This is one of the scariest times for a lot of us, if not for all of us.  The Corona Pandemic has brought about new levels of stress in all our lives.  And as diabetics, it is particularly concerning.  Not only are we at higher risk of contracting the virus because of the comorbidity, which in itself is a stressful thought, but there are some of us who are affected by the loss of our jobs (bringing on the loss of income), the loss of life, the worry and concern for our loved ones (family and friends), working from home (which brings with it a whole other dynamic), and of course, trying to manage our blood sugar so we are at least in a healthier state.

So, let’s look at stress.  What is it and why is it so dangerous for diabetics in particular?  And more importantly, how we can reduce it.

Stress is a feeling of emotional or physical tension. It can come from any event or thought that makes you feel frustrated, angry, or nervous. Stress is your body’s reaction to a challenge or demand.

Cortisol is the steroid that is produced by the adrenal glands, which sit on top of each kidney. When released into the bloodstream, cortisol can act on many different parts of the body.

So, when we stress (and depending on the level of the anxiety/stress), our body releases the hormone cortisol into the blood, and this has an affect on different parts of the body: –

Our Skin:  Can become paler in colour, tighter, and dry.  This is usually because there is less blood flow to the skin.

Digestion:  Stress can affect digestion and what nutrients the intestines absorb. Gas production related to nutrient absorption may increase. The intestines have a tight barrier to protect the body from (most) food related bacteria. Stress can make the intestinal barrier weaker and allow gut bacteria to enter the body.

The Liver:  Stress stimulates the liver to produce more glycogen which the liver dumps into the body, thereby increasing blood glucose.

Our Lungs:  You breathe hard, faster, and take shorter breaths when stressed.  This makes the heart beat faster and expands the air passages of the lungs to take up more oxygen, putting pressure on your organs.

Our Blood:  Your body produces a surge of hormones when you’re in a stressful situation. These hormones temporarily increase your blood pressure by causing your heart to beat faster and your blood vessels to narrow.

Our Muscles:  When our body is stressed, our muscles tense up. Muscle tension is almost a reflex reaction to stress—the body’s way of guarding against injury and pain. With sudden onset stress, the muscles tense up all at once, and then release their tension when the stress passes.  Tense muscles can cause cramping, headaches, shoulder pain and a host of other ailments.

The Heart: Even minor stress can trigger heart problems like poor blood flow to the heart muscle. This is a condition in which the heart doesn’t get enough blood or oxygen. And long-term stress can affect how the blood clots. This makes the blood stickier and increases the risk of stroke.

Sweat Glands: When you feel stress, your body temperature rises, prompting your sweat glands to kick in.

Now I understand that its easy to use the cliché “Don’t Stress”, but what’s important for us diabetics is that stress DOES affect our blood sugar, and while stress on the body has all of the above complications, high blood sugar has even more complications.

I encourage you to NOTICE what your stress triggers are.  Trust a loved one enough to point out to you when they notice that you’re stressed.

• Do breathing exercises.  This will help to calm down your breathing, relax your muscles and slow your heart rate.  Breathe in through your nose (and count to 5) and out through your mouth (and count to 5)
• Have a glass of cool water – this will help to cool down the body.
• Take a walk – even if its just for 15 minutes.
• Talk without panic.  Don’t raise your voice and be aware of what you’re saying.
• If you need to cry, then cry.  Continuous tears contain 98 percent water, emotional tears contain stress hormones and other toxins. Researchers have theorized that crying flushes these things out of your system, though more research is needed in this area.  Crying can be a good detox.

Take care of yourself, and like I say, learn to NOTICE your triggers.

Stay safe!