Most of us think of stress as something that affects our mood, but if you have diabetes, it can affect your blood sugar too. A stressful day at work, money worries, being unwell or even a family argument can all cause your glucose levels to rise. Your body can struggle to tell the difference between normal stresses and actual danger but knowing that stress and blood sugar can be connected can make your diabetes a bit easier to manage.
Why Does Stress Affect Blood Sugar?
Stress isn’t always emotional because being ill, having an injury or recovering from surgery can all put your body under stress too. When this happens, your body releases hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones are designed to help you deal with danger by giving you energy and they tell your liver to release stored glucose into your bloodstream for your muscles to use.
If you haven’t got diabetes, insulin usually deals with this extra glucose quite quickly, but if you have diabetes, the insulin might not work as well, or your body may not make enough of it. That means that the glucose stays in your bloodstream for longer and can cause problems with stress and blood sugar.
Cortisol in Diabetes
Cortisol is also known as the stress hormone and your body releases it when you’re under pressure. Unfortunately, cortisol makes it harder for insulin to do its job and this is called insulin resistance. If you have high levels of insulin resistance, it’s more difficult for the glucose to move out of your bloodstream and into your cells. With cortisol diabetes, if you stay stressed for a long period of time, your cortisol levels will stay too high. This can make your blood sugar harder to manage and could cause complications with your diabetes.
Diabetes Can be Very Stressful
Checking your blood sugar, remembering your medication, planning meals and thinking ahead every day can be really exhausting. If you’ve only been diagnosed recently, it can feel like there’s a lot to learn. Some people feel stressed and worry about their blood sugar readings every day and others become anxious about having a hypo or needing insulin injections.
Many people also have diabetes distress, which is the emotional strain that comes with living with diabetes. You might feel frustrated, fed up or simply worn out by having to think about your condition all the time. This can mean that looking after yourself becomes harder and that can affect your glucose levels too.
How Stress Can Affect Your Daily Routine
If you’re busy, you might find that you skip meals, forget your medication or don’t exercise enough. You might also go for the chocolate or comfort food takeaway if you’ve had a difficult day. Not sleeping enough is another problem and if you’re lying awake worrying, your body produces even more stress hormones, which can make your blood sugar harder to control the next day. With stress and blood sugar, small changes to your everyday routine can cause problems.
What is Stress Hyperglycaemia?
You may have heard your healthcare team talk about stress hyperglycaemia and this means high blood sugar that’s triggered by stress. This is when your body produces extra stress hormones, which add more glucose into your bloodstream than usual. Stress hyperglycaemia can make your blood sugar readings much higher than normal, even if you’ve been following your normal routine.
If you notice this happening a lot, it’s worth speaking to your diabetes team. They might recommend temporary changes to your treatment if you’re under extra stress. [Read more about stress and diabetes at Diabetes UK](https://www.diabetes.org.u
Can Stress Cause Diabetes?
Stress on its own doesn’t cause diabetes, but researchers think that long-term stress may be a part of the development of type 2 diabetes for some people. One reason is that constantly raised cortisol levels can make the body more resistant to insulin. Research into cortisol diabetes is ongoing, [but scientists think stress hormones may also affect the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas](https://diatribe.org
Ways to Manage Stress
You can’t take away every stressful situation from your life, but you can make it easier for your body to cope. Getting enough sleep is one of the best places to start as even an extra hour or two each night can make a difference to both your mood and blood sugar. Regular exercise can also relieve stress but you don’t need to go to the gym. Something like a walk, gardening, swimming or cycling can all help lower stress levels while also improving your blood sugar control. Talking to someone like a family member, friend or your diabetes nurse can make your problems feel more manageable.
FAQs
Can stress really make your blood sugar go up?
Yes, stress causes your body to release hormones that increase glucose levels. If you have diabetes, insulin may struggle to bring the levels back down and this is why stress and blood sugar are connected.
Why does cortisol affect diabetes?
The research into cortisol diabetes shows that cortisol reduces how well insulin works. As a result of this, glucose stays in the bloodstream for longer and this can lead to higher blood sugar levels.
How can I reduce stress hyperglycaemia?
Managing your stress hyperglycaemia starts with looking after your mental and physical health. Regular exercise, getting enough sleep, healthy meals and finding ways to relax can all help. If your blood sugar keeps staying high when you’re stressed, speak to your healthcare team for advice.
