Friday, May 08, 2026

‘Why do I have low blood sugar only after breakfast?’

Blood sugar level fluctuations can vary from person to person, depending on a mix of lifestyle, medical, and situational factors. However, if a particular pattern keeps repeating, it might be a sign that your body is signalling something important. One internet user noticed a pattern and took to Quora to share the experience: ‘Why do I have low blood sugar only after breakfast?’ 

We decided to dig deeper and reached out to Dr Rajiv Kovil, Head of Diabetology and a weight-loss expert at Zandra Healthcare, and to Zandra Healthcare and Co-founder of Rang De Neela Initiative, seeking answers.

DISCLAIMER: This article is based on information from the public domain and/or the experts we spoke to. Always consult your health practitioner before starting any routine.

Why your body is different in the morning

“Morning metabolism is unique. After an overnight fast, the body is insulin-sensitive,” explains the diabetologist.

The pancreas sometimes overshoots with insulin, leading to a post-breakfast dip. “Think of it as the pancreas being overenthusiastic.”

This pattern is commonly referred to as reactive hypoglycaemia, which can lead to a drop in sugar 1–3 hours after a meal for many. “It’s not classical diabetes hypoglycaemia, it’s more of a metabolic overcorrection,” wherein the glucose rises fast and sugar later dips.

“Add early morning cortisol fluctuations, and this becomes more pronounced,” Dr Kovil points out, while stressing that the pattern is surprisingly common among “pre-diabetic” Indians.

 Why your breakfast could be the real trigger

The bigger issue often lies in what’s on your plate. Diets high in refined, fast-digesting carbohydrates can cause a quick spike followed by a crash.

Common maida-based Indian breakfast options like “white bread, cornflakes”, or even “sugary masala chai” can trigger a sharp rise in blood glucose. “The more ‘soft, white, and processed’ the breakfast, the higher the risk,” the diabetologist cautions while admitting that it is very common in “Indian dietary patterns.”

“Even typical South Indian breakfasts like idli, dosa, poha can spike sugar quickly,” says Dr Kovil, while adding that the spike is often followed by a “delayed insulin surge”, leading to a crash.

This is why many people experience symptoms like sweating, tremors, hunger, irritability, or light-headedness a couple of hours after eating—often improving soon after they eat again, which as Dr Kovil, is an important sign to watch out for.

While these episodes are “not panic-worthy, but definitely not to be ignored,” as frequent dips can point to early metabolic dysfunction.

“If episodes are frequent, severe, or associated with confusion or blackouts, it needs evaluation,” the diabetologist cautions. Similarly, if low sugars start occurring in the “fasting glucose state”, instant medical evaluation is needed.

The solution, is relatively simple: “Balance the plate, don’t spike the sugar.” An ideal breakfast should look something like: Protein + fiber + healthy fat + low GI carbs. Dr Kovil suggests a few breakfast options, that align with the Indian palate, below:

  • Eggs + multigrain roti / vegetable omelette
  • Paneer bhurji / tofu scramble
  • Sprouts chaat with nuts
  • Greek yogurt + seeds
  • Eggs, chicken, fish with sautéed vegetables

 

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   

 

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posted by G S Iyer at 10:31 AM 0 comments

Meditation is more than simply closing your eyes. Here’s what an enlightened master wants you to know

According to HH Guruji Sundar, of Aathman Awareness Centre, meditation should become a regular part of everyday life.

“Initially, we have to practice meditation for at least 1 hour every day. This 1-hour session will be sufficient for us to carry our mental composure steadfastly,” he says.

Just as the body needs rest and medicine when it falls sick, the mind also needs healing when it feels disturbed or emotionally tired.

“When the mind is not well or when the mind is hurt, we have to do meditation to heal the mind,” he explains.

Is simply closing your eyes considered meditation?

Guruji believes many people misunderstand meditation.

“Mere closing of one’s eyes is not meditation, and it is not going to bring any changes. At the most, it brings only dizziness,” he says. He explains that meditation should be learned properly under the guidance of a realised Guru or master to experience its benefits truly.

