Question
What causes that crash and burn sensation after eating a meal after a period of fasting? Example: Driver goes in for a morning pick up that is expected to be over in a couple of hours and doesnt eat breakfast. He has not eaten since dinner, say 7 pm the night before. The loading is delayed. There is nothing on the grounds but a coke machine and they want you to stay on the premises. Twevle hours later, he is on his way at last. He is starving and hits the first resturant. After eating, he is suddenly so tired he must sleep, driving is no longer an option.
Is this a normal physical reaction related to the body's sudden insulin production due to food in the stomach after being empty so long? (read the archives article on diabetes) Or could this be a symptom of a problem?
What are the ramifications in a business where it doesnt seem unusual for drivers to make a habit of eating one or two meals a day..often scheduled when there is time to eat and a place to park rather than indicators like hunger?
Are there foods that can be carried for snacks that combat these episodes?
Thanks
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Betterhave
Answer
Betterhave,
I could be wrong as I am at times but if you go for extended times not eating and then eat and fill your stomack part could be what you eat. Like at Thanksgiving and Christmas you eat and then you want to go and sleep. I was told it is the typ of food more than the not eating, but both are not good. You need to try to keep some thing in the truck to snack on that will keep you from going and eating every thing you can get your hands on, and when you do go eat you need totake half of what you normaly would and eat slow as it will fill you up and not over stuff you.
I know when Dragon would go for a long time and not eat he would get grouchy and have a short temper and after the wreck I was told that was a sign. So it would not hurt for you to go and get checked out and see if you do have a problem. Dragon had to take a three hour test. During the test he had his bloud taken at the begining and then drank a liquid and had his bloud taken three or four more times. The Dr told us his suger was over 400. I could not beleve this as I have also been told that is in the range thay put people in the hospital for.
Please if it is you or some one you know have them go get checked out.
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In all you do may God be there and help you along the way
Answer
Betterhave,
You are right on the money with your assumptions. What MomKat says is also true. They have found that certain foods will cause you to be sleepier after ingestion than others. Turkey releases tryptophan (sp?) into your system which induces sleepiness. Milk also has this property which is why it was recommended before bedtime as a sleep aid.
The scenario you descibe above is an all to common experience in the daily lives of the OTR driver. This is why the DOT restricts insulin dependent persons from driving OTR. While this sort of thing can occur intrastate as well as interstate, the likelihood is decreased for the driver who delivers close to home every day.
It is always a good idea to keep non-perishable food items on hand in your truck to snack on in just this sort of situation.
Unless your diet is SEVERELY restricted for other health reasons, try keeping things like nuts, granola Power Bars, jerky, dried fruits, prepackaged tuna snacks (has everything including a mixing spoon), heater meals (however they are high in sodium)and canned juices in the truck. Especially during the winter months as part of your 'survival kit'.
You may also want to check out another article in the archives that deal with healthy eating on the road.
Almost anyone who gets severely hungry will get tired and grouchy. Some more than others. But if thinking and/or actions becomes sluggish or confused that person is in real trouble.
I am one of those people who get busy and forget to eat (though you would never know it to look at me) and I don't remember until I get weak, shaky, and have trouble concentrating. I checked my blood sugar once during one of these episodes, just because and it was 30! A glucose that low can cause unconsciousness and hospitalization for many people, but my body was somewhat used to it because of my eating habits. The human body can adapt to extreme conditions for short periods of time, but if I continue that pattern, I can do serious damage to my health. If my boyfriend knows I am real busy during the day, he will call me just to say "Did you eat yet?" Ain't he sweet?
Thanks for asking.
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Keeping you safe, healthy, and on the road.
Nurse Red
Visit us at www.Truck.net/abmsVisit us at
Answer
There is much confusion over the term "diabetes". I believe there are a large class of problems which are better termed "insulin utilization syndromes".
The first thing to recognize is that there is great varience in human beings. Some have a predisposition to certain syndromes. Secondly there are a great many "co-factors" from viral infections which damage the immune system and the organs producing insulin to stress.
Young people rarely have these problems and canm gobble candy bars with abandon. If you are experiencing the symptoms described you need a fasting glucose tolerance test. If the test shows you have a problem this still does not identify the mechanism or etiology of the difficulty. Diabetes and insulin utilization syndromes are controversial, and despite the advances in modern medicine not clearly understood.
If you are a trucker experiencing EXCESSIVE sleepiness after a meal this is a significant problem. The brain actually shuts down during these periods in chronic severe cases almost as if you were administering self-anesthesia. You need to be on Chromium supplements (Glucose Tolerance Factor) as of yesterday. You need to EXERCISE and reduce your weight. You need to stop all drinking. You will probably be helped by prescription medications such as Glucophage or several of the older varients that stimulate insulion production. BE WARNED! If you take some of the insulin producing pills (the little blue pills are popular) you MUST eat or you will have excess insulin which will also cause sleepiness and can cause unconsciousness. Fatigue and drowsiness can be caused by TOO LITTLE INSULIN or TOO MUCH.
