How to avoid afternoon crashes when you have Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism
Do you have Hashimoto’s and do your eyelids droop and does your energy flag every afternoon around 3 to 4 p.m? Is your answer to energy crashes a soda, coffee, energy drink, or sweet snack to sustain you until dinner? If so, you’re making a bad situation worse, not just for your blood sugar but also for your Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism.
Even though it’s fairly common, the “afternoon crash” isn’t normal. Instead it’s a sign of unstable blood sugar which wreaks havoc on the rest of your body’s systems, including your immune system and your thyroid.
The afternoon crash means your blood sugar has dropped too low for your brain and body to function normally, causing you to become drowsy, mentally foggy, tired, and unmotivated. Unstable blood sugar is notorious for making it difficult to manage an autoimmune disease such as Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism.
The first thing most people reach for is a quick fix — caffeine or sugar. These may wake you up for a while, but they send an already imbalanced blood sugar system into another roller coaster ride of peaks and plunges. When this happens on a regular basis (several times a day for most people), it sets you up for chronic blood sugar imbalances including hypoglycemia and insulin resistance, a precursor to adult-onset diabetes.
These blood sugar spikes and plunges also trigger inflammation and autoimmune flare ups of Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism.
How to avoid the afternoon crash when you have Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism
Wondering how to survive until dinner without a croissant and tall double mocha? Follow these tips to not only avoid the afternoon crash but also to better manage your Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism.
1. High protein breakfast: Eat a high-protein breakfast with plenty of healthy fats such as olive, avocado or coconut oil; a minimum of carbohydrates; and no added sugars or sweeteners. This provides your body with the necessary nutrients to bring it up to speed after a night of fasting (thus the word “break fast”), and allows your blood sugar to stabilize and get on a steady plane for the day.
Two examples:
- Turkey sausage with steamed greens and sweet potatoes.
- Smoked salmon or two eggs with sliced avocado, sauteed vegetables, and half a baked yam.
The idea of a savory breakfast might sound strange if you’re used to cereal or toast, but your body will quickly thank you for it. You’ll also notice a difference at 3 p.m.! You’ll also notice your thyroid symptoms begin to lift when you stabilize your blood sugar.
2. Minimize fruit, high-carb foods, and added sugars: Every time you eat fruit, high-carb foods (such as white rice, bread or noodles), and added sugars, you spike your blood glucose and the body has to struggle to bring it back into balance. Do this too often or too dramatically, and you can damage your body’s ability to handle glucose properly, causing hypoglycemia and/or insulin resistance (yes, you can have both at the same time). Blood sugar imbalances also create a hard-to-fight cycle of craving and bingeing. They also cause inflammation and cause flare ups of autoimmune diseases such as Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism.
TIP: Always eat a bit of protein or fat when you have something sweet to slow down the uptake of glucose and a blood sugar spike.
3. Energy crash? Eat smart: If you find yourself slipping into the afternoon blahs, don’t reach for stimulants or sugar, no matter how much your brain shouts for them. Instead, grab a snack high in protein and healthy fats, with perhaps a bit of healthy carbs included. This powers your brain with useful nutrients and avoids the blood sugar crash that follows a caffeine or sugar binge. And don’t forget — if you have a mid-morning snack, the same rules apply. Two snack examples:
- A quarter cup of pecans and a handful of plantain chips.
- A boiled egg with sliced carrots and avocado.
TIP: prep your morning and afternoon snacks each night before bed, so you can bring them to work and avoid the panicked rush to the café or candy machine.
4. Caffeine in moderation: Caffeine is hard on your adrenal glands, the glands that manage how you deal with stress. If you would rather give up your right arm than your daily cuppa, just make sure you drink that coffee early in the day, and make it a single shot. Even better, learn to love a healthy, brain-energizing drink such as kombucha or a veggie smoothie. They make great conversation starters at the water cooler, too! You’ll find these coffee alternatives not only lift the burden on your adrenal glands but also better support your management of Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism.
Follow these guidelines and you’ll find yourself easing out of those afternoon crashes. Your energy will be more consistent throughout the day and you won’t feel the need to resort to snacks that spike and crash your blood sugar, brain function, and energy level. Feeling doubtful? Try it for a week and then decide. You may even find your Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism symptoms improve as well.
