Stress impacting blood glucose or something else?

[Veryanxious]

I am mostly insulin resistant or prediabetic. I am trying to understand what is wrong with me.
I had three bread slices with butter.
My blood glucose shot to 146mg/dl then in an hour came down to 134mg/dl. I do day trading sometimes i enjoy the stress and rush it gives but seems like my blood glucose levels don't like that stress.
I Measured my bs again in 15 mins it went up to 146 again then 45 mins hours later 150. Stayed there didn't come down.
I thought my strips have gone bad as i haven't used them in long time.
I went to chemist got new strips but i used old strip to confirm below result. I checked my glucose after the 200 meters walk it was down to 125mg/dl then with in 30 mins it came down to 103.
I again ate bread this time two slices but butter and 4 choco cookies.
My blood sugar shot up to 155mg/dl at one hour then in 2 hours it came down to 117. I didn't not check again and as sugar was falling from 155 to 134 to 127 then 117.
Today i again had bread three slices my blood sugar was 115 after 2 hours and again started working in my laptop(trading shares) I checked my glucose levels it rose to 125, then 15 mins later 138.
I have anxiety history.
Can anyone tell me whats happening? Can anxiety and stress really cause these spikes.
Or something else is happening?

 

[Juicyj]

Hello @Veryanxious

Am not sure why you are doing this to yourself, but how about putting the meter away and laying off the carbs, it sounds like you're trying to invite a diagnosis ?

Non diabetics get spikes and are also affected by stress and anxiety since the beginning of time, fight or flight.

Give yourself a break, eat healthy food and try and find a way to relax, that way you can avoid potential health complications and have a happier life.

 

[ianf0ster]

I am mostly insulin resistant or prediabetic. I am trying to understand what is wrong with me.
I had three bread slices with butter.
My blood glucose shot to 146mg/dl then in an hour came down to 134mg/dl. I do day trading sometimes i enjoy the stress and rush it gives but seems like my blood glucose levels don't like that stress.
I Measured my bs again in 15 mins it went up to 146 again then 45 mins hours later 150. Stayed there didn't come down.
I thought my strips have gone bad as i haven't used them in long time.
I went to chemist got new strips but i used old strip to confirm below result. I checked my glucose after the 200 meters walk it was down to 125mg/dl then with in 30 mins it came down to 103.
I again ate bread this time two slices but butter and 4 choco cookies.
My blood sugar shot up to 155mg/dl at one hour then in 2 hours it came down to 117. I didn't not check again and as sugar was falling from 155 to 134 to 127 then 117.
Today i again had bread three slices my blood sugar was 115 after 2 hours and again started working in my laptop(trading shares) I checked my glucose levels it rose to 125, then 15 mins later 138.
I have anxiety history.
Can anyone tell me whats happening? Can anxiety and stress really cause these spikes.
Or something else is happening?

Hi, Since you are non-diabetic, then as said above you should try to have more balance (less carby) food in order to stay that way.
In the short term some stress and even inflammation is good for the body, but you don't want to let that become constant long term stress or inflammation or you will be headed toward Metabolic diseases.

 

[NicoleC1971]

I think you found that you are not very tolerant of carbs like white bread and cookies! And yes stress could shoot your bgs up differently on different days but doesn't it make sense not to eat the stuff that your body isn't dealing with well?
Good news is that you also know that a brisk walk after a meal can take your blood sugar right down so that habit should be a keeper!

 

[Veryanxious]

Hi, Since you are non-diabetic, then as said above you should try to have more balance (less carby) food in order to stay that way.
In the short term some stress and even inflammation is good for the body, but you don't want to let that become constant long term stress or inflammation or you will be headed toward Metabolic diseases.

Yes i generally eat low carb this was just for checking my blood sugars.
I am nowadays fasting for 18-20 hours and eat low carbs.

 

[Veryanxious]

I think you found that you are not very tolerant of carbs like white bread and cookies! And yes stress could shoot your bgs up differently on different days but doesn't it make sense not to eat the stuff that your body isn't dealing with well?
Good news is that you also know that a brisk walk after a meal can take your blood sugar right down so that habit should be a keeper!

Yes, i walk alot and will again start with low carb. I started because i was getting skinnier with low carb and wanted to introduce and see how i was reacting to it. I need to find other way for not get skinnier and still eat low carb.

