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Message: <blockquote data-quote="AskLana" data-source="post: 863554" data-attributes="member: 186002">Check out this quote from WebMD, "Stress can increase levels of hormones in the body, particularly cortisol, which can make blood sugar rise.""Hormone release is part of the body's fight-or-flight response, which readies it to take action at the first sign of trouble -- or bolt in the other direction. Cortisol and other hormones release a surge of energy in the form of glucose (sugar), which the body can use to fight or flee.""That rush of glucose is no problem if your body's insulin response is working correctly. But for people with diabetes, whose bodies can't move glucose as efficiently into cells, it leads to a buildup of sugar in the bloodstream."So, I don't get it, if cortisol, the stress hormone, raises blood sugar, and if all that glucose in my body is getting built up, then why does my blood sugar (sometimes) drop really low when I'm stressed out? There are times it goes up; but most of the time, it drops really low. I'm always a diabetic, nothing changes about THAT! I always have the same amount of insulin in me, I take the same amount every day. (I only take NPH, I don't take R unless my blood sugar really soars!), so nothing changes THERE! I eat the same kind of food every day (mainly raw non-starchy vegetables to keep from having to take R). Is there a reason my blood sugar goes really low when I'm stressed out (most times)? This is what I've read on the subject so far, According to Edmund Bourne, your body “burns up sugar very rapidly” in times of stress. Bourne goes on to say, "…your adrenal glands kick in and release adrenaline and cortisol, which causes you to feel more anxious and aroused and also has the specific purpose of causing your liver to release stored sugar in order to bring your blood sugar level back to normal.""So the subjective symptoms of hypoglycemia arise both from a deficit of blood sugar and a secondary stress response mediated by the adrenal glands."I'm having a hard time wrapping my bird brain around this concept! If your body burns up energy fast in times of stress, and it gets replaced by the glucose that gets released from your liver (fight or flight), then why does my blood sugar still continue to drop? i can understand if it dropped right away in response to stress, but then went back up after the glucose from my liver kicked in, but for some reason, it continues to drop. Can it be because the NPH insulin floating around in my bloodstream is keeping my liver from releasing glucose? If that's the case, then isn't being stressed out dangerous for diabetics, especially those who take several types of insulin or are on an insulin pump (which releases insulin continuously)? the whole point of being stressed out (sometimes), rather, the fight or flight response, is to give your muscles the energy to take necessary action (like fight or run away). If the insulin we take is lowering our blood glucose in times of need (such as fight or flight response), then aren't diabetics a bunch of *gasp* sitting ducks?What about everyone else? Does your blood sugar go up or down when you're stressed out? I especially want to hear from people on insulin pump therapy -- does all that insulin that keeps getting released into your bloodstream let you take action when you need to? Or, does your body fail you when you need it to move the most? Personally, I know, I get weak and shaky and running or defending myself in stressful times is almost impossible! What about you?</blockquote>

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