How Does Stress Affect Blood Glucose in Diabetics
Stress is a diabolical attack that can cause diabetes to spiral out of control. When the body is stressed, it reacts in several ways that affect every part of your body, including your blood glucose levels.
Simply dealing with the day to day management of diabetes is stressful and can become an obstacle to preventing a roller coaster of harmful reactions. The nerve cells in your body releases adrenalin and cortisol when you’re stressed. When you have diabetes, your body may not have the ability to process this sudden rush of glucose.
Relentless stress from a diabetic condition or from other problems can eventually cause mental and physical distress, making the management of your diabetes condition even more difficult.
The Vicious Cycle of Stress on Diabetes
When you add a diagnosis of diabetes to the numerous other stresses you have in your life, it could feel overwhelming. Your diabetes condition may be much more difficult to manage during stressful times because hormones such as cortisol and epinephrine are sent directly to your bloodstream.
The glucose builds up in the bloodstream and, because of diabetes, your body may not be able to turn the glucose into energy and result in a rise of your blood glucose levels. Mental and physical stress cause different reactions depending on whether you have type 1 or 2 diabetes.
Mental stress may affect those with type 2 diabetes, causing an increase in blood glucose levels when under mental stress. Type 1 diabetics could show and decrease or increase in blood glucose levels during mental stress.
Physical stress such as an illness or injury may also cause increases in blood sugar with both type 1 or 2 diabetes. Keeping track of dates where you were especially stressed can help you determine what was happening at the time.
This information can pinpoint stress triggers that increased your blood sugar levels. Then, then you can take the necessary actions to reduce the stress. For example, you may become mentally stressed when you have an important deadline to meet.
You may need to set more short term goals so you can reach the deadline easily without bringing stress into the mix. You can further define your stress triggers by rating the stress level from 1 to 10 with 10 being the highest stress level.
Write the number down and then check your glucose levels. It won’t take long for you to see a pattern of what types of stress make your blood sugar levels climb. When you can actually see what’s causing the stress you’ll be better able to take steps to combat it.
The increase in blood sugar is meant to give us energy in the fight-or-flight response when we need it the most. But most of us don’t have to flee from a challenge anymore. Those without diabetes usually have systems that can keep the blood sugar from rising.
With diabetes, that system isn’t working properly, so the blood sugar can spiral out of control. Unless you can control the levels with diet, exercise and medications, you may experience some other health complications.
Chronic Stress Can Cause Bodily Harm to a Diabetic
Chronic stress can cause diseases and other medical maladies for those who don’t have diabetes. But, if you have been diagnosed with type 1 or 2 diabetes, the chances are much greater that stress will cause much more damage.
Diabetics simply don’t have enough insulin to cope with the rise in blood sugar that chronic stress causes. Type 1 diabetics produce no insulin and type 2 diabetics have a serious deficit, making it impossible to fight off the constant attack.
Chronic stress to a diabetic is like a chisel and hammer continuously pounding on a rock holding up a statue. Sooner or later, that rock will wear down and the statue will fall. Your body will do the same unless you find a way to control the stress.
Some of the medical problems that can occur when a diabetic experiences chronic stress includes blindness, high blood pressure and strokes, cardiovascular disease, kidney and nerve problems.
When chronic stress affects the nerves, foot numbness may occur. The fallout from this is that you’re much more prone to injuries and infections that are difficult to heal. Stress may also cause you to binge eat or not eat enough to help your diabetic condition.
Chronic stress caused by emotional issues such as a divorce or loss of job can cause many reactions in your body that can affect your diabetic condition in negative ways. Physical stress such as the flu, chronic pain or headaches can also be a problem, but it’s the longer-lasting stressors that have more of an effect on diabetes.
Those who battle with stress may stop exercising or enjoying life because they’re too drained, emotionally, to make the effort. This creates and compounds the vicious cycle of blood sugar highs and lows.
You may go through periods when you don’t realize you’re stressed, but it can silently wreak havoc on your emotional and mental state of mind. If you know how to recognize the symptoms of stress, you’re more apt to be able to manage it successfully.
Some symptoms of stress include persistent headaches, fatigue, muscle pain, too much or too little sleep and feeling as if you’re becoming ill. All of these symptoms can cause you to feel anxious and unmotivated.
When you experience chronic stress, it can cause you to react in negative ways such as withdrawing from social activities, becoming irritable and angry or eating and drinking (alcohol) too much.
If you’re a diabetic, it’s especially imperative that you take steps to reduce your stress levels before it causes more severe medical complications. Everyone will have stress periodically, but it’s the long-lasting stress that causes a problem for diabetics.
The Importance of Monitoring Stress and Blood Glucose Levels In Diabetics
Self-monitoring of your stress and blood sugar levels is an important tool in managing a diabetic condition and preventing some of the complications that can arise from chronic stress.
The first step in finding out how stress may be affecting your blood sugar levels is to figure out when to test your blood sugar, depending on the type of diabetes you have and the medications you may be taking.
Diabetics know the importance of monitoring blood sugar levels, but stress levels should be monitored also, since stress has such an impact on raising blood sugar levels and causing damage.
