If you have diabetes, you may not have considered the effect stress has on your body. But it’s vitally important for you to be aware that stress has a different effect on your body than it does on the body of a healthy person. In fact, stress can alter your condition and your ability to control it.
The Effect of Stress on Diabetes
If you’re “stressed out,” you might not take good care of yourself. Maybe you eat more, drink more or exercise less when you’re stressed. Perhaps you skip meals or forget to take your medicines. All of these actions have greater consequences if you have diabetes, as they can indirectly affect your blood sugar levels.
And if you have Type 2 Diabetes, the “fight or flight” stress hormones released by your body can block the release of insulin, which causes an increase in your blood glucose levels.
To determine if stress affects your blood sugar levels, rate your stress level on a scale of 1 to 10 immediately prior to testing your blood glucose levels. Write both numbers down and look for any emerging patterns after a week or two (i.e., high stress = high blood sugar).
Sometimes there’s no way to avoid the stress in your life, but there are ways to manage it and help keep your diabetes under control.
Learn to Relax With…
- Breathing exercises: Take deep breaths … relax your muscles as you breathe out
- Meditation: Sit still in a quiet place and focus on your breathing
- Positive thinking: Find something good in each important aspect of your life
- Progressive muscle relaxation: Tense your muscles then slowly release them
- Visualization and guided imagery: Create and focus on mental images of a desired outcome or “happy place”
Exercise
Whether it’s a vigorous, intense workout or a calming yoga class, exercise releases “feel good” endorphins that can give you a feeling of well-being and stress relief.
Open Up
It’s not healthy to keep stress bottled up inside. Talk to a close friend or family member about your stress. If you’re not comfortable talking to someone you know, seek the help of a psychologist or counselor.
Try different approaches until you find one or more that works for you. You might find certain techniques work better for one stressor than for others.
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