increase your risk for insulin resistance, hormone imbalance, and other long-term health problems.
How Trauma Plays a Role in Blood Sugar Regulation
Here’s the simple science:
- Stress hormones and blood sugar are tightly connected. When you’ve experienced prolonged trauma, your stress response system can stay on high alert—releasing more cortisol and adrenaline than your body needs.
- Cortisol raises blood sugar. It’s your body’s way of giving you quick energy for “fight or flight.” But when that system is overactive, your pancreas has to release more insulin to bring sugar levels down—sometimes too much, leading to a crash.
- The crash triggers symptoms. Low blood sugar affects your brain first—causing fatigue, brain fog, irritability, and even anxiety or anger.
- Trauma can also disrupt the balance of feel-good chemicals. Without these, your body has a harder time recovering from stress spikes and sugar crashes.
For me, these blood sugar swings weren’t just about food—they were about how my nervous system had been rewired by decades of trauma.
When Work Stress Poured Fuel on the Fire
The last few weeks at work have been extremely toxic and stressful, and my CGM data reflected it. Stress alone was enough to send my blood sugar climbing—and then crashing. The more intense the situation, the worse the swings.
My sleep started to suffer. My mood and mental health took a hit. And I could see, in real time, how emotional stress was making my physical health worse.
Why This Matters for the Long Game
If I ignored this, I’d be setting myself up for more serious health issues down the road:
- Metabolic damage → Long-term blood sugar instability can increase the risk of insulin resistance, prediabetes, and Type 2 diabetes.
- Cardiovascular strain → High and low swings stress your heart and blood vessels.
- Brain health impacts → Glucose is your brain’s main fuel. Repeated lows can worsen brain fog, mood swings, and long-term cognitive function—especially dangerous if you’ve already had brain injuries (like I have).
- Hormone imbalances → Chronic sugar instability affects everything from thyroid function to reproductive hormones.
Choosing Long-Term Health Over Short-Term Stress
Recognizing this was a turning point. I had to ask myself: What is this job costing me?
I made a hard but necessary decision—I resigned from my full-time position and kept a very limited part-time role. I also found a PRN job that gives me flexibility while I focus on my speaking, coaching, and consulting work.
The more I understand my body, the more I can protect it. And that’s the power of knowing your patterns—whether they come from food, stress, or the deep imprints of trauma.
The Takeaway
Trauma can leave behind invisible injuries that quietly affect your health for years—sometimes in ways doctors can’t easily detect. For me, using a CGM uncovered another hidden piece of the puzzle, and it’s helped me make choices that protect my long-term health.
If you have a history of trauma and are living with unexplained medical conditions that doctors can’t figure out, if you feel deep down that something else is going on, or if you simply want to start rewiring from the invisible injuries of trauma, I would love to walk alongside you.
You can join my monthly wellness challenges, subscribe to my monthly newsletter, and follow my blog for education, encouragement, and practical tools to help you take back your health—one step at a time.