Diabetes and Stress

DawnPhenomenon

Well-Known Member
Messages
107
Type of diabetes
Other
Treatment type
Other
Does stress affect blood glucose levels? I know that I control stress with food and that affects blood sugar.
 

Freema

Expert
Messages
7,346
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
well yes , when I have my bad nights hardly being able to sleep, then my blood glucose is much higher as much as 1,5mmol higher than it usually is... but I don´t know if it will keep up for weeks of stress..

But the adrenal gland in high speed can speed up a lot in our body, also the liver and its production of glucose transformed from proteins...
Best to learn to avoid bad stress except from fysical training and alike... especially if one is not fit, it will help in the longer run to become fit and thereby to reduce stress all in all. because by moving one do help the body to get rid of stress hormones... and also helps lower blood glucose.... but of cause only if one do not overdo the carb eating...


In my case I actually can´t lower my blood glucose much while training, it only shows next morning in a slightly lower dawn phenomenon by having used some of my livers reserves of sugar...( 0,5mmol the most after trining 1200 calories) So I have a feeling that I have to do a marathon to get my blood glucose down to real normal like 4.5 mmol´s like it used to be before me getting diabetes. I do eat about 70-80 grams of carbs a day though
 
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PenfoldAPD

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,643
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Yep stress can affect my BG. It's easy to say don't be stressed but sometimes life isn't that simple. So for me, if I register a little higher but know I'm stressed (usually due to the business I run) then I have to go with it.

Having said that since diagnosis I have actively tried to reduce stress, 30 minutes in the pool every day really helps clear my mind.
 

chalup

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,745
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Stress is not just a bad day at work or family issues, it is also illness or injury to the body, lack of sleep, or a host of other things. I have a sinus cold right now and my sugars are definitely running higher than usual. If you are prone to stress or emotional eating try to keep it low carb at least so it will have less impact on your blood sugar. Good luck.
 

DawnPhenomenon

Well-Known Member
Messages
107
Type of diabetes
Other
Treatment type
Other
how do you control stress with foods ? never heard that before ?

If you have a big worry (at the moment I'm converting this huge unit for the charity I work for, my son is treating appallingly, as did his father) and you eat and eat and eat the big worries are forgotten and all you can think about is how full your stomach is and how sick you feel. It's still stress but it's a much lower stress because the problem is a smaller problem - eating massive amounts of food isn't as bad as losing the child you've loved for over thirty years. That's how it works for me.
 

Freema

Expert
Messages
7,346
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
If you have a big worry (at the moment I'm converting this huge unit for the charity I work for, my son is treating appallingly, as did his father) and you eat and eat and eat the big worries are forgotten and all you can think about is how full your stomach is and how sick you feel. It's still stress but it's a much lower stress because the problem is a smaller problem - eating massive amounts of food isn't as bad as losing the child you've loved for over thirty years. That's how it works for me.

I am sad for you wish you´ll find some love an care from other people then instead of just eating and eating... ..you deserve a good life just as much as anyone else... .. don´t understand, maybe because i´m foreing and don´t understand English well enough; but are you actually losing your child or have you lost a child or is he just rude towards you ?
 

Neohdiver

Well-Known Member
Messages
366
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Does stress affect blood glucose levels? I know that I control stress with food and that affects blood sugar.
Stress, itself, can directly affect blood glucose levels.

After achieving very tight control (including reversing my response to carb intake to the pre-diabetic level), I was diagnosed with breast cancer.

I fired my first cancer team, in large part because of the dramatic and immediate impact dealing with the administrative team had on my blood glucose levels (and blood pressure).

In addition, throughout the 3-month treatment period my "background" BG levels (morning fasting & levels between meals - after the 2-hour PP elevation had subsided) were significantly higher than they had been during the prior period. (My most recent A1c reflects this elevation - the previous A1c was 5.3; the one that included the treatment period was 5.9. The background levels dropped back down - but have been up again the past few days while I've been going through another biopsy + massive headache pain since I couldn't take my normal analgesic for several days.)

So, yeah, for me it is a pretty direct and immediate effect.
 

DawnPhenomenon

Well-Known Member
Messages
107
Type of diabetes
Other
Treatment type
Other
I am sad for you wish you´ll find some love an care from other people then instead of just eating and eating... ..you deserve a good life just as much as anyone else... .. don´t understand, maybe because i´m foreing and don´t understand English well enough; but are you actually losing your child or have you lost a child or is he just rude towards you ?


Thank you! I do have a great deal of love in my life. Its just the way I've always coped with stress (there was a lot of stress growing up as my dad was a compulsive gambler and mum not quite right) so I learned from a very early age to eat to ease pain.

I spent four or five years estranged from my son who would intimidate me, shout abusive, send devastating messages. He was really pounding me into the ground. He came back into my life a couple of years ago. His wife is divorcing him after finding out about his two year affair (she's been well pounded too). About four weeks ago he completely lost control and pinned her against a wall while screaming obscenities. He threw stuff around the house and the neighbour (several different neighbours) called the police. My son then asked me to try and persuade his wife to take him back. I told him that I couldn't interfere in him marriage (I don't believe she should take him back) so he has not spoken a word to me since. I'll just have to accept that he likes to hurt me. That if I don't agree with every word I'll be punished. I don't know if he'll ever come back and I don't know what I'll do if he does. I do love him but I don't agree with the way he treats people.

