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Revision & Diabetes

tashadaisy

tashadaisy

Newbie
Messages
3
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Hello,

I have been diabetic for 3 years now, just before I came to University.
I am now in my final year and as you can imagine I am quite stressed with the work load which seems to be taking a bit of a toll on my sugar levels.

As soon as I seem to start doing work I go extremely high 18+ and even if I inject it doesn't have a huge impact.
So when my sugars are high I seem to have lack of energy to even want to do work and its like a vicious cycle, really getting me worn down.

I just want to know if anyone else goes through this? If so what do you do to sort it out? I can't afford to mess up at this point of University!

Thanks x
 
I have moved your thread to the Type1 board @tashadaisy in the hope that you will get some advice there.
There are plenty of Type1s who have been to university when they were younger and will be able to help you.
 
Hi @tashadaisy , I was lucky enough to have graduated before diagnosis, so I have no top tips for how to be diabetic at uni I'm afraid. I do know what it's like to have stress spike you though - there are certain situations in work where you can tell from looking at my CGM what time I went into the room, my line goes vertically upwards. I also don't deal very well with high blood sugar - I find it really difficult to concentrate or generally use my brain when my sugars are high (although when it's because I'm stressed the fight or flight sort of overrides that so luckily I can still function when I have to do public speaking). So I can see why stress, making you spike is making revision really hard.

Stress spikes you because you are flooded with adrenaline, which blocks your insulin sensitivity (which is probably why your corrections aren't having a lot of impact).

So, try to not be stressed. Ok this may sound ridiculous and easier said than done. But maybe try looking into meditation, there are lots of relaxation videos on YouTube to try and get yourself a bit calmer generally. Exercise is a great stress reliever & it will increase insulin sensitivity, so maybe try exercising before you sit down for a big revision session? It needn't be going hard at the gym - a nice calming walk in the fresh air does wonders for stress, you could even download & listen to some of you lectures as you walk (if those are available, or related podcasts or just record yourself reading our your revision notes) and feel like you are killing two birds with one stone.

Good luck with the degree :)
 
catapillar said:
Hi @tashadaisy , I was lucky enough to have graduated before diagnosis, so I have no top tips for how to be diabetic at uni I'm afraid. I do know what it's like to have stress spike you though - there are certain situations in work where you can tell from looking at my CGM what time I went into the room, my line goes vertically upwards. I also don't deal very well with high blood sugar - I find it really difficult to concentrate or generally use my brain when my sugars are high (although when it's because I'm stressed the fight or flight sort of overrides that so luckily I can still function when I have to do public speaking). So I can see why stress, making you spike is making revision really hard.

Stress spikes you because you are flooded with adrenaline, which blocks your insulin sensitivity (which is probably why your corrections aren't having a lot of impact).

So, try to not be stressed. Ok this may sound ridiculous and easier said than done. But maybe try looking into meditation, there are lots of relaxation videos on YouTube to try and get yourself a bit calmer generally. Exercise is a great stress reliever & it will increase insulin sensitivity, so maybe try exercising before you sit down for a big revision session? It needn't be going hard at the gym - a nice calming walk in the fresh air does wonders for stress, you could even download & listen to some of you lectures as you walk (if those are available, or related podcasts or just record yourself reading our your revision notes) and feel like you are killing two birds with one stone.

Good luck with the degree :)
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for taking your time to write this, I really appreciate it! I have tried exercising which does help massively! Its just motivating myself to do it when I am feeling weak!

Thank you again!
 
Yes exam and study stress increase your cortisol release then your liver dumps loads of glucose into your bloodstream.

When I was studying for my professional qualification CIMA after work the stress of exam revision would frequently raise my sugar levels, make some insulin correction doses but not to much. A low blood sugar in a three hour paper doesn't bode well for the mind.

If u can carry making very minor corrections, sometimes what i've found if stress is at work then i'll either become very insulin resistant or the stress delays the insulin uptake then i'll go from hyper to hypo. Spikes aren't good but the yo yo effect is even worse.

Continue with your small correction doses, even if you can stabalise them between 7 & 12 if that works for you. I found being slightly high tolerable when i done my studies. Bordering low made me want to eat during an exam and my focus strayed. It's a tough balancing act.

The equivalent of that for me is when I go to job interviews, stress and pressure works chaos on blood sugar levels.

Good luck with it and hope you find a good balance.
 
Hi there,
I've been type 1 for about a year now and am just about to do the final assessments for my 4 year masters degree. Doing my penultimate, and now final exams/research with diabetes hasn't been easy, I don't just tend to see spikes but often yoyo a lot and find stress can affect me quite unpredictably. Try taking regular breaks from studying and go for a walk, I find this always helps me. Don't be tempted to take a big correction dose before an exam, I've never had a hypo in an exam yet, and I can't imagine anything worse.
Good luck with the next few weeks, you're not alone! :)
 
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