While we typically associate stress with influencing our moods, it can also have significant negative consequences on our physiology, including our capacity to control blood sugar. Our insulin levels drop as stress hormones are released, which may result in high blood sugar. For someone with diabetes or pre-diabetes, this could be especially dangerous.

Let’s examine the connection between stress and blood sugar, including how it affects blood sugar variations, potential drawbacks, and strategies for managing both.

Stress and Blood Sugar: A Relationship

Most of us link dietary choices like consuming an excessive amount of sugar or carbohydrates with blood sugar increase. Dehydration, exposure to heat and sunlight, skipping meals, and other factors can all have an impact on how well our systems control blood sugar levels. Blood sugar management is influenced by stress, which includes adverse life events, ailments, and sleep deprivation.

Your body’s “stress response” is activated while you are under stress. It causes the release of several hormones, including cortisol. Our bodies’ inflammatory response, immunological system, and metabolism can all be greatly impacted by cortisol.

High-stress levels can:

• Increased cortisol levels affect how our bodies process sugar.
• Increase our blood sugar (glucose) levels
• Reduce the production of insulin, which controls blood sugar
• Altering our body’s susceptibility to the release of insulin
• Make our body more insulin resistant
• Additionally, you are more likely to eat poorly, miss meals, and have poor sleep patterns when you are under a lot of stress, all of which can also lead to problems with uncontrolled blood sugar.

Risk Factors

You may be more likely to experience a blood sugar problem linked to stress if you have certain risk factors, including:

• Being depressed previously
• Enduring ongoing work-related stress
• Suffering hardship at a young age
• Having to respond to stress by choosing unhealthy foods, cutting back on exercise, and forgetting to take diabetic medication

Issues with Stress and Blood Sugar

A person’s health and well-being can be negatively impacted by both stress and increases in blood sugar.

Stress can:

• Make it more challenging to control your blood pressure and may raise your chance of developing heart problems.
• Make it more difficult for you to carry out your regular activities that revolve around controlling your blood sugar and cause your body to deteriorate.
• Cause a rise in blood sugar, increase heart rate, and blood pressure.
• You may suffer signs like exhaustion or depression if your blood pressure rises as a result of stress. You can feel nervous, depressed, and anxious if your blood pressure drops too low.

When to Visit a Physician

Blood sugar fluctuations are not merely uncomfortable; sometimes, they can be dangerous. If you have diabetes and you encounter any of the following symptoms, please contact your healthcare practitioner right away or go to the closest emergency room.

• Rapid breaths and a racing heart
• Dry skin and mouth
• Longer periods of increased thirst or urination
• Breath that smells fruity
• Blotchy skin
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Abdominal pain
• Headache
• Tight, aching muscles

Stress Management and Blood Sugar

Stress is a possibility. Additionally, if your blood sugar is impacted, the tension will only get worse. But here’s the thing: by adopting a few little lifestyle adjustments and seeking out assistance as needed, you can control your stress and blood sugar levels.

Personal Changes

Following are some lifestyle modifications you can do to reduce stress and blood sugar:

• Be sure to get enough rest each night.
• Keep hydrated.
• Consume regular meals that emphasize whole foods instead of manufactured stuff.
• Spend some time every day unwinding your mind.
• Take up meditation and mindfulness.
• Avoid using tobacco and consuming alcohol.
• Everyday exercise
• Take time out for your mental health when you can
• When you’re feeling overburdened, learn to say “no” to obligations.

Cortisol is released during times of stress, and it might alter how your body makes and uses insulin. Your blood sugar levels may alter as a result, which could be especially dangerous if you have diabetes. Thankfully, minimizing stress can successfully address this issue and assist in controlling your blood sugar levels.

Source: https://www.verywellmind.com/does-stress-effect-blood-sugar-6827694