Stress and Diabetes

When you are diagnosed with diabetes you undoubtedly choose to make a variety of changes in your life in order to stay healthy and keep your blood glucose levels normal. Unfortunately there are a variety of factors that can undermine even your best efforts. One of these factors is stress. Stress and diabetes often go hand in hand as you work to maintain normal blood sugar levels; however it is often the stress itself that can put your glucose levels out of whack.

Living a life without stress is nearly impossible. With the breakneck pace of life where family, work and even social obligations can overpower your time and resources stress is a common commodity. Even those in the best of health can be overcome yet for someone who suffers from diabetes the strain can be even worse on their health.

Hormones such as epinephrine and cortisol kick in when we are stressed. Their main purpose is to raise blood sugar levels in order to boost energy levels. Physical or emotional stress creates an increase in these hormones which create increased blood sugar levels. If you are suffering from diabetes stress can cause fluctuations in your glucose levels which can require serious monitoring if you desire to stay healthy.

If you suffer from diabetes it is essential that you do your best to stay away from highly stressful situations or develop stress relieving mechanisms that can alleviate any stress you do encounter. While we all encounter daily stressors it is the long term stresses such as illness or marital difficulties that can cause the most damage; yet it is often the daily stressors that make our glucose levels fluctuate. A good rule of thumb is to write down your stress level in your daily blood sugar journal. This way you can track when stress is affecting your glucose levels.

Learning how to de-stress is essential. Develop techniques such as meditation or deep breathing to relieve yourself of stress. Yoga is also a wonderful method for stress relief. It is vital to continue your diet and exercise regime since exercise is also a wonderful way to de-stress. If you find that your stress stems from a problem that doesn't resolve itself through relaxation techniques you may want to talk with a therapist or a clergyman. If you haven't already, you may want to eliminate caffeine from your diet since caffeine can increase the amount of stress hormones you are secreting.

Additionally, caffeine weakens your body's ability to handle sugar.Stress and diabetes go hand in hand. Fortunately you can learn techniques that can help you handle the stress you are dealing with so that it doesn't negatively affect your blood glucose levels.