Sudden sleepiness sweeping over you after lunch may not actually be simple postprandial somnolence. In modern medicine, this can be interpreted as a phenomenon related to postprandial blood sugar spikes or reactive hypoglycemia. When we eat, especially carbohydrate-centered meals, a sharp surge in blood glucose levels is called a blood sugar spike. To lower this elevated blood glucose, the pancreas secretes excessive amounts of insulin, and as a result, blood glucose drops too quickly below the normal range, leading to reactive hypoglycemia. Riding such a blood glucose rollercoaster deprives the brain of its energy source, glucose, which impairs brain function and leads to extreme fatigue, sleepiness, and impaired concentration. Brain circuitry becomes unstable, much like electricity cutting off and returning.
A bigger issue is that repeated blood sugar spikes cause cells to become insensitive to insulin, developing insulin resistance. Initially, the pancreas secretes more insulin to regulate blood glucose, but eventually insulin fails to perform its role, allowing chronic hyperinsulinemia and hyperglycemia to persist. This leads to metabolic syndrome such as abdominal obesity, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia, and in the long term becomes a primary cause of type 2 diabetes. Insulin resistance is not limited to blood glucose alone. Insulin also affects appetite-regulating hormones leptin and ghrelin, deepening cravings for sweet foods and promoting fat accumulation that leads to weight gain. Moreover, it triggers a chronic inflammatory response and affects the autonomic nervous system, potentially lowering sleep quality or raising anxiety. The digestive organs, the stomach and pancreas, play key roles in breaking down food, absorbing nutrients, and regulating blood glucose. In modern medical perspective, the transportation and transformation function governed by the spleen in Korean medicine can be seen as encompassing the pancreatic regulation of insulin secretion, nutrient absorption in the small intestine and large intestine, and metabolic regulation by the liver. In other words, spleen health is directly connected to our overall metabolic function and blood glucose regulation capacity. Healthy spleen function will help you break free from chronic fatigue and sweet cravings through stable blood glucose maintenance and efficient energy metabolism.
