Breaking the Burnout cycle: Understanding insulin resistance in Motherhood
It’s no secret that the demands on modern Mothers raising children in a broken system are leaving Mother’s floundering in isolation. Taking on the role of a village single handedly and in many cases that I’m familiar with, even homeschooling and running businesses…
On top of the already full time job of ensuring the household stays afloat and everyone's physical and emotional needs are met, it becomes a mammoth task to say the least.
Many women find themselves grappling with burnout, often without realising that a hidden factor, insulin resistance, could be exacerbating their fatigue and depleted energy levels whilst mothering intensely.
Insulin resistance affects the body's normal metabolic response to insulin, one of the most crucial of our body’s hormones, it can significantly impact a mother's mood, energy, and weight, influencing her overall well-being. It often plants you in the midst of a vicious cycle where you are too tired and hungry to think clearly about food choices and end up grabbing the most convenient, fast fuel food you can to top your energy up.
The lack of quality sleep, the surviving off kids leftovers or convenient one handed snacks and missing vital nutrients combined with the fluctuating hormones postpartum and rising cortisol levels with Motherhood pressures can make it even harder to balance your blood sugars and lead to snappy moods and no energy to keep up with your day to day.
I know you want to stay connected and grounded in the moment with your kids and sometimes you just feel so exhausted, irritable and snappy. We can support you to recognise the signs of insulin resistance and understand its effects on burnout helping you to take proactive steps toward better health to clear the brain fog, reduce hunger and cravings and stabilise your moods.
Naturopathy offers promising natural pathways to restore your energy. In this guide, we will delve into the symptoms of insulin resistance, uncover its impact on burnout, and present empowering holistic health solutions to support your journey toward renewed energy and well-being.
With the guidance of a naturopath, like myself and the transformative power I offer with shadow work and holistic counselling, this journey becomes not just about managing symptoms but about nurturing oneself from the inside out.
Understanding Insulin Resistance
In a typical metabolic response, insulin plays a crucial role in maintaining blood sugar levels. When you eat, carbohydrates break down into glucose, causing your blood sugar to rise. The pancreas then releases insulin, a hormone that helps cells absorb glucose to use for cellular energy or store as fat.
When cells resist insulin, the body needs to produce more of it to achieve the same effect, leading to higher insulin levels. Over time, this can result in elevated blood sugar levels and, ultimately, type 2 diabetes. Blood sugar levels can also appear to spike and then dramatically drop after eating causing hypoglycemia or low blood sugar events that trigger things like energy crashes, or anxiety and panic attacks.
Ultimately this becomes an intolerance to certain carbohydrates and leads to metabolic inflexibility and dysregulation of energy distribution where the body stops using fat for fuel and switches to carbohydrates meaning we store our fat and it makes it difficult to burn it off even with regular exercise.
We can flick the switch back, it’s not always an easy process but that’s why I’m here to help guide your process.
Recognising Insulin Resistance
If you find yourself always tired, especially after meals, needing an afternoon nap to recover from lunch or reaching for the chocolate, sweet drink or high carb toast for a pre-dinner pick me up to get through the evening rush…
If you find you still have that middle section weight that won’t budge no matter how many steps and weekly workout plans you try…
If you find you are always hungry, never satiated and feel light headed if you don't get to eat regularly…
If you feel over it all and like everything you have tried has failed you… burnout is prominent.
Other signs may include frequent urination and increased thirst, as well as darkened skin patches, or skin tags, particularly around the neck or armpits. These symptoms are crucial to identify early, as they can affect daily life and overall well-being and confidence within your own skin.
By understanding your insulin patterns, you can recognise the signs of your body early and take steps to address it, making informed decisions about your health and stop fuelling the shame of having no willpower to resist the afternoon carb grab.
The Connection Between Insulin Resistance and Burnout
Burnout in women often presents itself through a variety of physical, emotional, and behavioural symptoms. Physically, you might experience chronic fatigue, headaches, and sleep disturbances.
