Blood Sugar: The Hidden Key to Your Energy + Hormones

One of the most overlooked pieces of hormone health is blood sugar balance. Most women think of blood sugar only in the context of diabetes, but the truth is that even mild imbalances—the kind you may not even notice—can have a huge impact on your energy, mood, weight, and hormones.

 

The reality is that almost all of us experience blood sugar swings at some point, and I see it in nearly every woman I work with. Those afternoon crashes, the post-meal fog, the 3 p.m. sugar cravings—it's your body signaling that your blood sugar isn't staying steady. Yet, through diet culture, we're taught not to listen to those cues, to ignore hunger, to skip breakfast, and to only have a small salad for lunch…all of which is making our blood sugar issues and symptoms worse.

 

 

Your blood sugar naturally rises after you eat and should return to normal in a steady manner. But certain factors make it spike higher and crash harder, including:

 

      •Starting the day with sugar or refined carbs (think cereal, bagels, pastries, or even coffee with creamer alone)

      •Going too long without eating or skipping breakfast

      •High stress (cortisol raises blood sugar!)

      •Lack of sleep

      •Processed foods with hidden sugars

 

 

The signs are often subtle but disruptive:

      •Energy crashes that leave you desperate for coffee/snack

      •Cravings for sweets or simple carbs

      •Feeling "hangry" between meals

      •Trouble concentrating

      •Mood swings or anxiety flares

      •Waking up in the middle of the night

 

 

When your blood sugar is unstable, it doesn't just affect your energy—it creates a ripple effect across your hormone system. Spikes and crashes can:

      •Increase cortisol (your stress hormone)

      •Disrupt ovulation and progesterone production

      •Contribute to estrogen dominance

      •Make thyroid symptoms worse

      •Affect weight regulation and appetite signals

 

 

The fix doesn't require extremes. Once women in my coaching program start learning to eat and live in a way that keeps blood sugar steady, they often tell me things like:

      •"I finally have energy all day."

      •"I don't even crave sugar anymore."

      •"Weight is coming off without me obsessing over calories."

      •"My moods feel so much more stable."

 

It's truly amazing what happens when your blood sugar is balanced—you feel calm, clear, and in control.