Diabetes and Stress

Diabetes management is a lifelong process. This can increase your stress level. Stress hormones in your body may directly affect the glucose levels. If you’re experiencing stress your body reacts. This is called the fight-or-flight response. This response raises your hormone levels.

During this response, your body releases cortisol and adrenaline hormones into your bloodstream and your rate of respiration increases. Your body directs blood to the limbs and muscles allowing you to fight and overcome the situation. If you have diabetes, your body may not be able to process the glucose released by the firing nerve cells. This causes your blood glucose levels to rise.

Constant stress from long-term problems with blood glucose can put you down mentally and physically. This may make managing your diabetes difficult.

How can different types of stress affect diabetes?

Stress can affect diabetic people differently. The type of stress that you experience can have an influence on your body’s physical response. When people with type 2 diabetes are under mental stress, they generally experience an increase in their blood glucose levels in their body. People with type 1 diabetes may have a more varied response when they are in stress. This means that they can experience either a decrease or an increase in their blood glucose levels.

When the patient is under physical stress, your blood sugar can also increase. This can happen when you’re sick or injured. This can affect people with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes patients.

What are the symptoms of stress?

Sometimes, the symptoms of stress are delicate and you may not notice them. Stress can take a toll on your emotional & mental well-being and it can also impact your physical health. Recognizing the symptoms can help you identify stress and take few steps to manage it. If you’re stressed, you may experience: headaches, fatigue, muscle pain or tension, sleeping too much or too little, general feelings of illness. 

If you’re stressed, you may feel: unmotivated, anxious, irritable, depressed, restless

How to reduce your stress levels

It’s possible to lessen or limit the stressors in your life. Here are a few things that you can do to manage the effects of different forms of stress.

Reducing mental stress: Meditating can help remove negative thoughts and allow your mind to relax. Consider starting each morning with a 15-minute meditation. This will set the rest of your day.

Reducing emotional stress: If you find yourself in an unwanted emotional stage, take five minutes to be by yourself. Remove yourself from your current environment. Find a quiet space to focus on your breathing.

Reducing physical stress: Adding yoga to your daily routine can provide both physical and mental wellness. Practicing yoga can lower your blood pressure too.