The Link Between Stress and Diabetes
Stress can have an adverse affect on blood sugar levels, andthis can complicate diabetes management. When you’re under stress, you hunkerdown into “fight or flight” mode, designed to prepare you for and protect youagainst short-term dangers.
Your body releases glucose into your bloodstream from stored reserves in yourliver, muscles and adipose tissues. Additionally, your body releases hormoneslike epinephrine and adrenaline, which is your body’s way of preparing itself incase it needs to run away from a physical threat. Both hormones increase yourblood glucose levels.
Most of the threats confronting us in the modern world are psychologicallyinduced. You may be stuck in a traffic jam or become involved in an irritatinginteraction with a coworker at your job. In neither case is the flight or fightreaction adaptive to your needs. But the body doesn’t really distinguishbetween psychological and physical threats.
For many people, stress can be a chronic state of affairs. People end upworrying about situations that they have no control over. This can greatlyexacerbate diabetes symptoms. Managing stress is an essential component ofmanaging diabetes.
The Diabetic’s Guide To Managing Stress
The goal of diabetes treatment is to bring blood glucose levels toacceptable levels. The goal of long-term diabetes management, on the other hand, is to stabilize fluctuationsin those blood glucose levels.
People with diabetes often have a mixed reaction to stress. In individuals withtype 1 diabetes, stress is as likely to drive glucose levels down as it is toelevate glucose levels. In individuals with type 2 diabetes, however, stressalmost always elevates blood sugar levels.
People who are not affected by diabetes have compensatory mechanisms that keepblood sugar within safe limits. This isn’t true for diabetics, however. Stresscan easily precipitate a dangerous blood sugar shift.
You may have little control over external sources of stress, but you do havecontrol over your reaction to that stress. Increasingly, diabetes treatmentcenters, such as Seattle-based Ramey Nutrition, are teaching diabetics basic relaxationtechniques that can help them modulate their reaction to stress. Thesetechniques include
• Yoga: Yoga not only helps you relax, it can also help you lose weight. Thereis also some evidence that yoga can improve the functioning of the pancreas.The pancreas is the organ that produces insulin.
• Meditation: At least one clinical study has linked mediation with lower bloodsugars in type 2 diabetics.
Cognitive behavioral therapy: Cognitive behavioral therapy helps individuals replace maladaptive behaviors with problem-solving behaviors.CBT can help diabetics pinpoint why their blood sugars are unusually high, andtake active steps to reduce incidents of re-occurrence.
It’s also important to learn to recognize stress triggers, say diabetesexperts. Physicians recommend assigning stress levels numbers between one andten, and writing your stress level down every time you check your blood sugarlevel. Once you start doing this, you’ll know with some accuracy how stressaffects your blood sugars.
Your body releases glucose into your bloodstream from stored reserves in yourliver, muscles and adipose tissues. Additionally, your body releases hormoneslike epinephrine and adrenaline, which is your body’s way of preparing itself incase it needs to run away from a physical threat. Both hormones increase yourblood glucose levels.
Most of the threats confronting us in the modern world are psychologicallyinduced. You may be stuck in a traffic jam or become involved in an irritatinginteraction with a coworker at your job. In neither case is the flight or fightreaction adaptive to your needs. But the body doesn’t really distinguishbetween psychological and physical threats.
For many people, stress can be a chronic state of affairs. People end upworrying about situations that they have no control over. This can greatlyexacerbate diabetes symptoms. Managing stress is an essential component ofmanaging diabetes.
The Diabetic’s Guide To Managing Stress
The goal of diabetes treatment is to bring blood glucose levels toacceptable levels. The goal of long-term diabetes management, on the other hand, is to stabilize fluctuationsin those blood glucose levels.
People with diabetes often have a mixed reaction to stress. In individuals withtype 1 diabetes, stress is as likely to drive glucose levels down as it is toelevate glucose levels. In individuals with type 2 diabetes, however, stressalmost always elevates blood sugar levels.
People who are not affected by diabetes have compensatory mechanisms that keepblood sugar within safe limits. This isn’t true for diabetics, however. Stresscan easily precipitate a dangerous blood sugar shift.
You may have little control over external sources of stress, but you do havecontrol over your reaction to that stress. Increasingly, diabetes treatmentcenters, such as Seattle-based Ramey Nutrition, are teaching diabetics basic relaxationtechniques that can help them modulate their reaction to stress. Thesetechniques include
• Yoga: Yoga not only helps you relax, it can also help you lose weight. Thereis also some evidence that yoga can improve the functioning of the pancreas.The pancreas is the organ that produces insulin.
• Meditation: At least one clinical study has linked mediation with lower bloodsugars in type 2 diabetics.
Cognitive behavioral therapy: Cognitive behavioral therapy helps individuals replace maladaptive behaviors with problem-solving behaviors.CBT can help diabetics pinpoint why their blood sugars are unusually high, andtake active steps to reduce incidents of re-occurrence.
It’s also important to learn to recognize stress triggers, say diabetesexperts. Physicians recommend assigning stress levels numbers between one andten, and writing your stress level down every time you check your blood sugarlevel. Once you start doing this, you’ll know with some accuracy how stressaffects your blood sugars.
-by Alex Kerwin
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