Can Stress Raise Your Blood Sugar Levels? (And Why You Should Care)
Takeaways
Stress is a normal and necessary part of life. However, chronic stress can adversely impact your glucose control and, in the longer term, put you at increased risk of multiple health problems.
Tracking your stress levels in relation to your glucose levels can help you identify specific triggers.
Effective stress management starts with identifying your sources of stress and developing strategies to deal with them.
Simple relaxation techniques could help reduce your mental stress.
Stress is a normal physiological response to events that make you feel threatened or upset. When you sense danger, an automatic process—known as the “fight or flight” or stress response—kicks in. It’s your body’s way of protecting you.
The stress response helps you stay focused and alert. In emergency situations, stress can save your life or others. It also helps you rise to meet challenges. It keeps you sharp during a work presentation or increases your concentration when you need it most.
However, chronic stress, known to affect about one-third of people globally, can have an adverse impact on your health. More specifically, chronic stress has been linked to headaches, high blood pressure, heart problems, and diabetes. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration in the United States declared stress as a workplace hazard, costing the country more than US$300 billion annually.
Singaporeans aren’t any less stressed, either. According to a 2019 Cigna 360 Well-Being Survey, a staggering 92% of working Singaporeans are stressed—8% higher than the global average of 84%. To that end, stress-related illnesses cost the Singapore economy S$3.2 billion annually, and forms about 18% of the country’s total health expenditure.
How does stress affect your sugar level?
Stress can be emotional (e.g., fear, anxiety, anger, excitement, tension) or physiological (e.g., illness, pain, infection, injury) in nature.
When you are stressed, your body prepares itself by ensuring that enough sugar or energy is readily available. During this “fight-or-flight” response, the levels of stress hormones such as glucagon, adrenaline (epinephrine), growth hormone, and cortisol levels rise. The resulting greater release of glucose from the liver, paired with reduced glucose uptake into body tissues such as muscle and fat, increases glucose levels in the bloodstream.
For those without diabetes, the stress-induced blood sugar rise is followed by an increase in insulin secretion, so the blood sugar rise is modest and temporary. However, for those with diabetes, stress can cause a significant and prolonged increase in the blood sugar level as their bodies are either incapable of producing sufficient insulin or are insulin-resistant. In addition, people who are stressed may not take good care of themselves. They may forget or not have the time to eat well, take their medications, or check their glucose levels. They may also drink more alcohol or exercise less. All these could adversely affect glucose control.
What are the consequences of long-term stress?
The body’s stress response system is usually self-limiting. Hormone levels return to normal once the perceived threat or challenge has passed.
However, if the stressors are always present and you constantly feel threatened, the fight or flight reaction stays on. The long-term activation of the stress response system, and the over-exposure to cortisol and other stress hormones, can disrupt your body’s processes and put you at increased risk of multiple health problems, such as:
Headaches
Sleep problems
Anxiety
Depression
Digestive problems
Heart disease
Weight gain
Memory and concentration impairment
Symptoms of stress
Stress can manifest in a variety of ways.
Emotional symptoms of stress include:
Becoming easily agitated, frustrated, moody
Feeling overwhelmed, like you are losing control or need to take control
Having difficulty relaxing, quieting your mind
Feeling bad about yourself (low self-esteem), lonely, worthless, and depressed
Physical symptoms of stress include:
Low energy
Upset stomach, including diarrhoea, constipation, and nausea
Aches, pains, and tense muscles
Chest pain and rapid heartbeat
Frequent colds and infections
Loss of sexual desire and/or ability
Nervousness and shaking, cold or sweaty hands and feet
Dry mouth and difficulty swallowing
Clenched jaw and grinding teeth
Cognitive symptoms of stress include:
Constant worrying
Racing thoughts
Forgetfulness and disorganization
Inability to focus
Poor judgment
Being pessimistic
Behavioral symptoms of stress include:
Changes in appetite—either not eating or eating too much
Procrastinating and avoiding responsibilities
Increased use of alcohol, drugs, or cigarettes
Exhibiting more nervous behaviors, such as nail biting, fidgeting, and pacing
How to find out if stress is affecting your blood sugar levels
Follow these steps to see whether mental stress is affecting your glucose control:
Track your mental stress level, using a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 representing the highest level of stress, on a notebook or a note-taking app on your phone. Remember that stress can manifest in different ways (refer to the preceding section).
At the same time, monitor your blood glucose levels (preferably using flash/continuous glucose monitoring sensors for real-time information).
Track your stress levels daily for 2 weeks while monitoring your glucose levels.
After 2 weeks, look for a pattern. This may help you determine specific triggers.
Once you have identified your triggers, you can take steps to lower your stress and keep your glucose in check. If you are often stressed and notice that your glucose is regularly high, your stress could be negatively affecting your blood sugar.
Takeaway
Stress is a normal and necessary part of life. However, repeated stress can adversely impact your glucose control and, in the longer term, can put you at increased risk of multiple health problems.
Tracking your stress levels in relation to your glucose levels can help you identify specific triggers. Effective stress management starts with identifying your sources of stress and developing strategies to manage them.
You can reduce your mental stress by trying simple relaxation techniques.
Been in prolonged periods of stress? If you answered yes, it can increase the likelihood of chronic-related diseases.
We’ve helped clients better manage and prevent chronic diseases such as diabetes through our NOVI Magnum program. Find out more or take our quiz to find out the program that’s most suitable for you.