Stress and diabetes
Have you noticed your blood glucose increase when you are injured, during a stressful presentation or test, in an argument, or even during high-intensity exercise? Physical, mental, and emotional pressures like these can all be experienced by the body as stress.1
Our bodies’ natural responses to stress involve a release of hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol and results in raised glucose levels.2 While the body’s response to stress is meant to be protective,1 it may not always be in response to a negative stressor, as is the case with intense exercise. Regardless of the cause, these stressors can create obstacles in managing diabetes.
How does stress affect diabetes?
Day-to-day stressors can be challenging to avoid and affect people with diabetes in different ways. With real-time continuous glucose monitoring (rt-CGM) you can learn how different types of events or situations affect your glucose and helpful ways to manage them.
When you are under stress or feel symptoms related to stress such as fast heartbeat, rapid breathing, muscle tension or nervousness, consider taking note of your glucose before and after or logging an event in your Dexcom G7 app.* Over a few weeks you may notice a pattern and identify a specific situation triggering a stress response. Recognizing these situations and using your rt-CGM to see how they relate to your glucose can put you in the driver’s seat to reduce or avoid them.
Eight strategies to help manage stress
Go for a walk outside
Getting outside and moving can be very beneficial for managing feelings of stress. Going for a walk gives you some time away from the stressor and the physical activity also helps lower glucose levels. Even a brief 10 minute walk has been shown to boost mood.3
Listen to relaxing music
Music can be effective for relaxation and stress management. Research suggest that relaxing music can lower cortisol levels, release endorphins and improve our sense of well-being, helping to reduce physical and emotional stress levels.4
Do a physical activity you enjoy
Like going outside for a walk, doing a physical activity you love can help decrease stress while increasing your fitness.
Read a good book
Reading is a great way to get you mind off of what is causing you stress. Reading can even relax your body by lowering your heart rate and easing the tension in your muscles. A 2009 study at the University of Sussex found that reading can reduce stress by up to 68%.5
Practice yoga, meditation and deep breathing
Mindfulness activities are the practice of intentional focus on the present moment and have been used for centuries as a way to relax and reduce stress.
Reduce screen time from smartphones and computers
In a time where we are glued to our phone, computer, and TV screens we can easily get information overload which can contribute to our overall levels of stress. Limiting screen time or designating screen free time in your day can help you have healthy boundaries with your devices.
Journal your thoughts and emotions
Journaling is a great way of expressing your thoughts and feelings. Research has shown that journaling was associated with decreased mental distress and increased well-being.6
Spend time with family and friends
Spending time and having fun with those you love can serve to relax us and take our minds off the day to day things that stress us out.
Common stressors may often be short-term, and glucose levels typically lower after the source of stress goes away. Constant or long-term stress, however, can take a toll on your mental and emotional well-being. If stress is affecting your overall health and diabetes management, talk to your healthcare team about what you are going through and strategies that can help.
Start your journey with Dexcom today
*Smart devices sold separately. For a list of compatible devices, visit dexcom.com/compatibility.
1. Epel ES, Crosswell AD, Mayer SE, et al. More than a feeling: A unified view of stress measurement for population science. Front Neuroendocrinol. 2018;49:146-169. doi:10.1016/j.yfrne.2018.03.001 2. Marcovecchio ML, Chiarelli F. The effects of acute and chronic stress on diabetes control. Sci Signal. 2012;5(247):pt10. Published 2012 Oct 23. doi:10.1126/scisignal.2003508 3. Edwards MK, Loprinzi PD. Experimental effects of brief, single bouts of walking and meditation on mood profile in young adults. Health Promot Perspect. 2018;8(3):171-178. Published 2018 Jul 7. doi:10.15171/hpp.2018.23 4. Martina de Witte, Ana da Silva Pinho, Geert-Jan Stams, Xavier Moonen, Arjan E.R. Bos & Susan van Hooren (2022) Music therapy for stress reduction: a systematic review and meta-analysis, Health Psychology Review, 16:1, 134-159, DOI: 10.1080/17437199.2020.1846580 5. Lewis, D. (2009), Galaxy Stress Research. Mindlab International, Sussex University, UK. 6. Smyth JM, Johnson JA, Auer BJ, Lehman E, Talamo G, Sciamanna CN. Online Positive Affect Journaling in the Improvement of Mental Distress and Well-Being in General Medical Patients With Elevated Anxiety Symptoms: A Preliminary Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Ment Health. 2018 Dec 10;5(4):e11290. doi: 10.2196/11290. PMID: 30530460; PMCID: PMC6305886.
BRIEF SAFETY STATEMENT: Failure to use the Dexcom Continuous Glucose Monitoring System and its components according to the instructions for use provided with your device and available at https://www.dexcom.com/safetyinformation and to properly consider all indications, contraindications, warnings, precautions, and cautions in those instructions for use may result in you missing a severe hypoglycemia (low blood glucose) or hyperglycemia (high blood glucose) occurrence and/or making a treatment decision that may result in injury. If your glucose alerts and readings from the Dexcom CGM do not match symptoms, use a blood glucose meter to make diabetes treatment decisions. Seek medical advice and attention when appropriate, including for any medical emergency. RX ONLY. The t:slim X2 insulin pump with Control-IQ technology is indicated for patients with type 1 diabetes, 6 years and older. BOXED WARNING: Control-IQ technology should not be used by people under age 6, or who use less than 10 units of insulin/day, or who weigh less than 55 lbs. For full safety information, visit tandemdiabetes.com/safetyinfo.