How Can I Avoid Anxiety
Appropriate stress management may be key to avoiding conditions such as anxiety. Relaxation techniques include:
- Breathing exercises
- Meditation
- Self-hypnosis
Relaxation methods such as the ones listed above are all be effective in relieving stress. Mindfulness based training in combination with diabetes management are proving an invaluable approach to aid the process of acceptance, while alleviating anxiety and stress.
Research conducted at the psychology department at Stanford University used brain imaging technologies to examine the effect of mindfulness training on social anxiety. They reported that participants who completed the mindfulness course showed reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression and demonstrated an enhanced self-esteem.
Mindfulness practices help to adjust the relationship one has with their panic and anxiety with acceptance, compassion and awareness.
This methodology has been shown to be significantly more effective in the long term. It has been scientifically proven to enhance quality of life and allow the practitioner to develop a disassociation with panic and anxiety, meaning they no longer need these states to define who they are or how they live their lives.
Avoid Adding Sugar To Hot Beverages
Adding a few teaspoons of sugar to a cup of tea or coffee might also negatively affect mood. In fact, some research found that participants who consumed more sugar-sweetened beverages had a higher chance of experiencing symptoms of depression.
The average person in the U.S. consumes around 22 teaspoons worth of added sugars every day.
Sugar can be very addictive, as the dopamine that the brain releases when a person eats sugar provides a high, which can become a dependence.
However, many people who completely eliminate sugar from the diet find themselves irritable, moody, and with low energy. Moderation could be key.
Stress In People With Type 2 Diabetes
For people with type 2 diabetes, high levels of stress can lead to an increase in blood sugar levels. When there is a high level of cortisol in the body, it causes body tissues to be less sensitive to insulin. Therefore, more blood sugar is available in the bloodstream. When this happens, blood sugar levels become imbalanced and can reach dangerously high levels, especially if it is left untreated.
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Acute Hyperglycemia Alters Mood State And Impairs Cognitive Performance In People With Type 2 Diabetes
Surprising Things That Can Spike Your Blood Sugar
When you first found out you had diabetes, you tested your blood sugar often to understand how food, activity, stress, and illness could affect your blood sugar levels. By now, youve got it figured out for the most part. But thenbam! Something makes your blood sugar zoom up. You try to adjust it with food or activity or insulin, and it dips really low. Youre on a rollercoaster no one with diabetes wants to ride.
Do you know all of these blood sugar triggers?
Knowledge is power! Look out for these surprising triggers that can send your blood sugar soaring:
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Anxiety Over Low Blood Sugar
A low blood sugar episode, which can include anything from confusion and shakiness to nausea, loss of consciousness, and seizures, can be very scary. It therefore makes sense that some people with diabetes also experience anxiety related to possibly having a low blood sugar episodeand not just as a physiological reaction to low blood sugar levels.
This anxiety is so common that the term “fear of hypoglycemia” is commonly used among physicians and researchers. Research has found that a history of experiencing mild hypoglycemia increases FoH in people who have diabetes.
How To Balance Blood Sugar
Some foods that will help to balance blood sugar include almonds , quinoa , millet , hummus , avocado , lentils and walnuts .
Consume foods that release energy slowly into the blood stream such as vegetables, berries, and nuts and seeds.
Addressing blood sugar imbalances involves a combination of dietary and lifestyle measures that minimize the shock to the pancreas and the adrenal glands and stabilize carbohydrate metabolism. It is better to address it now because highs and lows in blood sugar will eventually lead to highs only
- Eat three meals per day and 2 additional snacks if need be early on while working on balancing blood sugar and while getting the hang of eating healthy foods. DO NOT SKIP MEALS
- Provide a balance at each meal/snack of protein, complex carbs, healthy fats and fiber.
- Eat foods closer to the form they are found in nature.
- This can look like:
o a protein smoothie with avocado and greens included for breakfast
o snack on handful of almonds mid-morning
o for lunch have chicken salad on a bed of lettuce with a Bubbies pickle and a side salad
o mid-day snack on raw vegetables and hummus
o for dinner have salmon, roasted sweet potato and a vegetable such as asparagus, broccoli or cauliflower.
o AVOID packages foods, sugary foods, artificially sweetened foods and drinks, refined carbs such as pasta and bread, white rice, dried fruits such as banana or apple chips and processed corn products
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Type 1 Diabetes And Anxiety
Type 1 diabetes, which relies on the constant micromanagement of insulin, can lead to the development of anxiety due to a generalized fear of complications, imperfect blood sugar levels, mild or severe low blood sugars, and the constant effort for control.
