Ways To Reduce Stress And Manage Blood Sugar Levels
High blood sugar levels can lead to a range of symptoms, ranging from exhaustion to heart disease. Eating a healthy diet and adopting other healthier habits can help control blood sugar and prevent complications due to diabetes. Here are five simple things diabetics can do to combat stress and manage blood sugar levels:
If It Gets Too High It Causes Stress And A Flurry Of Hormones That Lead To Headaches
Its true that sugar can cause headaches but the actual cause of a sugar headache is not too much sugar its not enough sugar essentially a crash of your blood sugar level. Dec 29 2017 High or low blood glucose levels A headache can be a symptom of hypo- or hyper glycaemia when blood glucose levels go too low or too high. With high blood sugar small amounts of swelling can happen in and around blood vessels and surrounding brain tissue which can cause headache.
Fasting eating high-sugar foods dieting too rigorously and skipping meals can all trigger or make people more likely to have a headache or migraine. In such a scenario your blood sugar level might even topple over 180-200 mgdL. High blood sugar or hyperglycemia may occur when your blood glucose.
Both too much and too little sugar can cause a headache. Sep 02 2014 A headache from high blood glucose generally takes several days to develop. As a result the symptoms are often slow to appear.
Therefore if someone who usually consumes a lot of sugar suddenly stops consuming it their body and brain can go into withdrawal and cause a headache. Consuming too much sugar or refined carbohydrates can lead to high. Even delayed or irregular meals can make a difference.
When it comes to sugar you shouldnt stop cold turkey. Jun 02 2020 A person may get a headache from a rapid change in blood glucose levels. High blood sugar is generally defined as a blood sugar of 180 mgdl or higher.
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How To Cope With Stress
Everyone copes with stressful situations in different ways. If you want to change the way you react so things feel easier, try the Stress Manager tool on our Learning Zone. Answer questions on how you deal with the demands of managing your condition to get a plan of action to help you simplify stressful situations.
Look after yourself
At times of stress, its even more important to remember to look after yourself and treat yourself kindly.
But we know its not always as easy as that. If youre extra busy at work or looking after family then forgetting to eat or take medication can happen.
Its important to get a balance between looking after yourself without putting too much pressure on yourself to do everything perfectly. This can add or lead to stress. But its good to be aware of how easy it can be to give into the habit of letting diabetes self-care slip in times of stress.
Getting enough sleep and building exercise, rest and relaxation time into your routine helps some people cope better with stress.
When things get hard, I usually go into self-care over drive. If too many hypos are throwing me off, Ill hole up on the sofa with blankets and some trashy TV to make me feel better.
Laura, who has type 1 diabetes read Lauras story
And you dont need us to tell you that turning to comfort food will raise your blood sugar and make you feel worse. Similarly, drinking more alcohol will affect your blood sugar levels.
Talk to others
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What To Do If You Have A Blood Sugar Spike
For those with diabetes, having a blood sugar spike can be dangerous because too much sugar in the blood passes into the urine. This triggers the body to filter out the fluid, which could lead to dehydration or a diabetic coma.
In the event that blood sugar levels spike because of stressors that cannot be managed, its vital to make managing your blood glucose a priority. You can do this by focusing on things you can control, such as your diet and exercise, checking your blood sugar regularly, and taking your medications as instructed by your physician.
Stay Organized To Improve Your A1c And Lower Stress
Staying organized about all the aspects of your care doctors appointments, at-home blood-glucose monitoring, medication schedules can help with overall diabetes management. According to past research, maintaining solid organizational practices are linked to lower chronic cortisol levels, and finding a diabetes-management routine that works for you will also reduce the risk of health complications.
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Normal Blood Sugar Fluctuation Range
In non-diabetic people, the fluctuations of blood sugar levels are narrow despite long hours of fasting or after feasting. This is because of their metabolic hemostasis that allows them to maintain balance and equilibrium.
Reduce the intake of caffeine and substitute it with lemonade or something else. Consult your doctor before traveling overseas or before a season change.People might have high blood sugar in certain unusual circumstances. Insulin-dependent patients, in some cases suffer from scarring and fat formation. This happens if a patient injects insulin repeatedly at a single site. Due to this, there might be delayed absorption of insulin leading to high sugar levels.Later on, after the insulin is absorbed, the blood sugar level might go low. These patients have to change the site of the insulin injection.