Emotionally, burnout can lead to feelings of helplessness, a lack of motivation, and increased irritability. Behaviorally, you may notice a decline in work performance, withdrawal from social interactions, and neglect of self-care routines.
These symptoms can be particularly challenging for mothers who are trying to stay connected and grounded amid their hectic schedules. Energy levels play a pivotal role in the experience of burnout, especially for women balancing multiple responsibilities.
When insulin resistance is present, it can severely impact how the body metabolises glucose, leading to inconsistent energy supplies. This inconsistency results in fatigue, a hallmark symptom of burnout. With energy levels constantly fluctuating, maintaining focus and motivation becomes challenging.
Embracing Holistic Health Solutions
To support metabolic flexibility and flick that switch to break that viscous cycle we need to work on a cellular level. Particularity working to get your mitochondria healthy - the powerhouse of your cells and where metabolism really occurs.
Holistically we use a systematic approach to help the body feel safe to allow the insulin into the cells and burn your carbohydrates rather than storing them.
This means I’m going to be looking at the role of your gut microbiome, your body's second brain, your inflammatory markers, your detoxification systems like liver and kidney function, your stress management systems like your adrenals and your nervous system and overall hormone balance including your female hormones, thyroid hormones, stress and insulin hormones of course.
Investigating Insulin Resistance Holistically
Holistic testing for insulin resistance involves more than standard glucose or insulin tests. It embraces a comprehensive view of a mother's health, considering lifestyle and emotional factors too.
Blood glucose can appear normal in cases of insulin resistance, but a main indicator is if we test fasting insulin levels and find these are high. Fasting insulin levels will be the first metric to improve before we see weight loss, that will often come after we restore balance to the metabolic function. Fasting insulin isn’t a definitive test though, if it’s high then we know its insulin resistance but if it’s low, we still don’t know for sure.
I would also like to review my clients Liver Function Tests (LFTs) to see if we have a picture of fatty liver disease developing with high ALT.
I like to review a lipid profile, if high triglycerides and low HDL cholesterol this will be impacting your Insulin Metabolism.
I also want to check inflammation markers such as C-Reactive Protein (CRP) alongside Ferritin to review the Iron picture which supports glucose metabolism.
If you have the above symptom picture then I’m also going to suggest we review your B-12 and Thyroid panel if you are presenting with fatigue issues as thyroid can have affiliations with insulin dysregulation too.
While blood tests remain essential, holistic practitioners may also examine dietary habits, stress levels, and physical activity. We may employ methods such as assessing blood sugar response to specific foods or tracking changes in weight and energy levels over time.
This may be in the form of a continuous glucose monitor, taking body measurements especially waist circumference if this is something suitable for my client. Tracking menstrual cycles and journaling emotions around foods, satiety and pleasure seeking.
By incorporating alternative approaches, like energy healing or intuitive assessments, I am a practitioner who can gain deeper insights into your unique emotional and energetic challenges.
This holistic perspective ensures that testing isn't just about identifying insulin resistance but understanding its root causes and interconnected factors. It empowers mothers to take control of their health with personalised strategies that encompass body, mind, and spirit. This approach can lead to more effective and sustainable management of insulin resistance, supporting overall well-being for the long term.
Supporting you Holistically
Dietary principles for you…
If it was as simple as less calories in than the amount of calories you expend… you would have had it figured out by now. It’s more complicated than that because you have dysregulated hormones that are giving you mixed signals about fullness, cravings, food addiction and then there's the burnout that are telling you that you can’t be fucked cooking again and just order the pizza…
In an ideal world we want you to focus on whole, unprocessed foods - homecooked is ideal because you have the control over what goes into your meals and you can avoid added sugars, additives and inflammatory seed oils that are often added to ultra processed foods. We are going to need to avoid refined sugars and highly processed carbohydrates whilst we flick that switch and support your body back to metabolic flexibility - remember if you are insulin resistant, you are pretty much carb intolerant at this point and need to choose your carbohydrate sources wisely.