Recognizing when you’re under stress is sometimes difficult, but there are signs of chronic stress such as lack of sleep, headaches or chronic fatigue that can tip you off. Understanding how your body responds to stress is key to being able to control blood sugar levels.
If you have symptoms of stress, you should monitor your blood sugar levels very closely to see how the stress is affecting you. Try to find a solution to the stress you’re experiencing and then test it again until you find a solution that works.
Keep trying to find a solution for your stress. If not, you could face the risk of developing dire consequences as a result of continuous high blood sugar levels. As you monitor your progress with fighting stress, assess how well your treatment goals are being met.
Also, monitor the effects of stress when you’re taking diabetes medications and when you aren’t. Your doctor may need to adjust the meds accordingly. The stress in your life probably isn’t going to disappear, but you can reduce the risks associated with it.
Non-diabetics also run the risk of developing illnesses and diseases from too much stress, but those with type 1 or 2 diabetes are much more likely to manifest stress in negative ways.
That’s why the diabetic under stress must go the extra mile to alleviate the symptoms of stress and be able to find solutions to lessen the effects on their blood sugar. You may not be able to keep stress out of your life, but you can change the way you handle it.
Stress Management Solutions That Are Perfect for Diabetics
Diabetics should realize the importance of finding solutions to chronic stress because of the extra risk of developing severe complications. And besides having all the stresses everyone else is dealing with, the diabetic also has the stress of being a diabetic and everything that entails – such as monitoring blood glucose.
Great ways to relieve stress for anyone includes exercise, meditation and deep breathing. If you’re a diabetic, you may need to think about the types of stress you’re dealing with and try various types of exercise until you find one that works.
For example, emotional stress might be reduced by taking some time away from your current environment to relax and meditate in a quiet place. Pay attention to your breathing while relaxing and take deep breaths to slow your heartrate.
This exercise will help stabilize your emotions so you can better deal with whatever is causing the stressful situation. Mental stress might be reduced in the same way. Begin with a 15-minute meditation time each day and try to get rid of negative thoughts by replacing them with positive ones. It can become a good daily habit.
Stress at work is also a nemesis of the diabetic, and the problems are often brought home – causing even more stress. If you’re having a work issue that can be talked over with a supervisor, try that method first.
Otherwise, you may want to transfer to another department or look for another job. Trying to find a job also brings some stress, but when you find a job that fits your skill and personal criteria, you’ll be much happier – and have less stress.
Stress originating from family, friends or relationships is especially difficult to deal with. Stress from family often means that you’re overextended and overwhelmed by family obligations.
Say no when you’re feeling stressed about being stretched too tight. Try having quality time with your family when you do see them and explaining your situation. Most will react positively and want to help you eliminate stress from your life.
Physical stress can usually be alleviated by exercise. Yoga is a gentle, yet effective form of exercise that is perfect for diabetics. Yoga can lower your blood pressure and help you sleep better.
You should also try for a half hour of cardiovascular exercises. If all the remedies you try don’t seem to help and your blood glucose levels continue to spike, consider getting in touch with an online diabetic support group.
You will find lots of help that can benefit you in many ways. A personal therapist can help you cope with the stress and personal matters.
Lifestyle Changes That Help a Diabetic Cope
Receiving a diagnosis of diabetes changes many things about how you live your life. You may need to make some lifestyle changes to cope with the diabetic condition. If you’ve lived a stressful life and now have to cope with diabetes, it’s important that you make changes immediately.
Some drastic changes may be the only answer to reducing or eliminating the stress in your life. You may need to change jobs, end a toxic relationship or even move to a new environment to get relief.
Taking a long, hard look at yourself and how you’re living your life is a good start to understanding what’s causing stress in your life and how you can reduce or eliminate the problems.
Besides dealing with stresses in your daily life, you also have to deal with a disease that is psychologically and physically challenging and can interfere with your current lifestyle. First, you must adjust to the disease and begin to follow the treatment plan.
This may cause stress in the form of depression, anxiety, and high blood pressure. Situations that began as normal stress may turn in to chronic stress. Chronic stress is like putting your body on high alert. If it continues for a long stretch of time, complications may develop.
Some strategies to combat long term chronic stress include exercise, keeping a routine and getting adequate sleep. If you aren’t already exercising, it’s time to begin. Vary cardio exercises or strength training with relaxation exercises for a more complete fix.
Developing a routine can also fight chronic stress. Routines are predictable and can lessen the stress you feel on a daily basis. Routines also help manage diabetes by giving you clear cut times that you test your blood glucose levels or take medications.
Setting up a routine to deal with diabetes management can make it easier to remember. It’s also helpful to eat at certain times so your body gets used to the rise and fall of glucose levels and you can manage it better because you know the process.
Unhealthy stressors – such as smoking, binging on unhealthy foods, excess use of alcohol and working long hours can affect anyone negatively – but the diabetic can suffer diabolical consequences unless he or she makes some lifestyle changes.
Seek social support or therapy from a professional if you can’t manage your stress levels. When your blood glucose levels suffer from the stress in your life, it’s time to make serious changes.
