How stress affects blood sugar levels

Dr.Monika Sharma, 3 mins read

Stress has a huge impact on our mental well-being. But we hardly realise that it also affects our physical health. Yes, you read right. And to your shock, regular stress can also raise your blood glucose levels, which can hurt people with diabetes. Thankfully, there are ways to manage it with the right guidance.  

Understanding stress

Stress is a natural response of the body to any unfavourable, overwhelming, or critical situations. Our body is designed to experience stress, which helps the body adjust to the situation. 

Stress can be positive, allowing you to be motivated and be aware of avoiding danger. For example, if you have an important exam coming up, your body might release a stress response, helping you to be determined toward study and stay awake for longer. 

However, if a stressor continues for a longer time and doesn’t go away once the cause has been eliminated, it can have negative consequences on our body.  

Symptoms of stress

Stress symptoms may not always be properly noticeable and clear. They are sometimes subtle, and you may not be able to recognise them. However, an understanding of the common symptoms of stress can help you in recognising it:

Physical symptoms of stress include:

• Headaches
• Muscle pain or tension
• Sleeping too much or too little
• General feelings of illness
• Fatigue

People with stress sometimes also report feeling unmotivated, irritable, depressed, restless, and anxious. It’s also common for stressed people to engage in different behaviours like withdrawing from friends and family, eating too much or too little, acting out in anger, drinking alcohol to excess, and using tobacco.

How does stress lead to increased sugar levels?

During stress, our body releases adrenaline and cortisol into the bloodstream. This sometimes increases the respiratory rate and blood glucose level. 

Impact of different types of stress on diabetes

Everyone experiences every situation differently. Thus, stress levels can be different for everyone. For example, people with type 2 diabetes may see an increase in glucose levels under stress. And people with type 1 diabetes may experience either an increase or a decrease in glucose level under stress. 

Identify whether your stress is affecting your glucose level

There is a very simple way to identify this. Always take a note whenever you are feeling stressed. Rate the stress level on a scale of 0 to 10 and then check your sugar level. After a certain time, you will have an idea whether stress is affecting your blood sugar level. You may also get an idea of how much stress level is actually raising your sugar level.

Tips to cope with stress-induced diabetes 

• Understand the situations that are putting you in stressful situations
• Try to avoid or better manage those situations
• Exercise regularly 
• Try yoga, mindfulness and breathing exercises
• Reduce caffeine intake
• Spend time with your loved ones
• Do things that entertain you like listening to music, playing, etc.
• Consider online support groups
• Consult a doctor for therapy and management of the blood sugar level