Have you ever experienced stress? Do you know stress and blood sugar are related? You might also check if you have any new challenges in work or schoolwork recently? Or if you have any unsolvable problems controlling sugar that bother you. Because “stress” may also affect blood sugar performance, resulting in different blood sugar fluctuations. Now let’s understand the relationship between blood sugar and stress!

What is stress?

Generally speaking, when we face anything, if we feel challenged or threatened, we will have a reaction in behavior or mood which is “stress”. There is no need to be afraid, because moderate stress can help you actively achieve goals, improve performance, and think positive. But pay special attention, excessive stress may have negative effects on the body, and even increase the risk of various diseases.

Are blood sugars affected by stress?

When stress occurs, the adrenal glands in the body will produce Cortisol, which is the “stress hormone” that we often hear. Stress hormones have the function of increasing blood sugar and blood pressure, so that we have enough energy to face the stress. Therefore, regardless of people with diabetes or people without blood sugar problems, blood sugar will rise when stress occurs, and the greater the pressure, the higher the blood sugar rises. When the pressure is relieved, if the function of the pancreas to secrete insulin is normal, the blood sugar will soon return to the standard range.If the function of the pancreas is worse, the harder it is for the blood sugar to return to the standard range. It can be seen that the blood sugar of diabetics is more likely to fluctuate due to stress, but different diabetics will respond differently. For example, the insulin secretion function of the pancreas of type 1 diabetics may be worse than that of type 2 diabetics.  So if they are affected by stress , blood sugar fluctuations will be greater.

How to Spot Stress? Common Symptoms When Stress Is Increase

Stress may exist in our lives at any time, but everyone feels different about stress, and some people are not even easy to find it, but if you have the following symptoms, it means that you may have excessive stress, and you need to pay special attention to the changes in blood sugar:

1. Physical response: Stomach pain, abdominal pain, diarrhea may appear in the gastrointestinal tract, and even palpitations, muscle tension, dizziness and headache may occur.

2. Emotional response: easy to get angry, lose your temper, or feel anxious and overwhelmed. Some people may also experience symptoms such as depression and powerlessness.

3. Behavioral response: Some people will vent their stress by overeating, especially fried foods, desserts and other high-fat and high-sugar foods.

Learn to release stress and make sugar control smoother

Doing some soothing yoga or meditation before going to bed can help you settle down and release stress. In the diet, you can choose foods rich in tryptophan, group B vitamins, calcium and magnesium. Tryptophan and  group B vitamins can help serotonin synthesis, regulate mood, and make the mood relaxed and happy. Calcium and magnesium can help muscles relax, reduce nervous excitement and anxiety, and reduce stress.

Food rich in tryptophan

Fish, soy products, meat, dairy products, eggs, sesame, cashew

Food rich in B-group vitamin

Oats, brown rice, corn, dark green vegetables, lean meat, milk

Food rich in calcium and magnesium

Dairy products, dark green vegetables

If you find that your blood sugar may be affected by stress in addition to diet, you can first recall the causes of stress and learn how to deal with it. Only by releasing the stress and relaxation can we effectively adjust the physical response and help the blood sugar control process go smoothly!