How stressed are you today? One clue: your blood sugar levels. Too much stress can directly — and indirectly — cause unhealthy blood sugar changes in people with diabetes.

How Stress Zaps Your Health

Stresses come in big and small packages — from job loss or surgery to traffic jams. And don’t underestimate the daily stress of living with diabetes. Faced with stress, the body naturally releases hormones and energy stores, including glucose, a type of sugar. Insulin then aids in the absorption of the extra energy into the cells. Called the fight-or-flight response, this biological reaction gives you energy to deal with the situation at hand. But diabetes can interfere with this stress response. In people with type 2 diabetes, stress actually suppresses the release of insulin. As a result, blood sugar levels tend to rise too high. Researchers aren’t sure why, but blood sugar changes vary in people with type 1 diabetes under stress. Some see their levels rise; others see them go down. Stress can cause other unhealthy reactions in people with — and without — diabetes. Under stress, people may:

• exercise less, drink too much alcohol, or engage in other unhealthy habits that can affect blood sugar levels
• have a higher risk of catching an infection
• face an elevated risk of depression or anxiety.

Balancing Stress and Diabetes

You can minimize the negative health effects of stress. First, find out how stress affects your blood sugar levels. For a week or two, rate your stress levels on a scale from one to 10 every time you check your blood sugar levels. Then, work with your doctor to look for a pattern. Do your blood sugar levels rise when you’re stressed? If so, you may need to be extra diligent about eating well, exercising and following other healthy practices during stressful times. If your blood sugar levels tend to go down when you’re stressed, be extra cautious about hypoglycemia or low blood sugar. Don’t skip or delay meals or snacks. And carry a high-carbohydrate snack with you. The signs of hypoglycemia, such as irritability and sweating, can mimic those of stress. So, be sure to test your blood sugar if you suspect it might be too low.

Tips for Taming Stress

The following strategies can help you cope with stress:

• Try relaxation techniques such as deep breathing.
• Think of a stressful event as a problem to be solved. For instance, how could you change your work situation to make it less stressful?
• If you can’t change a stressful situation, change how you react to it. For example, instead of getting upset when a grocery line moves at a snail’s pace, use the time to practice deep breathing.

Family Health Center
Find a family practice physician

---

The editorial content of this online publication is taken from the print version of Discover published by Franklin Square Hospital Center. Check out complete issues of Discover.