Diabetes is a common illness in the world today. As a matter of fact, about 415 million people worldwide are living with diabetes. That is scary right? Well, the good news is that diabetes can be managed for a long time. In this article, we’ll be talking about how stress affects diabetes, and how to manage it. So let’s dive in.
What is diabetes?
First of all, let us know what diabetes is. The National Institute Of Diabetes defines diabetes as a disease that occurs when your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is too high. Blood glucose is your main source of energy and comes from the food you eat. Insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas, helps glucose from food get into your cells to be used for energy. Sometimes your body doesn’t make enough—or any—insulin or doesn’t use insulin well. Glucose then stays in your blood and doesn’t reach your cells.
Over time, having too much glucose in your blood can cause health problems. Although diabetes has no cure, you can take steps to manage your diabetes and stay healthy.
Can stress cause diabetes?
Too many people, diabetes and stress are linked, but does stress cause diabetes? Well, no, and yes. Stress both contributes to and is a consequence of diabetes. However, it is important to note that stress can only increase a person’s blood sugar and hemoglobin levels, which would affect a person with diabetes.
How stress affects diabetes
Truth be told, managing diabetes is a lifelong process. This thought alone can add stress to your daily life. Stress can be a major barrier to effective glucose control. Even more, the stress hormones in your body may directly affect glucose levels. If you’re experiencing stress or feeling threatened, your body reacts. This reaction is called the fight-or-flight response. This response raises your hormone levels and causes your nerve cells to fire.
Furthermore, as your body reacts, it releases adrenaline and cortisol into your bloodstream and your respiratory rates rise. The blood is directed to the muscles and limbs, allowing you to fight the situation. But if you are diagnosed with diabetes, your body may not be able to process the glucose released into your blood. This meayour body can’t convert the glucose into energy, allowing the glucose to build up in the bloodstream.
If stress doesn’t go away, it can keep your blood sugar levels high and put you at higher risk of diabetes complications. When your blood sugar levels go upscale, it is called hyperglycemia. It can also affect your mood and how you look after yourself, which can start to affect your emotional health. Constant stress from long-term problems with blood glucose can also wear you down mentally and physically. This may make managing your diabetes difficult.
Though, scientists found that various stressors can increase a person’s risk of developing diabetes, including:
- stressful life events or traumatic experiences
- general emotional stress
- anger and hostility
- work stress
- distressed sleep
it does not mean that stress alone causes diabetes.
What are the symptoms of stress?
Stress comes with so many symptoms, and many times these symptoms are overlooked because are subtle. Stress can take a toll on your mental and emotional well-being, and it can also affect your physical health. Identifying the symptoms can aid you to recognize stress and take steps to cope with it.
If you feel stressed, you may experience:
- migraines
- muscle pain or tension
- sleeping too much or too little
- general feelings of illness
- tiredness
If you’re stressed, you may feel:
- lazy
- irritable
- unhappy
- restless
- nervous
It’s also common for people who are stressed to engage in behavior that may be out of character. This includes:
- withdrawing from friends and family
- eating too much or too little
- acting out in anger
- drinking alcohol to excess
- using tobacco
How to reduce your stress levels
Excitingly, It’s possible to reduce the stress in your life. below are a few things that you can do to manage the effects of different forms of stress.
Reducing mental stress
Meditating can help remove negative thoughts and allow your mind to relax. Consider starting each morning with a 15-minute meditation. This will set the tone for the rest of your day.
Sit in a chair with your feet firmly planted on the floor and your eyes closed. Recite a mantra that makes sense to you, such as “I will have a good day” or “I feel at peace with the world.” Push away any other thoughts if they enter your head, and allow yourself to be present in the moment.
Reducing emotional stress
If you find yourself in an unwanted emotional state, take five minutes to be by yourself. Remove yourself from your current environment. Find a quiet space to focus on your breathing.
Put your hand on your belly, and feel it rise and fall. Inhale deep breaths, and exhale slowly and loudly. This will slow your heartbeat down, and help bring you back to a stable emotional state. This act of centering yourself may improve how you deal with whatever is causing the stress.
Reducing physical stress
Including yoga in your daily routine can offer both physical activity and meditation at the same time. Yoga can lower your blood pressure, too. Whether its yoga or another form of exercise, your aim should be at least 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise per day. You can do 10 minutes of exercise when you wake up, 10 minutes in the afternoon, and 10 minutes before you go to sleep.
Reducing family stress
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by family duties, don’t forget that it’s OK to say no. Your family will understand if you can’t make it to all events. If your stress stems from not seeing your family as often as you’d like, consider having a family fun night weekly or biweekly. You can play board games or participate in outdoor activities. This can include hiking, swimming, or signing up for a fun run together.
Reducing work stress
Stress issues at work can come home with you. Talk to your supervisor if you’re having a hard time at work. There may be optioto alleviate or work through any issues you may be having.
If that doesn’t help, you may want to consider transferring to a different department or even finding a new job altogether. Although stress levels elevate when looking for a new job, you may find it settles down with a different position better suited for your skills and personality.
How to cope with stress
Coping with stress is different for various people because humahandle things differently. Stress can be both a contributor to diabetes and a consequence of it as we have seen earlier. However, there are many effective ways to relieve stress.
The strategy that works best for one person may be different for the next person. Exploring different optiocan help a person find the strategy that works best for them. However, it is important to know that stress begiin the mind, so to tackle it, you have to work on your mind.
Below are some examples to try:
Mindfulness
In 2018, a study was carried out, and 29 people with diabetes received mindfulness sessioand education, while 30 people in the control group did not. People who received the training had significant improvements in their mental health outcomes and diabetes management measures, including fasting blood glucose and hemoglobin.
Take breaks from watching, reading, or listening to news stories
Including those on social media. It’s good to be informed but hearing about the traumatic event constantly can be upsetting. Consider limiting news to just a couple of times a day and disconnecting from phone, TV, and computer screefor a while.
Managing anger
People with diabetes who are feeling angry should try to figure out why they feel this way.
Understanding the cause of anger is one step in the right direction to resolving the issue. The American Diabetes Association provides the following tips for controlling angry feelings:
Take a breath or take multiple deep breaths, if needed.
- Drink water.
- Sit down.
- Lean back.
- Shake the arms loose.
- Try to silence the mind.
- Take a walk.
- Stress reduction strategies
Talk to others.
Talk with people external icoyou trust about your concerand how you are feeling. Share your problems and how you are feeling and coping with a parent, friend, counselor, doctor, or pastor.
Why is it important to learn to cope with stress?
Coping usually involves adjusting to or tolerating negative events or realities while you try to keep your positive self-image and emotional equilibrium. Coping occurs in the context of life changes that are perceived to be stressful. Psychological stress is usually associated with negative life changes, such as losing a job or a loved one. However, all changes require some sort of adaptation. Even positive changes — such as getting married or having a child — can be stressful.
Stressors that require coping may be severe, like moving to a new home or experiencing the onset of marriage problems. Stressors also occur that are of longer duration, such as chronic pain, chronic illness, or long-lasting financial problems.
The effect of many severe stressors that come within a relatively brief period of time may be cumulative and profound. Those who experience a marital separation, the death of an aging parent, and a change in a job within a brief period of time may struggle to maintain their physical and emotional health.
However, in such severe stressful moments, managing the stress is important, as it limits the chances of getting diabetic-related issues.
Conclusion
Finally, coping with stress is important, especially if you have diabetes. With the above strategies, you should not have problems coping with stress, which will improve your chances of living longer.