Today is stress awareness day, does it affect your diabetes

Wed, 03 Nov 2010
Wednesday 3rd November is National Stress Awareness Day. The day is being promoted by the International Stress Management Association UK to highlight the growing prevalence of stress in today’s society. According to research by the insurance company, AXA, stress levels have doubled in the last four years.

Stress can play a significant part in everyone’s life and for diabetics it can make the condition even more difficult to cope with. Stress can lead you to feel you do not have time, or even the right state of mind, to be able to adequately look after your diabetes . Furthermore, the biological effects of stress, such as a higher heart rate and the release of adrenaline, can cause diabetic blood sugar levels to rise or fall.

For those who find it difficult to keep their weight down, stress can lead to a vicious cycle of comfort eating, lower self-esteem and therefore further anxiety .

If stress is becoming a disruptive or destructive influence, try to find ways to make time and give yourself breathing space. When your thoughts feel like they're switched on 24 hours a day, even a five minute break can make a difference. If you're able to, try to identify and remove some of the sources of the stress.

Often people feel stress but can’t put their finger on the cause. Recognising the source can be a benefit in itself.
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