Stress is one of the main causes for high blood pressure and it is also the culprit that triggers type 2 diabetes. Constant stress can hamper your diabetes care and management – if you have so much going on and you are not able to take care of your stress, you could forget eating meals on time, which might lead you to skipping diabetes medication, and all of this will take a toll on your blood sugar levels.
Diabetes management is a lifelong process. If you are a working professional, a lot of things can add unnecessary stress to your daily life which makes effective glucose control difficult. Most people with type 2 diabetes experience stress differently. Their mental stress raises their blood glucose levels. With stress, people with type 1 diabetes experience either a decrease or increase in their blood glucose levels.
What are the high blood sugar symptoms?
High blood sugar is also known as hyperglycaemia. Its early and on-going signs include:
- Headaches
- Blurred vision
- Increased thirst
- Trouble concentrating
- Weight loss
- Frequent peeing
- Fatigue
- Blood sugar which is more than 180 mg/dL
- Slow-healing wounds or cuts
- Skin infections
- Vaginal infections
Type 2 diabetes causes
- Genetics
- Lifestyle behaviors
- Sedentary lifestyle
- Unhealthy diet
- Environmental factors
- Being overweight
- Being inactive
How can stress worsen your type 2 diabetes
- Stress raises your blood sugar levels
- Stress activates fat cells in your body
- It contributes to insulin resistance
- It also impacts sleep, which impairs glucose tolerance
- It affects your blood pressure
Here’s how to reduce your stress levels
- Breathe. One of the simplest ways to de-stress is to leave everything and breathe! Try taking deep breaths. Do some exhale and inhale techniques and you are good to go.
- Be kind to yourself. Don’t be too hard on yourself when it comes to work. It’s OK to not worry about the deadlines. It is okay to say no to things you don’t want or need to do.
- Keep a positive attitude. It is always easier to pile on negativity when things seem to be going wrong in life, whether or not its work related. Learn to appreciate the little things in your life that matter, change your perspective and watch your life change.
- Talk to a friend. Confide in family or a close friend. There are also professionals that hear you out and come up with solutions to make you feel better. Talking it out always helps! It always makes you feel light and better.
- Unwind. Practice deep breathing, meditate, train your mind to relax your muscles, and try to spend 10 minutes with your own self. Spending time alone is one of the best ways to feel relaxed.
- Accept what you can’t change. If you can’t make things better, there is always a different way to handle it, that could be better for your mental peace. If you can make things better, go for it!
- The power of exercise. There is nothing that a good workout cannot cure! Exercise is the biggest form of stress relief. Go for a run, take a hike, go for a boxing session, do cycling, take a dance class or hit some weights. You are guaranteed to feel so much better!
- Plan your day ahead. Always remember that, tomorrow is a new day and instead of worrying so much try to relax and focus on making tomorrow better. A to-do list is great to start planning ahead.
- De–clutter. Organizing your work desk or study table at home will instantly make you feel better. You will be able to focus on getting work done and make progress.
- Rest up. Getting 7-8 hours of a good night’s sleep is so crucial for everyone, especially when one is stressed. Lack of sleep accompanied with stress can have negative effects on the body and spike your blood sugar levels.
Often stress leads to overeating – especially emotional eating because we are constantly thinking about things and food in that moment seems like a rescue or activity. If you often find yourself stressed and notice that stress triggers your emotional eating, then here’s what you should do –
- Eat only when you are actually hungry
- Watch out for signs that make you want to emotional eat
- Identify and cope with triggers associated with emotional eating
- Don’t deprive yourself either
- Watching what you eat and learn to eat mindfully
- Cope with your cravings, remember you have to manage your type 2 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes diet
Incorporating lean-meat, protein-rich foods in your type 2 diabetes diet can help you in keeping full for a longer time and satisfied. This will also help in promoting healthy weight loss and reduce insulin resistance. Here’s what you should include in your diabetes diet –
- Fatty fish like salmon
- Tuna in water
- Turkey, skinless
- Chicken, skinless
- Legumes and beans
- Non-fat Greek yogurt
- Tofu
- Eggs
- Brown or wild rice
- Quinoa
- Whole grains, whole grain bread, whole grain pasta
- Whole grain cereal
- Skim milk
- Non-fat daily products such as cottage cheese, cheese
- Spinach and kale
- Broccoli and cauliflower
- Cucumbers
- Asparagus
- Brussels sprouts
- Onions
Visit your nearest Apollo Sugar Clinics for a complete comprehensive diabetes treatment and diabetes care. Get help from our team of experts that include nutritionists and dieticians who will customize a diabetic diet chart to suit your needs, along with our doctors and physical therapists who will suggest a workout plan that will give you the most benefit to better your condition in type 2 diabetes.
