Question: I am 27 years old and in good health, but I often feel lazy and tired after lunch and dinner. What causes this?
Dr. Hibberd's answer:
Your experience — sometimes called "post-prandial fatigue" — is quite common and not usually an indicator of disease. But it would be wise to have your fasting and two-hour post prandial blood glucose checked, as well as your HBA1C — an indicator of average blood glucoses over the past 3 months — just to be sure that you are not diabetic or pre-diabetic.
Often these feelings are related to blood sugar overload, and if you are not handling glucose well, it is much easier to manage pre-diabetes than wait for the problems seen with delayed diagnosis of diabetes, such as cardiovascular disease, vision change or loss, reduction or loss of kidney function, coma, and stroke. Be sure your doctor also checks your TSH levels (thyroid stimulating hormone) to rule out hypothyroidism, which is also associated with impaired glucose tolerance.
Try eating smaller and more frequent meals until you can see your physician, and avoid skipping breakfast.
Consider losing weight if you have a BMI over 28, avoid sweets, and make sure you’re getting regular aerobic exercise program at least three times a week for at least one hour. If you do not have a primary care physician, call your local hospital for a referral to one who is accepting new patients.
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