Some diabetics have high sugar levels due to kidney diseases, and thyroid and adrenal disorders. Others might have increased sugar levels due to an issue with their injections, and insulin pumps.
It is to be noted that people who have persistent and unexplained hypoglycemia should consult an Endocrinologist for further evaluation. A thorough lab work is warranted along with a relook at the medications prescribed. Pituitary and adrenal evaluation might be required.
For better management of blood sugar levels consult our Diabetes Clinics near by or call our toll free number: 18001031010
Sugar Can Affect Your Mood
Youve probably heard of the term sugar rush and have maybe even turned to a doughnut or soda for an extra boost during a long day.
Yet sugar may not be such a positive pick-me-up after all. Recent research indicates that sugary treats have no positive effect on mood.
In fact, sugar may have the opposite effect over time.
One found that consuming a diet high in sugar can increase the chances of incident mood disorders in men, and recurrent mood disorders in both men and women.
A more recent 2019 study found that regular consumption of saturated fats and added sugars were related to higher feelings of anxiety in adults over age 60.
Although more studies are needed to solidify the relationship between mood and sugar consumption, its important to consider how
If your idea of coping with stress involves a pint of Ben and Jerrys, youre not alone. Lots of people turn to sugary sweets when they feel anxious.
Thats because sugary foods can weaken the bodys ability to respond to stress.
Sugar can help you feel less frazzled by suppressing the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis in your brain, which controls your response to stress.
Researchers at the University of California, Davis found that sugar inhibited stress-induced cortisol secretion in healthy female participants, minimizing feelings of anxiety and tension. Cortisol is known as the stress hormone.
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S To Find Out If Stress Is Affecting Your Blood Glucose Levels
- Step 1. Rate your stress level from 1-10, where 1 indicates the lowest stress level and 10 the highest. Record the stress level along with situation and feelings in your logbook.
- Step 2. Test your blood glucose and record your result.
- Step 3. After a week or two, study your results to see if theres any pattern between your stress levels and your blood glucose levels.
Stress Is Affecting Your Type 2 Diabetes
You know the things you eat affect your diabetes. Its easy to see the impact a brownie has on your blood sugar. You also know that exercise, your family history, and even your gender can play a role in the development and severity of your diabetes.
But do you know how stress is affecting your diabetes? One recent study has shown that stress increases the risk of getting type 2 diabetes in older women. But men are at risk too. Anyone with stress faces an increased risk of getting type 2 diabetes or seeing changes in your diabetes if youve already been diagnosed. Both physical and emotional stress can cause changes in your blood sugar levels, which can cause or worsen your diabetes.
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What Increases My Risk For Nondiabetic Hyperglycemia
- A medical condition such as Cushing syndrome or polycystic ovarian syndrome
- Surgery or trauma, such as a burn or injury
- Infections, such as pneumonia or a urinary tract infection
- Certain medicines, such as steroids or diuretics
- Nutrition given through a feeding tube or IV
- A family history of diabetes or gestational diabetes
- Obesity or a lack of physical activity
Handling Your Response To Stress
You have some control over your reaction to stress. You can learn to relax and this may reduce your bodys hormonal response to stress. There are often groups in your community, or books you can read, that teach relaxation techniques.
Some of these techniques are surprisingly simple and effective. There are a range of options to help you relax. For example:
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Breathing exercises
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Getting regular exercise
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Consciously replacing bad thoughts with good ones
Whatever method you choose to relax, practice it. Just as it takes weeks or months of practice to learn a new sport, it takes practice to learn relaxation.
You can also often make quite simple lifestyle changes that can help reduce some of the stress factors. For example, if you always get very stressed when you get stuck in a traffic jam that makes you late for work, think about what other options are open to you. Would it be a more healthy option for you to walk to the railway station and take the train?
Take time to look at your life coolly and clearly. One way to do this is to imagine that you are a friend who has come to talk to you over the fact that their life is getting them down. What changes could that friend make in their life? Changes that would either reduce their stress levels or strengthen their ability to cope?
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If Possible Eliminate Long
McIntyre says that too much stress can be a warning that something needs to change. Since long-term stressors affect your long-term blood sugar levels and can cause damage to your overall health, theyre even more worthy of a reevaluation. Is it your job thats tipping you over the edge? If so, he suggests that you have a conversation with your boss on how to improve your work environment, apply for a transfer, or even start the hunt for a new job.