 

[Deleted member 308541]

I am trying to understand what is wrong with me.
I had three bread slices with butter.

I again ate bread this time two slices but butter and 4 choco cookies.

This will send your bgl skywards as they are full of carbs except the butter.

 

[Veryanxious]

This will send your bgl skywards as they are full of carbs except the butter.

Yes, but that was just experiment. I generally don't like bread and sweet stuff. Will stick to meat and veggies and half bowl of lentils to not get into ketosis. I get very thin if I am in ketosis.

 

[bulkbiker]

I am mostly insulin resistant or prediabetic. I am trying to understand what is wrong with me.

Strange as 12 weeks ago you were Type 1...

 

[Deleted member 308541]

Will stick to meat and veggies and half bowl of lentils to not get into ketosis. I get very thin if I am in ketosis.

Get stuck into plenty of meat, bacon, eggs, fish, cheese, butter, poultry, full fat greek yoghurt that will help you...

Strange as 12 weeks ago you were Type 1...

Wow!

 

[Veryanxious]

Strange as 12 weeks ago you were Type 1...

Yeah, it turned out i am not type 1 as of now. But they can't say what future holds if am just insulin resistant or heading to type 1. I do still have GAD antibodies, but my blood sugar are not reflecting that as of now.
We consulted another doctor after my initial diagnosis.
I need to repeat hba1c after every 6 months to see how i am doing with blood sugars.

 

[HSSS]

I need to find other way for not get skinnier and still eat low carb.

I get very thin if I am in ketosis.

The answer is more fat and maybe more protein too. If you cut carbs you still need energy and fat adapted people get it from ....fat and if you don’t want it to be body fat then it needs to be dietary fats. Doesn’t have to be blocks of lard (unless you like that). No low fat stuff, go full fat everything. Fattier meats, olive oil, butter, cream, nuts etc.

 

[JayAmerican]

I know others will have their own opinion based on their own experience but for me here is what I have found:

For reference:

I am newly diagnosed as Type 2 (~1 month) and other than blood sugar my only other diagnosed issues are high triglycerides and a vitamin D deficiency.

Separate from high blood sugar related stuff, my blood pressure and resting heart rate is always perfect whenever tested, and never had any physical outward signs of stress. 10 years ago I had a small kidney stone that passed and didn't know what it was so went to the ER and the pumped me with morphine and ibuprofen and gave me some pretty high doses of ibuprofen to take over a week without instructions. The ibuprofen ended up giving me a mild ulcer that lasted til now though with diet change, more water intake and improved diet over the years I rarely feel it come up. I didn't realize what a high carb & high sugar diet would lead to, though, I should have known as my family blood lineage has a history of diabetes.

The moment I got clued into my blood sugar levels I made a change (no breads, no sugars, no sodas, no fruit juices) but still thought pasta, bottled tomato sauce, rices and some cereals/oatmeal was fine. A week later when the initial clue turned into an actual diagnosis from a fasting level needing a full blood test for A1C and a bunch of other stuff, I dug into research immediately and realized how much I would need to change my diet. I would call my current diet for the past 3-4 weeks very Keto but not 100% as I have yet to meal prep properly or prep my grocery shopping to always have a balanced intake or consistent times of day eating. I've also not yet increased my exercise nor done anything dramatic like intermittent fasting or time eating restrictions. I've not yet taken any prescriptions though my doctor prescribed Metformin and a common statin (for the high tri's and LDL) which if after diet change and exercise haven't taken me most of the way within 1 month I will take to help and then try to work off of with more dedicated efforts. I have also seen an endocrinologist and will try to get lab tests next week for antibodies and c-peptide to make sure it's just Type 2 and not LADA or MODY.

Now onto why I'm replying to this topic:

I finally feel like I confirmed today that stress is an equal factor of my high blood sugar levels as what I've been eating. Other than a high morning level (usually about 180 or a little higher) I've noticed that my average with my current diet and staying calm is in the 160 range and a little lower after I keep myself mentally busy working in the garage or doing something creative, basically when I am either very calm or doing something I enjoy or both. If both it goes under 150 even when it's only been 2 hours after a meal when otherwise levels should go up a little. As a reference, initially at diagnosis and the first 1-2 weeks of checking my levels I was in the 250-300+ range.