In life with type 1 diabetes, the more variables a patient is able to control, the more he or she is presumably able to manage their blood sugar levels. Food, activity, hormones, stress, hydration, blood sugar fluctuations during work or school or parenting, and even something as simple as grocery shopping, all have a major and immediate impact on blood sugar levels.
When one or many of these variables are out of ones control which is likely often anxiety can easily develop.
Dealing With Diabetes Can Cause Anxiety
Lets face it: Controlling diabetes is hard work. That in itself is enough to cause worry and stress. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control, those with diabetes are 20 percent more likely to experience anxiety than those without the disease.
We understand this, and were dedicated to helping alleviate your worry by working together as a team to address any distressing issues.
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Symptoms Of Sugar Rushes
Similarly, sugar rush and withdrawal do have a tendency to mimic some of the physical symptoms of anxiety, like shaking and nervousness. This is linked to the rush of energy that you get as the glucose is broken down in your bloodstream in order to release sharp spikes of energy. For most people, this only occurs after considerable sugar consumption, but depending on what you eat and how long you go before eating again, you may be at risk of over stimulating your body and worsening anxiety if you eat sugar.
These symptoms are not causing anxiety, but if you already have anxiety, the added shaking and tension may make your anxiety worse.
Not Surprisingly The Microbiome Is Also Involved In Anxiety And Blood Sugar Balance
What is even more interesting is that higher cortisol levels are associated with the development of type 2 diabetes. For starters, stress can affect how we think and regulate our emotions, which means it naturally influences our eating patterns and sleep habits. It also can influence the gut microbiome, which is the ecosystem of trillions of bacteria, viruses, and fungi that live inside of our gastrointestinal tracts. All of these things taken together can lead us to develop conditions such as obesity, diabetes, fatty liver, stroke, and heart disease.
Poor dietary choices and chronic stress are definitely risk factors for blood sugar imbalance. These are also risk factors for an imbalance in the gut microbiome. This is where the root cause of many chronic diseases comes from, including anxiety and depression. In fact, a recent study showed that there was a particular pattern of imbalance in the gut microbiome in those people who had generalized anxiety disorder.
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Anxiety Over Diabetes Management
Managing your blood sugar and other aspects of your health when you have diabetes can be time consuming and stressful, and also contribute to anxiety.
For people with diabetes, monitoring blood sugar usually involves a home finger prick test. Fear of needles, as well as fear of the results, may lead to anxiety.
One study found that 33% of people with diabetes experience anxiety specific to the finger prick method of glucose testing. Thirty percent of people with diabetes in this same study had generalized anxiety related to their diabetes management.
Other areas of diabetes management may also lead to stress and anxiety. This includes monitoring potential symptoms of vision loss , nerve damage , slow-healing wounds on the feet or extremities, kidney damage, and more.
What The Research Says
40% of people with diabetes. This prevalence is much higher than that in the general U.S. population, where the condition affects 18.1% of people.
People with diabetes are at risk of developing low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia. Some of the symptoms of hypoglycemia are identical to those of anxiety.
Additionally, the results of a 2015 animal study suggest that experiencing several episodes of hypoglycemia can increase the likelihood of anxiety. The reason for this may be that hypoglycemic episodes trigger chemical and metabolic changes that physically affect the part of the brain that plays a role in processing anxiety.
The procedures that healthcare professionals use to diagnose diabetes and anxiety are quite different.
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How To Lower High Blood Sugar
With careful monitoring and control of your blood sugar levels, you can live a healthy life. There are a number of ways you can lower and prevent high blood sugar.
Learn to count carbohydrates: When you count carbs or keep track of what you are eating, you can control your blood sugar more efficiently. Set a maximum amount you can have each day for your meal,s and keep track to make sure you do not go past the limit. This helps to stabilize blood sugar and prevent dangerous spikes. Portion control is important too, so make sure your meals are not too large, as these can cause temporary spikes.
Try meal planning: To help keep track of your carbohydrate intake, start planning your meals. Based on the amount of carbohydrates you can have, plan meals accordingly, so you do not risk going above the set limit. When your meals are planned, you also avoid eating out or getting convenience food, which contains more sugar and fat, and will negatively affect your blood sugar.
Start a weight loss program: Obesity contributes to diabetes and impairs your bodys ability to process energy efficiently. Losing weight helps your body to use insulin more efficiently, and it reduces fat storage, which can trigger inflammation in the body.
