Stress and Diabetes
Stress, both physical and mental, can send your blood sugar out of whack. If you have diabetes, try these tips to keep stress under control.
"The most important thing is to learn what it feels like when stress hormones are elevated," Sledge tells WebMD. For some diabetic people, prolonged illness or distress will keep their blood sugar levels up for lengthy periods of time. Often insulin will be needed or adjusted during this period, so recognizing periods of stress is crucial for people with diabetes.
Since stress has virtually become a way of life, you may not even notice you're frazzled. A lot of people will identify stressors such as an illness in the family (something large) but may not recognize the stress of the holidays or a hectic time at work (something smaller or shorter in duration). Being in tune to your stress level and how you feel when the going gets tense is important. One good gauge is writing down your stress level in a journal each time you check your blood sugar. Many glucose meters have the capability to enter personal notes and data when you perform checks, or jot it down in a stress journal. "Once you begin recording stress levels, most people with diabetes figure out pretty quickly what makes their blood sugar go up," says Surwit.
"Stress plays a more direct role in the control of blood sugar than it does in any other disease," Surwit tells WebMD. People with diabetes should stay conscious of eating well and exercising regularly. It's a good idea to check blood glucose levels more frequently when you're ill or under stress and to drink plenty of fluids as so as not to get dehydrated.
"A lot of patients can easily tell if their sugar is up by the way they feel or how much pressure they're currently under," says Paula Butler, chief of endocrinology and head of the diabetes program at Mt. Sinai hospital in Chicago. Butler frequently hears patients explain why their blood sugar is high when they come in for an appointment -- everything from a fight with a spouse to missing the bus that morning is fodder for a rise in the numbers.
Stress and Diabetes
Stress, both physical and mental, can send your blood sugar out of whack. If you have diabetes, try these tips to keep stress under control.
Stress-O-Meter
"The most important thing is to learn what it feels like when stress hormones are elevated," Sledge tells WebMD. For some diabetic people, prolonged illness or distress will keep their blood sugar levels up for lengthy periods of time. Often insulin will be needed or adjusted during this period, so recognizing periods of stress is crucial for people with diabetes.
Since stress has virtually become a way of life, you may not even notice you're frazzled. A lot of people will identify stressors such as an illness in the family (something large) but may not recognize the stress of the holidays or a hectic time at work (something smaller or shorter in duration). Being in tune to your stress level and how you feel when the going gets tense is important. One good gauge is writing down your stress level in a journal each time you check your blood sugar. Many glucose meters have the capability to enter personal notes and data when you perform checks, or jot it down in a stress journal. "Once you begin recording stress levels, most people with diabetes figure out pretty quickly what makes their blood sugar go up," says Surwit.
Learn to De-stress
"Stress plays a more direct role in the control of blood sugar than it does in any other disease," Surwit tells WebMD. People with diabetes should stay conscious of eating well and exercising regularly. It's a good idea to check blood glucose levels more frequently when you're ill or under stress and to drink plenty of fluids as so as not to get dehydrated.
"A lot of patients can easily tell if their sugar is up by the way they feel or how much pressure they're currently under," says Paula Butler, chief of endocrinology and head of the diabetes program at Mt. Sinai hospital in Chicago. Butler frequently hears patients explain why their blood sugar is high when they come in for an appointment -- everything from a fight with a spouse to missing the bus that morning is fodder for a rise in the numbers.
Source...