One thing to watch for (besides excessive urination) is a sweet smell in the urine. A fruity odor. This is produced by what are called "ketones", generated when the body continues metabolism on a backup system after the normal insulin regulation system has failed. Read the Atkin's diet book and purchase a book or two on Diabetes.
There is no simple answer to your question. The first thing to do is to get a medical evaluation. Then you come to a decision/direction point. The question is can your regulatory mechanism be brought back to normal by diet and supplements or is is so out of control you will have to be under prescription medications and electronically moniter your blood sugar for the rest of your life? A lot will depend upon the orientation of your physician. Glucophage will help a lot. All of the medications have long-term side effects, but it is a matter of risk benefit.
In most cases there is a window of opportunity for action before damage becomes irreversible. EXERCISE, EXERCISE, EXERCISE. WEIGHT CONTROL, WEIGHT CONTROL, WEIGHT CONTROL. DIET, DIET, DIET. Repeat those words to yourself every morning.
Think small frugal meals.
Your life and the lives of others depends upon your alertness and awareness. I am convinced that sugar/insulin/metabolic disorders are responsible for many more accidents in the truck driving industry than anyone suspects.
Answer
Nurse Red got in before I could get back. The jerkey thing I found and still do use it and it works better than anything I could eat.
When I go without eating I get mean as hell, so I keep jerkey around to munch on. I make my own. Be careful a lot of junk called jerkey is just junk treated with chemicals.
It takes 5 pounds of beef to make one pound of jerkey. So if you eat 2 onces of jerkey is like eating a 10 oz steak.
Helps to keep your insulin from going crazy.
HAPPY MOTORING AND I WILL...SEE YOU AT THE TOP.
russell
Answer
Thanks everyone. Since we dont seem to be dealing with excessive drowsieness after every meal, only those where there has been a particularily long fast, it looks like holding back some of the right snack foods for emergencies is what needs to happen.
He is not a first thing in the morning breakfast person either, but he has already decided that if he gets held hostage at one of these places, he will leave and go eat and they will have to deal with it. We have also eliminated certain types of freight from our operation where these situations happen more often than not.
HIs excercise levels are pretty good for a driver, thanks to his fossil collecting which has him out walking and climbing rocks, etc. wherever he is whenever he stops.
There are side effect to this excercise program, however: you can easily end up with half of the state of Wyoming in your livingroom and slightly smaller portions of the other 47.
As the desk driver here, looks like I better get back to the Y and start swimming again. After five years of basic inactivity due to surgeries, I am more at risk than he is. I can't walk very far or very well, but I can swim real good. And while driving the desk off the road isnt a hazard, if I get too confused, he could end up with some interesting schedules.
Thanks for all the answers
Answer
Betterhave,Nurse Red and,newyorktwo,
I am glad I was not so far off and the fasting test is the one Dragon had to take but there are several as we found out at that time he went in for his he could not eat, drink or, smoke after midnight and then whent in at 8:00am the next morning.
I have had a fast crash corse on this and am still learning about it. He is in jail right now and with diet thay are keeping it in a good range 90 - 120. Nurse Red, do you think this is a good gange for him and he is over 300lb. Please E-mail me and let me know.
Thanks to all.
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In all you do may God be there and help you along the way
Answer
Russell, I think you just told me what to do with this venison we got coming out of our ears here. Care to share a favorite receipe?
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Betterhave
Answer
I have it laying right here. I went thru my files to find an easy one. When I was a kid we did it and hung it on the fence for a week. I will put it on the forum below.
There is only one thing better than a pound of venison jerkey......two pounds.
Answer
Thanks, Russell..looking forward to the voice of experience. I've done beef with a very basic receipe, could use some variety. I tried putting in some of these hot sauces he likes, results were, ah, mixed, shall we say?
But, I'll be hanging it in the oven, not the fence. Neighbor's four dogs, our two, plus the foster dog...jerky? Ha.
If it gets to the truck, he'll be lucky if the trucking terrier and the trucking siamese cat from hell let him have any.
I'll see you in the receipe forum then.
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Betterhave
Answer
MomKat, as NY2 said, there are so many variables and each human body responds and reacts somewhat differently. Your husband's weight must be looked at with an eye towrds height and general body frame size.
But most important is his sugar levle. Between 90 and 120 is a good 'rule of thumb' normal glucose level. As long as he is not having any type of symptomology such as:
excessive thirst and urination, ketones in the urine (detected in 60 seconds with a simple urine dip test), shakiness, excessive mood changes, and sleepiness.
If he is feeling better and sugars are staying normal, these are all good things.
Losing weight will only help reduce his need for further bouts with medication.
NY2 you are so right about the misnomer 'diabetes'. It is often very confusing and can mean so many different things with different treatment plans.
BTW, I have a KILLER deer jerky recipe that I will also share in the recipe section. But I suggest a dehydrator instead of the fence and the oven.
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Keeping you safe, healthy, and on the road.
Nurse Red
Visit us at www.Truck.net/abmsVisit us at