Ensuring you are getting an adequate amount of lean proteins, including fish, poultry, and legumes, provide essential nutrients without spiking blood sugar. 1gm of protein per kg of body weight eaten across the day will keep you out of protein deficiency but different circumstances will require different amounts of protein - most often more than this baseline! I’m not going to tell you to count your calories, but knowing your macros is something that will benefit you and counting your proteins is a great starting point.
Prioritising a diet rich in fibre, such as vegetables, fruits, and complex carbohydrates like whole grains including oats, quinoa, brown rice, and legumes can help slow glucose absorption and improve insulin sensitivity. These are also very prebiotic - meaning they feed the healthy microbiome and support your body’s overall wellbeing. If you struggle with digesting different types of these fibres it’s a sure sign we need to delve into your gut health.
Incorporating healthy fats like avocados, nuts, and seeds helps maintain energy levels and supports cellular function. Helping you to feel satiated ie full for longer and reduce cravings.
Additionally, mindful eating practices, such as savouring meals slowly and recognising your hunger cues, and understanding when you are eating for nourishment, pleasure or comfort will enhance digestion and absorption for your overall wellness.
Your nutrition plan is highly individualised in what you need to be eating and when. What works for one person may be completely different for you. But getting your macro balance of proteins, carbs and fats right for your needs, incorporating anti-inflammatory whole foods and finding solutions to the convenience and ultra processed options is what you need to find your way with food.
Lifestyle Principles for you…
Finding movement that you enjoy and are willing to partake in on a consistent basis is way more important that the type of activity that you choose. Even if you think, how can I move for 30 mins each day, find a place in your daily rhythm where this will work for you, and build up to it as we grow your capacity.
As long as you mix it up across your week with both aerobic exercise like walking, swimming, cycling with resistance training with weights or bodyweight movement like yoga, you will be supporting your insulin resistance.
More muscles give you more glycogen stores, building muscle mass is so important for maintaining metabolic balance and regulating your hormones for better energy, moods and overall feeling good in your body!
And make sure you are drinking enough water - a key aspect for keeping your bodies cellular functions optimally processing!
Sleep is so important, and also a challenge in motherhood. Setting up practices to support your whole family to get restorative sleep is how we support the Mother to improve her sleep quality - among other tools to help you switch off and stay asleep through the night.
Chronic stress exacerbates insulin resistance and the motherload needs so much support - you are worthy of receiving support, you don’t have to do everything yourself and together we navigate ways to get that support in your life.
Your community - those you surround yourself with are such an underrated aid for your emotional support, accountability and motivation to honour your own needs whilst mothering. So ensure you are hanging out with people who support your journey, and don’t shame you for where you’re at.
Get a health practitioner, like me, on your side so you can stay focused on your values and why you are on this path. I arm my clients with techniques that tone the vagus nerve to help the body feel safe and relaxed dropping out of that fight or flight stage.
I support you with breathing exercises, individualised guided meditations and intuitive reiki healing to help you connect with your body, release energetic patterns that keep you feeling stuck and unworthy to energetically support the sugar metabolism allowing pleasure and satiety into your life.
Naturopathic Supplements for Insulin Resistance
Naturopathic care offers a comprehensive approach to managing insulin resistance by addressing the root causes and promoting overall wellness with natural supplements as required alongside a lifestyle and diet approach that fits where you are at in your journey.
As you can see we are going to be taking a deep dive into your health history, family history and uncovering the stories that lead to your current situation and implementing an individualised treatment plan tailored specifically to your needs, your family dynamics and your mental emotional capacity.
We can utilise specific nutritional supplements to support mitochondrial health, glucose metabolism, lowering blood glucose and reducing influences like inflammation and adrenal stress that contribute to insulin resistance. Some of the key supplements that I prescribe include:
Magnesium
Chromium
Taurine
MyoInositol
B vitamins
Vitamin C, D & E
Omega 3 fatty acids
Alpha lipoic acid
Zinc
Selenium
Probiotics - strains specific to individual
Certain herbs have been shown to enhance insulin sensitivity and regulate blood sugar levels but they can have a huge impact on the microbiome, and other systems if not used appropriately - herbal medicine requires a practitioner prescription to ensure your dosage and blend is right for your individual needs as there can be a lot of nuance in affective herbal treatment.