I have noticed very consistently other than my morning levels my high levels have always tested while I was at work or as soon as I got home from work (even after not eating for 3-4 hours) - 190, 200 and sometimes 220+ while on weekends when eating is more fluid. I had thought it might be due to big time windows between meals causing my liver to think I needed energy and pump up the glucose but found that introducing small no-carb snacks between lunch & dinner didn't change much. I started paying attention to my stress moods and noting when I was stressed when testing in addition to what I ate & how long before. There was a rough but clear correlation.

Then this morning (Sunday) when I got up I tested at 184. The prior day I tested 5 times and never went above 173 and my average was 163. I had planned to eat breakfast but work reached out to me with an emergency need so I spent the next 3 hours fulfilling a number of requests without any chance to take a break to make a meal. I'm in technology and salaried and during emergencies this is sometimes not a choice. So finally I was able to get a meal and tested myself before eating and it was 198! This was well past the "dawn phenomenon" and seeing as I hadn't eaten anything yet, the most logical testing should have shown a blood sugar level below 184, probably 160 or so (at least for me). Instead it was higher. Then, I had breakfast which included keto bread (so it had some almond flour), eggs, butter, turkey and cheese, and a coffee with half & half and stevia. Between the small amount of carbs (estimate 4-6 grams) and coffee, I should have tested even higher 2 hours later. Nope, it dropped to 164. Meaning, even after eating, once my stress was gone, only then did my levels get to my "good" average range.

This convinced me that stress (at least for me) is a big factor in spiking my levels. It's not the only thing, diet & exercise are still needed, but I now believe if I can alleviate stresses from my day (either handle them better or simply find a way to obliterate them) then I can shave roughly 30 points off my blood sugar levels fairly consistently. I have so far JUST changed my diet fairly dramatically but not yet fully and took myself from 250-300 to the 160's average and if I am right about stress I can get it more consistently 130-150, then added exercise SHOULD get me down to a 110 range average where then, if absolutely needed, something like Metformin might be able to smooth out the spikes and bring my body back to normal insulin sensitivity.

 

[Veryanxious]

I know others will have their own opinion based on their own experience but for me here is what I have found:

For reference:

I am newly diagnosed as Type 2 (~1 month) and other than blood sugar my only other diagnosed issues are high triglycerides and a vitamin D deficiency.

Separate from high blood sugar related stuff, my blood pressure and resting heart rate is always perfect whenever tested, and never had any physical outward signs of stress. 10 years ago I had a small kidney stone that passed and didn't know what it was so went to the ER and the pumped me with morphine and ibuprofen and gave me some pretty high doses of ibuprofen to take over a week without instructions. The ibuprofen ended up giving me a mild ulcer that lasted til now though with diet change, more water intake and improved diet over the years I rarely feel it come up. I didn't realize what a high carb & high sugar diet would lead to, though, I should have known as my family blood lineage has a history of diabetes.

The moment I got clued into my blood sugar levels I made a change (no breads, no sugars, no sodas, no fruit juices) but still thought pasta, bottled tomato sauce, rices and some cereals/oatmeal was fine. A week later when the initial clue turned into an actual diagnosis from a fasting level needing a full blood test for A1C and a bunch of other stuff, I dug into research immediately and realized how much I would need to change my diet. I would call my current diet for the past 3-4 weeks very Keto but not 100% as I have yet to meal prep properly or prep my grocery shopping to always have a balanced intake or consistent times of day eating. I've also not yet increased my exercise nor done anything dramatic like intermittent fasting or time eating restrictions. I've not yet taken any prescriptions though my doctor prescribed Metformin and a common statin (for the high tri's and LDL) which if after diet change and exercise haven't taken me most of the way within 1 month I will take to help and then try to work off of with more dedicated efforts. I have also seen an endocrinologist and will try to get lab tests next week for antibodies and c-peptide to make sure it's just Type 2 and not LADA or MODY.

