Does Stress Affect Blood Sugar?

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsThe Connection Between Stress and Blood SugarComplications of Stress and Blood SugarDiagnosis of Stress and Blood SugarTreatment of Stress and Blood SugarCoping With Stress and Blood SugarSummary

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

The Connection Between Stress and Blood Sugar

Complications of Stress and Blood Sugar

Diagnosis of Stress and Blood Sugar

Treatment of Stress and Blood Sugar

Coping With Stress and Blood Sugar

Summary

Stress is a powerful thing, and while we usually think of it as affecting our moods, it can also have profound effects on our bodies, including our ability to regulate blood sugar. Asstress hormonesare released, our insulin levels drop, which can cause a rise in blood sugar. This can be particularly serious for someone who hasdiabetesor pre-diabetes.

Let’s take a look at the relationship between stress and blood sugar: how stress causes blood sugar fluctuations, possible complications, and how you can manage both stress and blood sugar levels.

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Most of us associate spikes in blood sugar with dietary choices, such as eating too much sugar or too many carbs. But many elements can affect how our bodies regulate blood sugar, including dehydration, heat and sun exposure, and skipping meals. Stress, including life circumstances, illness, and lack of sleep, is also a contributing factor when it comes to blood sugar regulation.

When you are stressed, the “stress response” is triggered in your body. This sends a cascade of hormones, including cortisol, to be released. Cortisol can significantly affect our bodies, including our inflammatory response, immune system, and metabolism.

High levels of stress can:

Additionally, when you are experiencing increased levels of stress, you are more likely to eat poorly, skip meals, andsleep badly, all of which can also contribute to unregulated blood sugar issues.

Risk Factors

Certain risk factors may increase the likelihood that you will increase a blood sugar issue related to stress, including:

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Both stress and blood sugar changes can have negative effects on a person’s health and well being.

If you have diabetes, stress can:

If you experience a spike in blood pressure as a result of stress, you can experience symptoms such as fatigue or depression. If your blood pressure becomes too low, you may feel jittery, unhappy, and anxious.

When to See a DoctorChanges in blood sugar aren’t just unpleasant: at times, they can be dangerous. Please call your healthcare provider right away or go to the nearest emergency if you are diabetic and experience the following symptoms:Racing heart and quick breathingDry mouth and skinMore frequent urination or thirst for several daysBreath that has a fruity scentFlushed skinNauseaVomitingAbdominal painHeadacheAchy, stiff muscles

When to See a Doctor

Changes in blood sugar aren’t just unpleasant: at times, they can be dangerous. Please call your healthcare provider right away or go to the nearest emergency if you are diabetic and experience the following symptoms:Racing heart and quick breathingDry mouth and skinMore frequent urination or thirst for several daysBreath that has a fruity scentFlushed skinNauseaVomitingAbdominal painHeadacheAchy, stiff muscles

Does Stress Affect Blood Sugar?

Stress and blood sugar are connected but require separated diagnoses. Here’s what to know.

Diagnosing Stress

Stress isn’t something people usually get diagnosed with. It’s a pretty common mood and emotional state that many of us find ourselves in from time to time. Stress is a typical response to difficult life circumstances, including in relationships, work, or reactions to world events.

Sometimes, however, stress can be chronic, and in this case, it’s possible to be diagnosed with a stress disorder. Two common stress disorders areacute stress disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Both of these are stress reactions related to traumatic events, but acute stress disorder is diagnosed within about a month of the event, andPTSDis diagnosed when the stress persists past a month.

Diagnosing Diabetes

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The good news is that both stress and blood sugar complications are treatable. Stress is usually treated with psychotherapy and stress management techniques. Diabetes is treated with medication, along with diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes.

Diabetes Treatments

If you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes, you will need to take a medication called insulin, which helps your body regulate blood sugar. You will also need to monitor your blood glucose levels at home.

Additionally, you will need to stick to a diet that is low in sugar and carbohydrates but rich in protein, healthy fats, fiber, fruits and vegetables. If you are overweight, you will likely be advised to lose weight. Your cholesterol and blood pressure will need to be monitored, along with your blood sugars. You should quit smoking if you are diagnosed with diabetes.

Stress Treatment

If you are experiencing stress, there are several different therapy treatment options that can help you manage your feelings, and react to stress in more healthy and balanced ways. Therapy types that work best for stress include:

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Lifestyle Changes

Here are some lifestyle changes you can make that will both lower stressand blood sugar:

Support Groups

If you’ve been newly diagnosed with diabetes, support is vital. Usethis link from the Defeat Diabetes Foundationto find a diabetes support group in your state.

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Stress releases cortisol, which can change the way your body produces and uses insulin. This can cause changes in your blood sugar levels, which may be particularly serious for someone who has diabetes. Thankfully, reducing stress can effectively address this problem and can help keep your blood sugar levels in check.

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Discovering that your blood sugar fluctuates in response to stress can be distressing in and of itself. Please remember that this is common, and there are simple and effective ways to address it. Most importantly, you should be in touch with your healthcare provider if you notice changes in your blood sugar readings. If you are finding your stress levels difficult to manage, please reach out to atherapist or counselor.