Herbs I may lean into for glucose metabolism:
Cinnamon
Gymnema
Goats Rue
Licorice root
Globe artichoke
St Marys Thistle
Rehmannia
Berberine
Fenugreek
Withania
Remember everyone is different so these are not all required by everyone challenged by insulin resistance and there may be other factors that need to be considered for your plan and that’s why I love individualised care. Always consult a practitioner so that you are not causing harm with contradicting medications, lactation and other health conditions.
Intuitive Energetic Healing for Insulin Resistance
As an intuitive energy healer I also consider the energetic and emotional roots to physiological conditions. I work with holistic counselling practices, intuitive meditation journeys and shadow work practices to guide you in a trauma informed manner to establish the energetic and emotional ties to your story, release what is no longer needed and nurture a new framework that will see you thrive.
Shadow work involves exploring and integrating the unconscious parts of oneself, which might hold unresolved emotions or limiting beliefs impacting health. It encourages you to embrace your vulnerabilities and transform them into strengths, fostering emotional resilience and self-awareness. This guidance helps to identify emotional triggers and stressors that may be contributing to insulin resistance, offering strategies to heal and grow.
The beliefs that may lie behind the emotional and energetic roots to insulin resistance could be something along the lines of…
Not allowing yourself to receive pleasure, joy, or true nourishment—the "sweetness" in life, symbolising insulin resistance as the body’s struggle to absorb and utilise energy, reflecting emotional or spiritual blocks to receiving.
Growing up too quickly as a child, taking on responsibilities early, may lead to a serious nature in adulthood. Play feels selfish now, and shame is stored for joy or play, creating a pattern of self-punishment. This can mirror the body’s resistance to energy, as suppressed emotions lead to stagnation.
Perfectionist tendencies arise, with high expectations and guilt around rest or receiving. This need for control, both internally and externally, reflects the fear of letting go—a key metaphysical driver behind insulin resistance.
A constant feeling of dissatisfaction and starvation for affection may surface, never feeling loved enough or allowing love to penetrate your cells. This emotional starvation shows up as the body’s inability to metabolise energy properly, resisting nourishment on deeper levels.
Weight struggles after an emotionally turbulent event indicate unresolved trauma that may manifest as insulin resistance, with the body storing emotional pain that creates physical imbalances.
Feeling out of control and overwhelmed by responsibility for others’ needs reflects an energetic imbalance of over-giving, leading to burnout and physical resistance.
The struggle between societal expectations and your true desires results in prioritising others while ignoring your own needs and values, energetically resisting alignment with your authentic self—mirroring the body’s resistance to insulin.
Healing the emotional and energetic roots of insulin resistance is crucial for mothers experiencing burnout. Addressing underlying issues like unprocessed trauma, self-neglect, and imbalanced giving and receiving restores inner harmony. This holistic approach nurtures overall well-being, enabling mothers to reclaim their vitality, enhance resilience, and fully embrace their nurturing roles.
Empowering Your Journey
It’s not enough to have all the information on insulin resistance and metabolic function to get you out of the cycle of burnout and feeling uncomfortable in your body. If you want to stop snapping at everyone, managing your hormone balance is something we need to get under control.
Knowing what to do doesn’t help when you have a biochemical reactivity to defy all of the things you know you should be doing and stay in the current patterns that have acted to keep you feeling safe for some time now.
Together we adjust your biochemical reaction so that you don’t crave the wrong fuel and guide you to feel empowered to know your body, your baseline and how it feels when that shifts.
Regulating metabolic health is a long game and needs big picture views. So it does help to have someone on your team who can see where you’re going when you’re stuck in the fog.
Ready to take control of your health? Let’s work together!
Book your initial consultation now or schedule a free connection call to discuss your concerns and explore how I can help create a personalised plan for you. Reach out today!