The Connection Between Stress and Diabetes

Posted on by Jordan Soblick

Stress is an unavoidable part of life. If we didn’t know that before 2020, the experiences and challenges of the past year certainly made it clear. But too much stress and the inability to manage and reduce it can lead to much more severe consequences than a few moments of anxiety or worry.

A whole range of health problems, from heart disease to hair loss, have been linked to chronic stress. Diabetes is not immune from the effects of stress, and the condition can be both a cause and consequence of stress.

How Stress Can Lead To Diabetes

Recent studies suggest that people with depression and anxiety have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who don’t live with such mental health conditions. A 2010 review of research on the link between stress and diabetes found support for the conclusion that, along with depression, “general emotional stress and anxiety, sleeping problems, anger, and hostility are associated with an increased risk for the development of type 2 diabetes.”

The researchers found that various stressors can increase a person’s risk of developing diabetes, including:

  • stressful events or traumatic life experiences
  • general emotional stress
  • anger and hostility
  • work-related stress
  • Troubled sleep

Lifestyle and Hormonal Factors

The reasons why stress can increase the risk of diabetes relate to how stress impacts both our lifestyle choices as well as our bodies’ biological and chemical reactions to stress.

An inability to find healthy and productive ways to alleviate stress can lead people to turn to bad habits and engage in other behaviors that can increase the chances of developing type 2 diabetes. These negative habits can include:

  • poor diet
  • eating too much
  • not exercising
  • smoking
  • excessive alcohol consumption

Stress can also impact the body’s hormone levels, which can disrupt how well insulin works.

Stress can activate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the sympathetic nervous system which can cause hormonal disruptions, such as higher cortisol levels. Cortisol, also called the stress hormone, can stimulate glucose production in the body and raise a person’s blood sugar levels.

Chronic stress may also affect the body’s immune system, with one study suggesting that one particular immune system response to chronic stress is similar to one that is involved in the development of type 2 diabetes.

How To Manage Stress

There is no one “right” way to manage stress, though there are plenty of bad ones. The key is finding an effective way to address stress that doesn’t create problems of its own. Every person is different, so figure out what works best for you, whether it is hanging out with friends, reading a good book, meditating, yoga, or walking your dog.

Continuous Glucose Monitoring Can Take The Stress Out of Checking Your Blood Sugar

While stress can increase the risk of diabetes, diabetes itself can be a source of stress. This includes worry and anxiety about blood sugar levels throughout the day. Fortunately, a new way of monitoring blood glucose levels can make the process much less taxing and stressful.

Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) is an alternative to disruptive and inconvenient finger-pricking that has long been the primary method of checking blood sugar. CGM is a proven, approved, and easy-to-use transceiver device that provides real-time glucose readings every few minutes through a tiny sensor underneath the skin. This sensor measures your interstitial glucose level and then sends the data to a pager-like monitor or an app on your smartphone. An alarm will sound if your blood sugar becomes too high or too low.

With easy-to-use features that can help each person proactively record and track glucose levels—as well as provide valuable insights on data that helps manage exercise, meals, and daily health status—CGM is a game-changer – and stress-reducer – for individuals with diabetes.

Ask your doctor about CGM and contact us today to see if you qualify for CGM and access our guide to continuous glucose monitoring.

CALL US TO QUALIFY NOW

If you are not insured, or have a high deductible health insurance plan, you can still purchase the Freestyle Libre Reader and Sensors at extremely competitive prices. Prices starting as low as $99 per month

1-888-308-0094

*Fingersticks are required for treatment decisions when you see Check Blood Glucose symbol, when symptoms do not match system readings when you suspect readings may be in accurate, or when you experience symptoms that may be due to high or low blood glucose.

Reference 1: Data on file. Abbott Diabetes Care. 2, FreeStyle Libre 14 day User’s Manual

Indications and Important Safety Information

FreeStyle Libre and FreeStyle Libre 14 day Flash Glucose Monitoring systems are continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices indicated for replacing blood glucose testing and detecting trends and tracking patterns aiding in the detection of episodes of hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia, facilitating both acute and long-term therapy adjustments in persons (age 18 and older) with diabetes. The systems are intended for single patient use and require a prescription.

CONTRAINDICATIONS: Remove the sensor before MRI, CT scan, X-ray, or diathermy treatment.

WARNINGS/LIMITATIONS: Do not ignore symptoms that may be due to low or high blood glucose, hypoglycemic unawareness, or dehydration. Check sensor glucose readings with a blood glucose meter when Check Blood Glucose symbol appears, when symptoms do not match system readings, or when readings are suspected to be inaccurate. The system does not have alarms unless the sensor is scanned, and the system contains small parts that may be dangerous if swallowed. The system is not approved for pregnant women, persons on dialysis, or critically-ill population. Sensor placement is not approved for sites other than the back of the arm and standard precautions for transmission of blood borne pathogens should be taken. The built-in blood glucose meter is not for use on dehydrated, hypotensive, in shock, hyperglycemic-hyperosmolar state, with or without ketosis, neonates, critically-ill patients, or for diagnosis or screening of diabetes. When using FreeStyle LibreLink app, access to a blood glucose monitoring system is required as the app does not provide one. Review all product information before use or contact Abbott Toll Free (855-632-8658) or visit www.freestylelibre.us for detailed indications for use and safety information.html. . FreeStyle, Libre, and related brand marks are trademarks of Abbott Diabetes Care Inc. in various jurisdictions. Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2018 Abbott. ADC-09691 vLO 10/18

*The FreeStyle LibreLink app and the FreeStyle Libre 14 day reader have similar but not identical features. Fingersticks are required for treatment decisions when you see Check Blood Glucose symbol, when symptoms do not match system readings, when you suspect readings may be inaccurate, or when you experience symptoms that may be due to high or low blood glucose.

The FreeStyle Libre 2 app and the FreeStyle Libre 2 reader have similar but not identical features. Fingersticks are required for treatment decisions when you see Check Blood Glucose symbol and when your glucose alarms and readings from the system do not match symptoms or expectations

‡‡‡Based on the sensor being replaced once every 14 days, and scanned at least once every 8 hours.

§§§Glucose readings are not available during 1-hour warm-up, when sensor is too hot or too cold, when you see an error or "LO" or "HI" message, or no current glucose reading