How can someone stay meditative during everyday life?

One of the biggest challenges, according to Guruji, is maintaining inner calm while interacting with people throughout the day.

“Our mind is like water. It always takes the shape of the container,” he says.

According to him, the mind easily absorbs the energy, emotions, and negativity around it. This is why over-involvement in other people’s problems or constant gossip can affect mental peace.

“But instead, when we just hear them out and move on without involving too much, our mind stays unperturbed.”

Why does the mind focus more on negative things?

Guruji says the human mind naturally gets attached to negativity.

“Even if someone has done a hundred good things for us, our mind will always remember that one negative thing the person has done,” he explains. Because of this tendency, he encourages people to focus on goodness in daily life consciously.

How can someone keep their mind positive and peaceful?

According to Guruji, small habits and intentions matter deeply.

“As a meditative person, we should always be good and do good. We should always think well of others and speak well of others.”

He believes that when the mind stays in a positive state, it becomes calmer, more obedient, and easier to manage.

“When our mind is in a positive frame, we will stay in a meditative state all the time.”

 

 

 

 

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   

 

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posted by G S Iyer at 10:24 AM 0 comments

The Surprising Thing That May Help Your Heart Health, According to Science

To protect our hearts, we know our genetics, what we eat (hat tip to the DASH diet), how our biometrics clock in and how physically active we are all play an important role in our overall heart disease risk profile.

Last week, scientists shared another fascinating finding of how we might be able to lower our risk for heart-related health challenges. Middle-aged women between 45 to 67 years old who practiced self-compassion and mindfulness practices had lower risk for cardiovascular disease—and that's regardless of other traditional heart disease risk factors, like high blood pressure, insulin resistance and blood cholesterol levels—according to a new study published December 16th in the journal Health Psychology.

To land on this verdict, a team of University of Pittsburgh researchers asked 195 women age 45 to 67 to take a short questionnaire about how often they felt they viewed themselves as inadequate and if they felt disappointed by self-perceived flaws—and how often they have a more caring and tender view of themselves. Each participant also had an ultrasound of her carotid arteries, which are large vessels in the neck that transport blood from the heart to the brain.

Women who ranked higher on the researchers' self-compassion scale had thinner walls surrounding their carotid arteries and less plaque build-up inside those arteries. Both of these arterial features have been correlated with lower risk for heart disease, including strokes and heart attacks, in subsequent years. These findings rang true even when the scientists controlled for other lifestyle and mental factors like smoking status, depression symptoms and physical activity rates.

"A lot of research has been focused on studying how stress and other negative factors may impact cardiovascular health, but the impact of positive psychological factors, such as self-compassion, is far less known," Rebecca Thurston, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry, clinical and translational science, epidemiology and psychology at the University of Pittsburgh says in a UPMC press release. "These findings underscore the importance of practicing kindness and compassion, particularly toward yourself. We are all living through extraordinarily stressful times, and our research suggests that self-compassion is essential for both our mental and our physical health."

Many mental health pros have prescribed mindfulness and self-compassion activities (such as positive affirmations and other self care-focused habits) for those who have high levels of stress and even to help reduce symptoms of mild depression and anxiety. And these new findings prove that using your heart to love not only others, but yourself, can actually help that heart protect itself.

Admittedly, this is easier said than done, but simple moments of self-compassion and mindfulness can really add up. Unsure of where to start? Try:

  • Keeping a "nice list" of generous feedback or words you receive from others to remind yourself of how awesome you are when you're in doubt
  • Following along with this free and super-soothing self-compassion meditation on YouTube
  • Thinking of how you'd respond to a friend in similar circumstances when you feel like you're slipping into self-critical territory

Just in time, the researchers add in the press release: "During the pandemic, the stressors have amplified, especially for women…Mindfulness practices, such as meditation, are gaining popularity among U.S. adults. Exhausted from a barrage of stressors at work and in their personal life, people increasingly choose to turn inward to help manage their mood and emotions."

 

 

 

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   

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posted by G S Iyer at 9:35 AM 0 comments