sleep issues?

[plumbago]

I'm providing this update mostly to those other readers who may have SVTs like me.

For the last three weeks, I have given up caffeine and added sugar, and I have added mag citrate.

Here’s what I think may be a big contributing factor to SVT. I notice that the SVTs happen after I eat, usually breakfast. Today, I ate my usual veggie-heavy breakfast, closely followed by toast, butter, cinnamon, banana – heated up. It was when I was eating the banana toast that I noticed that particular feeling I get right before the SVTs (I did not have SVT today) – feeling very full, tired, a bit difficult to breathe (not the usual ease, in other words). Last week I checked my BP right after eating. It was still in the normal range, just lower than my normal, and my HR was of course higher than it normally is for me, which is not unexpected after eating.

Today, I did the same thing, checked a couple of vital signs, and my BP was again technically normal but lower than it normally is for me, 99/60 and my HR was around 100. I think this impacts me, contributes to the fatigue and feeling knocked out after eating. My current theory is that this low BP and high HR (glucose is very likely involved – the feeling happens almost always after I eat some overt carbs, like bread) can kick off a run of SVTs. This is the setting, with these conditions, in other words. Doesn't mean it always happens. It didn't happen today, yesterday, last week, week before that, etc. I'm just mentioning what I think are the conditions necessary (for me) for SVT.

Now yesterday, in an effort to mitigate this full and fatigued feeling when eating my desired food, what I did was space out the bread. Instead of jamming it all in one time, especially bready type foods, I waited until my HR was in the 70s before I ate the bread and as a result I did not have that knocked-out feeling. Back to today, about 20 minutes ago, I finished the toast, so I figured by now things have normalized a bit. My HR had come down to 80 and so I guessed that my systolic BP would be about 110. It was: 111/65, so I do think the low BP earlier (not technically low) has something to do with both the fatigue and full feeling and possibly kicking off a run of SVTs as it did weeks ago. Again, it seems to be the processed carbs that do this, and I'm still putting this together as to why.

I’ve also been taking magnesium for about 3 weeks, and beyond being an extremely effective and even gentle laxative, I’m not sure the effect that is having – beyond helping relax my peripheral muscles. My heart knows, not sure my brain does.

By way of background, when I have these runs of tachycardia (SVTs), I divide them into three buckets: kind of a background noise when I’m aware of them and do nothing, I know they’ll pass; more in my face when I have to do something to make them go away (usually cough); and when it’s blocking my path, so to speak, when it seems it won’t go away and I start to feel overtly uncomfortable and dizzy etc. and start to panic.

I realize many will want to say all this is is posprandial hypotension. Technically I suppose it is, but close readers will notice it happens after what I call "overt carbs," for lack of a better word - which in this case was bread. Again, I'm not even eating added sugar (ie jam). It's somehow tied to blood sugar. Obviously the glucose from the bread will enter my bloodstream faster than the chopped vegetables I had before that.

There is also the SVTs that can follow. So it's not just PP hypotension.

[cyclinglady]

@plumbago

Consider investing into a cheap glucose meter and some test strips (about $20) from Walmart.  Test your foods for a few days.  Test before you eat, 1 hour later and then two hours later.  You will be amazed at what actually raises your blood sugar.  Everyone is different.  For me, potatoes and rice are big offenders and not ice cream.  
 

I conducted this experiment when my PCP told me I was on my way to Type 2 diabetes.  What?  Give up gluten-free cupcakes?  Already I could not consume nuts, garlic and onions!  Yikes!  I did not believe the lab reports nor the advice to reduce sugar and exercise more!  However,  the reality is that I am insulin resistant.  So, I trialed a low carb high fat diet.  It worked.  It brought down my HA1c.  As long as I remain in the 5% club, I am happy.  If I can avoid medications, I am good.  The go-to drug for T2D is  metformin  which can (and probably will in my case) causes GI upset.  Do I need more of that?  
 

Last week I did annual blood tests.   I was worried.  I have been baking and eating a lot more carbs since my kid came home from school.  I knew that my blood sugar was not going to be good.  But it was!  The best reading yet.   Why?  Despite eating a lot more carbs, I never gave up Intermittent fasting which I started about 9 months ago.  I really think that helps my blood sugar.  It is why I trialed the diet.  
 

So keep experimenting.  We are all unique.  There is no “one-size-fits-all” for just about anything!  

Edited July 2, 2020 by cyclinglady

[plumbago]

1 hour ago, cyclinglady said:

@plumbago

Consider investing into a cheap glucose meter and some test strips (about $20) from Walmart.  Test your foods for a few days.  Test before you eat, 1 hour later and then two hours later.  You will be amazed at what actually raises your blood sugar.  Everyone is different.  For me, potatoes and rice are big offenders and not ice cream.  
 

I conducted this experiment when my PCP told me I was on my way to Type 2 diabetes.  What?  Give up gluten-free cupcakes?  Already I could not consume nuts, garlic and onions!  Yikes!  I did not believe the lab reports nor the advice to reduce sugar and exercise more!  However,  the reality is that I am insulin resistant.  So, I trialed a low carb high fat diet.  It worked.  It brought down my HA1c.  As long as I remain in the 5% club, I am happy.  If I can avoid medications, I am good.  The go-to drug for T2D is  metformin  which can (and probably will in my case) causes GI upset.  Do I need more of that?  
 

Last week I did annual blood tests.   I was worried.  I have been baking and eating a lot more carbs since my kid came home from school.  I knew that my blood sugar was not going to be good.  But it was!  The best reading yet.   Why?  Despite eating a lot more carbs, I never gave up Intermittent fasting which I started about 9 months ago.  I really think that helps my blood sugar.  It is why I trialed the diet.  
 

So keep experimenting.  We are all unique.  There is no “one-size-fits-all” for just about anything!  

Thanks - yes, I already do most of this as well (time-restricted eating and checking blood glucose), pretty religiously in fact. When I fast for >1 day, I go into ketosis very very easily, it's weird. My fasting insulin is pretty good.