Now onto why I'm replying to this topic:

I finally feel like I confirmed today that stress is an equal factor of my high blood sugar levels as what I've been eating. Other than a high morning level (usually about 180 or a little higher) I've noticed that my average with my current diet and staying calm is in the 160 range and a little lower after I keep myself mentally busy working in the garage or doing something creative, basically when I am either very calm or doing something I enjoy or both. If both it goes under 150 even when it's only been 2 hours after a meal when otherwise levels should go up a little. As a reference, initially at diagnosis and the first 1-2 weeks of checking my levels I was in the 250-300+ range.

I have noticed very consistently other than my morning levels my high levels have always tested while I was at work or as soon as I got home from work (even after not eating for 3-4 hours) - 190, 200 and sometimes 220+ while on weekends when eating is more fluid. I had thought it might be due to big time windows between meals causing my liver to think I needed energy and pump up the glucose but found that introducing small no-carb snacks between lunch & dinner didn't change much. I started paying attention to my stress moods and noting when I was stressed when testing in addition to what I ate & how long before. There was a rough but clear correlation.

Then this morning (Sunday) when I got up I tested at 184. The prior day I tested 5 times and never went above 173 and my average was 163. I had planned to eat breakfast but work reached out to me with an emergency need so I spent the next 3 hours fulfilling a number of requests without any chance to take a break to make a meal. I'm in technology and salaried and during emergencies this is sometimes not a choice. So finally I was able to get a meal and tested myself before eating and it was 198! This was well past the "dawn phenomenon" and seeing as I hadn't eaten anything yet, the most logical testing should have shown a blood sugar level below 184, probably 160 or so (at least for me). Instead it was higher. Then, I had breakfast which included keto bread (so it had some almond flour), eggs, butter, turkey and cheese, and a coffee with half & half and stevia. Between the small amount of carbs (estimate 4-6 grams) and coffee, I should have tested even higher 2 hours later. Nope, it dropped to 164. Meaning, even after eating, once my stress was gone, only then did my levels get to my "good" average range.

This convinced me that stress (at least for me) is a big factor in spiking my levels. It's not the only thing, diet & exercise are still needed, but I now believe if I can alleviate stresses from my day (either handle them better or simply find a way to obliterate them) then I can shave roughly 30 points off my blood sugar levels fairly consistently. I have so far JUST changed my diet fairly dramatically but not yet fully and took myself from 250-300 to the 160's average and if I am right about stress I can get it more consistently 130-150, then added exercise SHOULD get me down to a 110 range average where then, if absolutely needed, something like Metformin might be able to smooth out the spikes and bring my body back to normal insulin sensitivity.

Thanks for sharing.. I too observed how stress would cause blood glucose rise. I believe it is causing other problems major problems in the body too just that it doesn't show and come in the form of blood sugar.
I too had high triglycerides before changing my diet to low carb, now i believe along with binge eating on junk stress was also one of the main reason.
I am in general very anxious person. Since this finding i have become very mindful but have realised that stress has already done the damage. From making me prediabetic to severe hairfall to wrinkled skin at the age of 29. I have been constant anxiety since i can remember. I am planning to keep my anxiety in check but it will take time probably 6 months to an year. But will update the progress on how it goes with my blood sugars.

 

[VashtiB]

I am also a very anxious person who has a v very stressful job. If there is anything positive about the regular testing I do is that I can objectively see the damage that stress does. It doesn't change anything but I can say that it is not just my imagination- stress really does effect me a lot.

I'm not sure what to do about it but if I can keep my HbA1C down in the normal range I guess it's okay- whether I can do that for another 10 or more years til I can retire is another thing.

I'm not good at managing stress and my go to- carbs is now off limits so that has made it harder. But really nothing has changed I guess- stress would always have been contributing to my blood sugars and adding carbs was probably never a great solution.

 

[Veryanxious]

I am also a very anxious person who has a v very stressful job. If there is anything positive about the regular testing I do is that I can objectively see the damage that stress does. It doesn't change anything but I can say that it is not just my imagination- stress really does effect me a lot.

I'm not sure what to do about it but if I can keep my HbA1C down in the normal range I guess it's okay- whether I can do that for another 10 or more years til I can retire is another thing.

I'm not good at managing stress and my go to- carbs is now off limits so that has made it harder. But really nothing has changed I guess- stress would always have been contributing to my blood sugars and adding carbs was probably never a great solution.

