✨ Stabilizing Blood Sugar to Stabilize Everything
- Regina Cooley
- Jul 9
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 11
Why your cravings, mood swings, and hot flashes might start on your plate.
My official “Wait… is this perimenopause?” moment didn’t come from my doctor. Or some article. It came from a friend.
She had been having intense symptoms — night sweats, anxiety, mood swings — and she was so refreshingly open about it. As she shared her experience, I had this lightbulb moment:
"Wait… I wake up sweating every single night too."
And I don’t mean a gentle glow. I mean full-on, sweat-through-the-sheets, stick-to-the-pillow kind of heat. I was sleeping with my window wide open in December, and it was still happening. That’s when I stopped pretending I was still 30 and Googled:
“When does perimenopause start?”
Cue my internal voice: “Shit. That’s what this is.”
And once I admitted that something was happening, I wanted to understand it — not just manage symptoms, but figure out what was actually going on inside my body.
🩸 Blood Sugar: The Hidden Trigger
One of the first things I learned? Blood sugar instability is one of the biggest culprits behind:
Night sweats and sleep issues
Anxiety and mood swings
Midsection weight gain
Cravings and energy crashes
In perimenopause, your body becomes more sensitive to insulin. Estrogen and progesterone help keep blood sugar stable — and when they start fluctuating, it’s like your internal thermostat and fuel gauge go haywire.
🥣 What Helped Me Balance My Blood Sugar (Without Dieting)
💡 1. Protein first — especially at breakfast If I start my day with just carbs (like toast or fruit), I crash HARD. But when I eat 30g of protein — like eggs, Greek yogurt, or my personal nearly daily "GO-TO" Protein Coffee (like a mocha but healthy) — I feel steady for hours.
💡 2. Eat fiber and fat before carbs Something as simple as eating a handful of pistachios or a salad before a rice bowl made a massive difference in my energy and mood.
💡 3. Stop grazing I have never been a snacker but research on this specific topic suggests that it makes your blood sugar spike and crash all day. Instead, focus on balanced meals, and when you do NEED a snack, make it count (protein + fat + fiber).
💡 4. Cut Back on the Ultra-Processed Stuff (But I Still Eat Chocolate, OK? 🍫) Let’s be real — I’m not here to tell you to toss your favorite treats. I still eat chocolate. I still have snacks. But I’ve learned that being more mindful about what I put in my body has made such a difference — not just for my hormones, but for my mood, energy, and sanity. When I started cutting back on foods loaded with added sugars, fake oils, and ingredients I couldn’t pronounce, it felt like my body finally got some breathing room. Less bloating. Less crashing. Less cranky “what is wrong with me?” moments.
👣 TIP #1: Stick to the Perimeter When you’re grocery shopping, hang out along the outside edges of the store — that’s where the fresh stuff lives. The ultra-processed junk? It’s hiding in the middle aisles because it doesn’t need refrigeration (hellooo preservatives 🧪).
🛒 TIP #2: Use Drive-Up & Go, Baby If you’re like me and prone to impulse shopping (“Ooh, a seasonal aisle!”), try your store’s pickup options. Locally, Raley’s, Walmart, Safeway, and Sam’s Club all offer drive-up and go services — some are totally free (hey Sam’s 👋), and others waive the fee when you hit a certain spend.
I usually wait until I need a few staples, do my online order, and skip the store altogether. BONUS: More time for me. Less time dodging neon snack bags and frozen cheese-filled regret.
🙌 Small Shifts, Big Wins
Stabilizing my blood sugar didn’t just change how I eat — it changed how I sleep, focus, and show up. No more 3 p.m. crash, okay fewer - if I eat like crap I still have them. No more waking up hangry. No more wondering if I was just losing it.
This was the first step in reclaiming balance. Next up in the series? Protein — why it’s your new best friend in midlife, and how to get enough without it feeling like a full-time job.
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