Whether you have diabetes or not managing stress is vital to your overall health for so many reasons. In diabetics however it is even more so because stress increases the fight or flight hormones adrenaline and cortisol. One of the many physical responses that occur is an increase in blood sugar levels so we will have the energy to flee or fight the thing that caused the stress in the first place. It worked perfectly in the days of caves and wooly mammoths but can be harmful these days unless we truly are in danger.
In non-diabetic people insulin levels self regulate during times of stress which in turn manages blood sugar levels. In diabetics this system is broken or working below optimal so blood sugar levels rise–just the thing people with diabetes are working to avoid.
“There is a myth out there that it’s all about food as to why the blood sugar rises,” says Richard Hellman, MD, former president of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. The truth is that other factors play a role, he explains, including stress.
First line of defense, know when you are stressed and build in some time to release it. If you have been under long term, chronic stress such as caring for an aging parent or juggling cash and credit to keep your family afloat, your efforts to manage your blood sugar naturally or with insulin and diabetes drugs must be accompanied with a concerted effort to de-stress. If you have never been one to pay attention to stress or finding ways to relax and think it’s for weak of wimpy types, now would be a good time to wise up and pick a relaxation method.
The suggestions are ubiquitous but I’ll list some here: yoga, pilates, Tai Chi, any form of exercise, breathing, meditation, laughter, connecting with people you enjoy, and so on.
And the small daily stressors can add up so why not practice detached observing the next time the line at the grocery store is being held up by the cashier chatting with an elderly shopper? How about laughing off the snarky teenager who had to finish texting before he took your order at the deli counter? All of these things we allow to annoy/stress us are really just plain silly if you think about it.
Take this information to heart–the quality of your life depends on it. Maybe not now, but left unattended, stress–especially for those with diabetes–can rob you of mobility, sight, the use of your limbs, and the ability to live a full, joyful life.
At midlife, we ain’t dead yet and there is still plenty to be do and have; it takes caring for ourselves with a vengeance sometimes but the extra effort sure will be worth it if we can age with the gift of health. порнографиякартинки