What You Can Do
The only way to fight the symptoms of stress is to work to address and eliminate its causes actively. Sometimes you wont be able to do this on your own, especially in case of chronic stress. This is where therapy and counselling may help you. If the symptoms persist despite your best efforts, you should talk to your doctor to learn about your other options.
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Stress And Insulin Resistance
If youre always bombarded with stress, your body will numb itself to insulin, the hormone that essentially helps bring blood sugar levels down.
In other words, not only will your body produce more blood sugar, but the existing blood sugar wont be absorbed in cells due to insulin resistance.
Instead, it will stay floating in your blood.
Long-term, this puts a strain on your pancreas and other organs. And can lead to the health issues we mentioned above.
So what can you do to control stress and your blood sugar levels with it?
Below we explain exactly that.
What Causes High Blood Sugar Levels In Non
To fully understand what causes high blood sugar levels in non-diabetics, it makes sense to go back to first principles of blood glucose regulation.
You will be glad you did, because by the end of this blog post, you will have the fundamental knowledge to connect all the dots regarding why blood sugar may be high in a non-diabetic.
So, lets do that, shall we:
Behind your stomach is an organ called the pancreas. The pancreas has a cluster of cells scattered within it called the beta cells.
The beta cells are very important to us. As little in size as they are, their importance cannot be over-emphasized.
Why is this?
Because Beta cells of the pancreas are responsible for producing, storing and releasing insulin when called upon.
You need insulin to survive. Without insulin your cells cannot access the glucose in the blood circulation. Without insulin energy production will cease. Insulin is the hormone that drives sugar from the blood circulation into the cells.
When glucose gets inside the cells, it can then be used by the mitochondria to produce energy. This is the energy we need to perform both basic and advanced everyday activities.
How does insulin interact with the food we eat? When you eat, digestion of food begins in the mouth. The glucose in the food you eat gets released by the process of digestion via enzymes in your saliva and stomach.
This is called Second Phase Insulin Release.
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What Are Symptoms Of Depression
Too much stress sometimes can lead to depression. People with diabetes are more likely to be depressed than the average person. You may be at risk for depression if you have any of the following symptoms for more than a week:
- Feeling sad or irritable
- Having lost interest in activities you enjoy
- Feeling worthless
Research Into Sugar And Anxiety
Animal research seems to confirm these ideas. A study in 2008 found that rats that went on a sugar binge and then were deprived of food seemed to have a dopamine imbalance that lead to increased anxiety.
Another study published in 2009 found that long term sugar use seemed more likely to impair memory and reduce the ability to fight anxiety, although the mechanisms of how this happened are unclear. These studies suggest that sugar may affect your ability to cope with anxiety.
What to Do About Anxiety and Blood Sugar
The simple solution is to maintain a healthier diet. A healthier diet will be less prone to symptoms of sugar and insulin imbalances that often lead to panic and anxiety attacks. A healthier diet will also improve your body’s ability to cope with stress, and potentially provide you with more energy that you can use to exercise or change your lifestyle in other ways.
What is a healthier diet?
It is a diet that is:
- Free of processed foods .
- High in vegetables and moderate quantities of fruit .
- Foods of different colors .
- Foods with little to no added sugar.
- Meals that are high in protein, fiber, minerals like magnesium, and fatty acids.
Cutting down on refined sugars is important for overall health, and while it won’t have a significant impact on your anxiety, minor changes can add up over time. The healthier your body feels, the more youll feel good on the whole, and the easier it will be for you to manage your anxiety.
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Practice Mindfulness To Promote A Feeling Of Calm
Whether you choose deep-breathing exercises, meditation, or yoga, mindfulness techniques are designed to help you reduce stress.
A short-term randomized controlled trial of 60 people with type 2 diabetes found that those who used mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques saw improved fasting blood sugar and A1C and lower levels of anxiety and depression. Researchers published those results in 2018 in the Journal of Diabetes Research.
Explore a variety of relaxation techniques, Belfort De Aguiar suggests, to find one that works for you. If you have trouble winding down, apps such as Headspace and Calm are popular, budget-friendly options for learning how to practice mindfulness.
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