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10 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Wong H, Singh J, Go RM, et al.The Effects of Mental Stress on Non-insulin-dependent Diabetes: Determining the Relationship Between Catecholamine and Adrenergic Signals from Stress, Anxiety, and Depression on the Physiological Changes in the Pancreatic Hormone Secretion. Cureus. 2019 Aug 24;11(8):e5474. doi:10.7759/cureus.5474Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Manage Blood Sugar.Thau L, Gandhi J, Sharma S.Physiology, Cortisol. StatPearls Publishing.Wong H, Singh J, Go RM, et al.The Effects of Mental Stress on Non-insulin-dependent Diabetes: Determining the Relationship Between Catecholamine and Adrenergic Signals from Stress, Anxiety, and Depression on the Physiological Changes in the Pancreatic Hormone Secretion. Cureus. 2019 Aug 24;11(8):e5474. doi:10.7759/cureus.5474Cleveland Clinic.Diabetes: Stress & Depression.Hackett RA, Steptoe A.Type 2 diabetes mellitus and psychological stress — a modifiable risk factor. Nature Reviews Endocrinology. 2017;13:547–560. doi:10.1038/nrendo.2017.64U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.Acute Stress Disorder.Cleveland Clinic.Diabetes: An Overview.University of Minnesota.What Types of Psychotherapy Are Helpful for Anxiety and Depression?Cleveland Clinic.Stress.

10 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Wong H, Singh J, Go RM, et al.The Effects of Mental Stress on Non-insulin-dependent Diabetes: Determining the Relationship Between Catecholamine and Adrenergic Signals from Stress, Anxiety, and Depression on the Physiological Changes in the Pancreatic Hormone Secretion. Cureus. 2019 Aug 24;11(8):e5474. doi:10.7759/cureus.5474Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Manage Blood Sugar.Thau L, Gandhi J, Sharma S.Physiology, Cortisol. StatPearls Publishing.Wong H, Singh J, Go RM, et al.The Effects of Mental Stress on Non-insulin-dependent Diabetes: Determining the Relationship Between Catecholamine and Adrenergic Signals from Stress, Anxiety, and Depression on the Physiological Changes in the Pancreatic Hormone Secretion. Cureus. 2019 Aug 24;11(8):e5474. doi:10.7759/cureus.5474Cleveland Clinic.Diabetes: Stress & Depression.Hackett RA, Steptoe A.Type 2 diabetes mellitus and psychological stress — a modifiable risk factor. Nature Reviews Endocrinology. 2017;13:547–560. doi:10.1038/nrendo.2017.64U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.Acute Stress Disorder.Cleveland Clinic.Diabetes: An Overview.University of Minnesota.What Types of Psychotherapy Are Helpful for Anxiety and Depression?Cleveland Clinic.Stress.

Wong H, Singh J, Go RM, et al.The Effects of Mental Stress on Non-insulin-dependent Diabetes: Determining the Relationship Between Catecholamine and Adrenergic Signals from Stress, Anxiety, and Depression on the Physiological Changes in the Pancreatic Hormone Secretion. Cureus. 2019 Aug 24;11(8):e5474. doi:10.7759/cureus.5474Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Manage Blood Sugar.Thau L, Gandhi J, Sharma S.Physiology, Cortisol. StatPearls Publishing.Wong H, Singh J, Go RM, et al.The Effects of Mental Stress on Non-insulin-dependent Diabetes: Determining the Relationship Between Catecholamine and Adrenergic Signals from Stress, Anxiety, and Depression on the Physiological Changes in the Pancreatic Hormone Secretion. Cureus. 2019 Aug 24;11(8):e5474. doi:10.7759/cureus.5474Cleveland Clinic.Diabetes: Stress & Depression.Hackett RA, Steptoe A.Type 2 diabetes mellitus and psychological stress — a modifiable risk factor. Nature Reviews Endocrinology. 2017;13:547–560. doi:10.1038/nrendo.2017.64U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.Acute Stress Disorder.Cleveland Clinic.Diabetes: An Overview.University of Minnesota.What Types of Psychotherapy Are Helpful for Anxiety and Depression?Cleveland Clinic.Stress.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Manage Blood Sugar.

Thau L, Gandhi J, Sharma S.Physiology, Cortisol. StatPearls Publishing.

Cleveland Clinic.Diabetes: Stress & Depression.

Hackett RA, Steptoe A.Type 2 diabetes mellitus and psychological stress — a modifiable risk factor. Nature Reviews Endocrinology. 2017;13:547–560. doi:10.1038/nrendo.2017.64

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.Acute Stress Disorder.

Cleveland Clinic.Diabetes: An Overview.

University of Minnesota.What Types of Psychotherapy Are Helpful for Anxiety and Depression?

Cleveland Clinic.Stress.

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Risk Factors#

When to See a Doctor#

Diagnosing Stress#

Diagnosing Diabetes#

Diabetes Treatments#

Stress Treatment#

Lifestyle Changes#

Support Groups#

A Word From Verywell#