We get a lot of calls about blood glucose levels on the Diabetes WA Helpline. Read on to learn more about the impact of stress and some strategies that can help.

Stress is a feeling that we experience when faced with a challenging situation. This can be physical, like an injury or illness. Or it can be mental, such as problems in our personal life or a fear of something.

When we are stressed, our body responds with the fight or flight mechanism. This is our body’s way of preparing us either to fight the stressor or run away from it. During this response, the body releases stress hormones such as cortisol, glucagon and adrenalin.

These hormones increase our heart rate, blood pressure and breathing so that our body can pump blood to our muscles faster, providing them with more oxygen.

Stress hormones also stimulate the liver to release stored glucose. Additionally, they make our body less sensitive to insulin or, in other words, they increase insulin resistance. As a result, our blood glucose levels rise to give enough energy for the body to fight or flee.

This response made perfect sense for our ancestors, when most stress was physical. If an animal was chasing them, they had to either run for their lives or fight back. However, in modern life most stress is mental, which can’t be managed by fighting or running away.

The fight or flight response happens to everyone, but it does not cause significant problems with blood glucose levels for people without diabetes. In people with diabetes, the pancreas may not produce enough insulin to move this extra glucose to the cells effectively. This can lead to high blood glucose levels. So what can we do about it?

Managing stress

The first step in managing our stress levels is to identify the stressor, which is the event that leads to the stress.

Managing diabetes itself can be stressful for many people, and there may be other stressors that are not related to diabetes. Sometimes, identifying the stressors can be more challenging than managing them.

Two key ways of dealing with stress are:

1. Change the situation when you can.

2. Change your response.

Here is an example.

Stressor: Managing diabetes medications, planning meals and following healthy eating guidelines, and achieving recommended physical activity goals.

Change the situation

Possible approaches include:
• Use medication aids like a Webster pack or app to organise medication.
• Speak with your healthcare team to simplify your medication regimen.
• Work with a dietitian to develop a realistic meal plan.
• Work with an exercise physiologist to create a safe and practical exercise plan.

Change your response.

Some suggestions include:

• Stay calm where you can and take diabetes management one step at a time.
• Focus on small and gradual dietary change.
• Start slowly and build up on your activities.
• Seeking support from your health care team if you are feeling overwhelmed.
• Believe in yourself and avoid negative self-talk such as “I can’t manage my diabetes.”

Some practical tips to reduce stress

• Exercise regularly.
• Make time for activities that you enjoy, such as gardening or knitting.
• Try to learn new activities.
• Talk about your worries with people who listen and support you.
• Get quality sleep.
• Practice relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation and deep breathing.
• Seek help from a health profession

Do you need some support with managing stress?

Our free Telehealth LISTEN program is here to support you with the emotional side of managing diabetes. If you would like to find out more about this program, call the Diabetes WA Helpline on 1300 001 880 or email us at listen@diabeteswa.com.au.