Along with low carb you can try meditation and breathing. Can't stress enough about this to people especially if you are stressed out. Look for wimhof method and his breathing.
I am regular withit, but the effects are very noticeable whenever i do.

 

[Listlad]

I know @Debandez recently established the effect of stress on her blood sugars, using a Freestyle Libre.

 

[JayAmerican]

I have a few other thoughts to share, mainly because it doesn't seem in my case that JUST what I am eating is impacting blood sugar. There are times I will eat a meal with some carbs and my blood sugar will be lower 2 hours later and other times a meal with 0 carbs (literally 0 net carbs) and my blood sugar will be up 2 hours later.

- Stress - this does impact me but not as much as I thought, maybe 20 of my overall blood sugar levels at any given time

- Sitting for long periods, especially after eating. Since work is a bit stressful, it was hard to distinguish until I realized that at work I am sitting 90% of the time.

- One other thing, most recently yesterday I felt nausea a bit after eating a late breakfast and threw up. I thought maybe I ate something that didn't sit well with me, but even if that were true (sorry if this sounds gross) I noticed some of the food that I puked up was from the day before nearly 18 hours before. As if it didn't even pass my stomach yet (not digested). There was also diarrhea. I felt better just an hour later, no more problems. I also drank some zero-sugar Gatorade to get back some electrolytes.

I have noticed that when I sit after eating and something just sitting in general I have a slight pain in my right mid-area and slightly toward my back. This could be some kind of pancreatic pain but a number of years ago I had a mild ulcer and I thought maybe sometimes it kicks up. But after some research I also found out about gastroparesis which is sometimes a complication from diabetes - nerve damage in the stomach can stop it from churning food at a normal rate. Not saying I have this, but i did make me notice that I likely am not digesting food quickly. Sitting may also make it worse based on my posture when I sit which might be constricting the stomach a big. Note that I'm not overweight, BMI is normal, but maybe don't have good sitting posture.

Bottom lime:

- I will try to stand more during the day, even considering a standing desk for work
- I think I will also try walking for 20 minutes immediately after eating, this might also be relaxing and reduce stress
- Overall stress reduction efforts

 

[DCUKMod]

I have a few other thoughts to share, mainly because it doesn't seem in my case that JUST what I am eating is impacting blood sugar. There are times I will eat a meal with some carbs and my blood sugar will be lower 2 hours later and other times a meal with 0 carbs (literally 0 net carbs) and my blood sugar will be up 2 hours later.

- Stress - this does impact me but not as much as I thought, maybe 20 of my overall blood sugar levels at any given time

- Sitting for long periods, especially after eating. Since work is a bit stressful, it was hard to distinguish until I realized that at work I am sitting 90% of the time.

- One other thing, most recently yesterday I felt nausea a bit after eating a late breakfast and threw up. I thought maybe I ate something that didn't sit well with me, but even if that were true (sorry if this sounds gross) I noticed some of the food that I puked up was from the day before nearly 18 hours before. As if it didn't even pass my stomach yet (not digested). There was also diarrhea. I felt better just an hour later, no more problems. I also drank some zero-sugar Gatorade to get back some electrolytes.

I have noticed that when I sit after eating and something just sitting in general I have a slight pain in my right mid-area and slightly toward my back. This could be some kind of pancreatic pain but a number of years ago I had a mild ulcer and I thought maybe sometimes it kicks up. But after some research I also found out about gastroparesis which is sometimes a complication from diabetes - nerve damage in the stomach can stop it from churning food at a normal rate. Not saying I have this, but i did make me notice that I likely am not digesting food quickly. Sitting may also make it worse based on my posture when I sit which might be constricting the stomach a big. Note that I'm not overweight, BMI is normal, but maybe don't have good sitting posture.

Bottom lime:

- I will try to stand more during the day, even considering a standing desk for work
- I think I will also try walking for 20 minutes immediately after eating, this might also be relaxing and reduce stress
- Overall stress reduction efforts

If you are being sick, having diarrhoea, and this is a change to your usual habits, you should be consulting a medical professional. That along with the pain you describe could be nothing at all or could be something of concern.

Whilst experiments are all very well, don't ignore things (diarrhoea, vomiting and pain) that signal something isn't right.

 

[Juicyj]

I agree you need to see your doctor @JayAmerican with these symptoms and get yourself checked over.