glycogen in the liver back into
glucose and releases it into the
bloodstream for use as energy
elsewhere in the body. Got it?
Good.There is normally about five grams (a
teaspoon) of blood sugar circulating in your
bloodstream at any given time. However, for
various reasons—when we’re under stress,
when we haven’t eaten in a long time, or when
we’ve had the low blood sugar rebound
previously described—our blood sugar
“temperature” can get too low. (The science-y
term for this is “hypoglycemia.”) Since
glucose supply to the brain is literally a
matter of life or death—you’ll go into a coma
if blood glucose levels dip extremely low—
your body has multiple fail-safe mechanisms
to ensure that doesn’t happen. One of these
mechanisms works via a hormone called
glucagon.