Stress In People With Type 1 Diabetes
Stress can affect those with type 1 diabetes by both increasing and decreasing blood sugar. In the case where it lowers blood sugar levels, chronic stress can lead to a syndrome known as adrenal fatigue. Adrenal fatigue is where prolonged exposure to stress drains the adrenal glands, leading to a low cortisol state. In those with type 1 diabetes, the underproduction of hormones such as cortisol can cause an imbalance in hormones that are meant to regulate blood sugar levels.
Research has also looked at whether stress can cause diabetes. Many studies have postulated that chronic stress especially can contribute to the onset of type 1 diabetes in those who are already susceptible to developing it.
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Shortness of breath
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How Common Are Elevated Symptoms Of Anxiety
| One in six people with Type 1 diabetes are affected by moderate to severe anxiety symptoms. | One in five people with Type 2 diabetes who use insulin treatment are affected by moderate to severe anxiety symptoms. |
| One in six people with Type 2 diabetes who don’t use insulin treatment are affected by moderate to severe anxiety symptoms. |
Common Foods That Can Trigger Anxiety Symptoms
Food can have a powerful impact on mood, stress levels, and mental health. Some foods have been shown to cause or worsen the symptoms of anxiety, depression, and other chronic mental-health conditions. While symptoms and triggers are unique to every individual, research studies have found several common foods that can induce anxiety.
Sugar
High sugar intake has been linked to many different health conditions, including obesity, high blood pressure, and tooth decay. Sugar has also been linked to depression, mood swings, and symptoms of anxiety. The initial energy boost gained from eating sugar keeps many people craving sugary foods and drinks. However, once the energy boost has peaked, blood sugar levels drop quickly this leads to lethargy, low mood, and further cravings. The continual boosts and drops in blood sugar levels can trigger the release of adrenalin and cortisol into the bloodstream, causing anxiety and sometimes even panic attacks.
Fried Foods
Processed Foods
Food Additives
Caffeine
A balanced diet is essential for controlling anxiety, depression, and long-term mental health conditions. Eliminating or cutting down on foods known to trigger anxiety symptoms is an important step in managing chronic anxiety disorders. In addition, food sensitivities can precipitate a range of unpleasant symptoms that can mimic anxiety, so it’s important to talk to your doctor if you suspect specific foods may be causing you distress.
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Can Anxiety Cause High Blood Sugar
Yes! Stress and anxiety may play a role in causing high glucose levels in the blood. It has been reported that those who had frequent symptoms of anxiety and stress, their blood sugar levels were quite high.
In recent research, it was found out that anxiety can be a significant factor for developing hyperglycemia.
How and why does anxiety cause high blood sugar can be due to the hormonal change during stressful conditions.
When we are stressed or face a distressing situation, our body goes into fight-and-flight mode and stress hormones are released in the blood. Cortisol, the main stress hormone is diabetogenic, causing the blood sugar levels to rise.
Moreover, epinephrine , growth hormone, and glucagon are also released during stressful conditions and anxiety. They also may be responsible for the high blood sugar levels during anxiety.
Insulin Stimulates Chronic Stress Hormones
Insulin is known to elevate various hormones associated with stress response, while insulin resistance in the brain can impair negative feedback on the brains stress hormone pathways. This creates a vicious cycle between insulin dysfunction and increased stress. Together, these findings suggest that insulin resistance may contribute to depression through an abnormal stress response in the brain.
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How To Prevent Anxiety Over Hypoglycemia
Most likely, if you haven’t already been diagnosed with hypoglycemia, you’re simply experiencing anxiety. It’s perfectly normal to feel as though your anxiety symptoms must be the result of a health problem, and not anxiety, since in many cases anxiety mimics serious health concerns.
Anxiety is more common than many of the health disorders it mimics and unfortunately people with anxiety commonly experiencing health anxiety which may cause further concern over the symptoms they experience.
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Consider Taking A Medication
to help improve your mental state now while you work on other areas of your life. Your anxiety may be directly related to a part of your life that you can change, but while youre in the process of thattaking a medication that helps increase the good chemicals to outweigh the anxiety can make a big difference.
Some medications for generalized anxiety are actually classified as antidepressants:
- Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors
- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
- Atypical antidepressants
- Tricyclic antidepressants
- Monamine oxidase inhibitors
Medications used specifically for anxiety attacks or panic attacks are in a category of their own and work more immediately:
- Benzodiazepines
- Beta-blockers
Some of these medications might have an impact on your blood sugar levels and insulin resistance. Talk to your doctor about the potential of these before starting the drug, so you are prepared to make adjustments in your dosages.
Also, remember that there are several different kinds of antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications, so the first you try may not be the right fit for your body and your depression.
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