I work for a tiny charity and we've raised enough money to buy a building (last year) and now we've raised enough to begin renovating it. Its my responsibility. I'm spending £60,000 on the first stage of the renovations and it's scary! all the health and safety, building regs and other stuff I've got to sort out. This is the first time I've undertaken a project like this. I'm anxious to do everything just right for everyone.

There's a lot of stress at the moment. Sleeping is difficult. I wake early (sometimes really afraid). I have a great deal of love and support in my life but I always revert to my childhood habit of 'stress management', basically stuff your face until the pain subsides.

I'm not as bad as I was. I don't consume ten mars bars for breakfast etc, I've tried counselling (twice) to try and break the habit but honestly, it's like breathing.
 

DawnPhenomenon

Well-Known Member
Messages
107
Type of diabetes
Other
Treatment type
Other
Stress, itself, can directly affect blood glucose levels.

After achieving very tight control (including reversing my response to carb intake to the pre-diabetic level), I was diagnosed with breast cancer.

I fired my first cancer team, in large part because of the dramatic and immediate impact dealing with the administrative team had on my blood glucose levels (and blood pressure).

In addition, throughout the 3-month treatment period my "background" BG levels (morning fasting & levels between meals - after the 2-hour PP elevation had subsided) were significantly higher than they had been during the prior period. (My most recent A1c reflects this elevation - the previous A1c was 5.3; the one that included the treatment period was 5.9. The background levels dropped back down - but have been up again the past few days while I've been going through another biopsy + massive headache pain since I couldn't take my normal analgesic for several days.)

So, yeah, for me it is a pretty direct and immediate effect.

Fingers crossed that all is well with you! xx
 

Freema

Expert
Messages
7,346
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Thank you! I do have a great deal of love in my life. Its just the way I've always coped with stress (there was a lot of stress growing up as my dad was a compulsive gambler and mum not quite right) so I learned from a very early age to eat to ease pain.

I spent four or five years estranged from my son who would intimidate me, shout abusive, send devastating messages. He was really pounding me into the ground. He came back into my life a couple of years ago. His wife is divorcing him after finding out about his two year affair (she's been well pounded too). About four weeks ago he completely lost control and pinned her against a wall while screaming obscenities. He threw stuff around the house and the neighbour (several different neighbours) called the police. My son then asked me to try and persuade his wife to take him back. I told him that I couldn't interfere in him marriage (I don't believe she should take him back) so he has not spoken a word to me since. I'll just have to accept that he likes to hurt me. That if I don't agree with every word I'll be punished. I don't know if he'll ever come back and I don't know what I'll do if he does. I do love him but I don't agree with the way he treats people.

I work for a tiny charity and we've raised enough money to buy a building (last year) and now we've raised enough to begin renovating it. Its my responsibility. I'm spending £60,000 on the first stage of the renovations and it's scary! all the health and safety, building regs and other stuff I've got to sort out. This is the first time I've undertaken a project like this. I'm anxious to do everything just right for everyone.

There's a lot of stress at the moment. Sleeping is difficult. I wake early (sometimes really afraid). I have a great deal of love and support in my life but I always revert to my childhood habit of 'stress management', basically stuff your face until the pain subsides.

I'm not as bad as I was. I don't consume ten mars bars for breakfast etc, I've tried counselling (twice) to try and break the habit but honestly, it's like breathing.

no Wonder you are stressed out, don´t think you should think of your eating habbits right at the moment.., you tell your father was a gambler...which often are very impulsive kind of personalities that do that kind of life style..
I understand why you are totally stessed out because of your son.... maybe he has inherited the impulsive personality traits , and therefor is not able to calm himself and hold himself back and lead a mature way of solving his own problems...
the best you can do is maybe just to continue not to take part in solving his personal problems with others and try to keep neutral in those matters and understand that he also is in a crisis and maybe is even more unmature under these cirkumstances...

I don´t think you will loose him , a lot of men can´t cope with losing their wife even though it is often themselves that treat their wifes so that they end up leaving them.... it is hard on you having a crisis yourself at the same time as he is having one... but it can be worse if a son or daugther feels their mother or farther takes the other partners side... so best to stay neutral and maybe say that you don´t think they ever matched each other and that kind of Things..

his violent behaviour is scaring you must be kind of afraid too ...?
 
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DawnPhenomenon

Well-Known Member
Messages
107
Type of diabetes
Other
Treatment type
Other
no Wonder you are stressed out, don´t think you should think of your eating habbits right at the moment.., you tell your father was a gambler...which often are very impulsive kind of personalities that do that kind of life style..
I understand why you are totally stessed out because of your son.... maybe he has inherited the impulsive personality traits , and therefor is not able to calm himself and hold himself back and lead a mature way of solving his own problems...
the best you can do is maybe just to continue not to take part in solving his personal problems with others and try to keep neutral in those matters and understand that he also is in a crisis and maybe is even more unmature under these cirkumstances...

I don´t think you will loose him , a lot of men can´t cope with losing their wife even though it is often themselves that treat their wifes so that they end up leaving them.... it is hard on you having a crisis yourself at the same time as he is having one... but it can be worse if a son or daugther feels their mother or farther takes the other partners side... so best to stay neutral and maybe say that you don´t think they ever matched each other and that kind of Things..

his violent behaviour is scaring you must be kind of afraid too ...?



Thank you! It's not easy to explain. I've only ever said that the two of them should speak together with an independent mediator so that they can understand where they are each coming from.