Stress and blood sugar

15521 Views 82 Replies 15 Participants Last post by foxl, Jun 6, 2011

SandraO

Discussion Starter · May 9, 2011

Good morning,

I'm just wondering what effect stress has on blood sugar levels? I am under a huge amount of stress at home right now due to medical issues with my dad and a few other things, and I am wondering if stress can cause blood sugar levels to rise?

I tend to be a "people pleaser" and this adds to my level of stress tremedously. This has been the case for about 3 years now and I don't see it changing anytime soon.

Anyone have any opinions on this?

Also, I am a "stress eater" and when I get super stressed about something I tend to head to the fridge or pantry. I have now stopped doing that and am trying really hard to eat properly.

Reactions: 1

21 - 40 of 83 Posts

Rosa

· #21 · May 24, 2011

Patdart said:
Since I'm facing the same crisis, I'm eagerly awaiting your responses.

Hello - I'm eagerly waiting also. My sugar has been in the 400's & 500's! Yours ever go that high?

Strange thing is, I don't get any symptoms when it's high, except for an occasional thirst (I'm sure you're familiar with that.) But when my sugar is low, I feel horrible!

By the way, I'm on 20 mg/prednisone daily. I'll check back here later to check responses. Good luck to you.

fiesta

· #22 · May 25, 2011

Rosa said:
I'm on prednisone for a muscle disease. I'm told it can raise blood pressure and blood SUGAR - and it sure has, especially the sugar. Anyone else in this position? I have no choice about taking the prednisone; without it I can't walk. Thanks in advance for any replies I get.

+

Rosa, what muscle disease do you have?

Something is raising my blood pressure but I do not know what. I am on blood pressure medication, Diovan.

I am glad that prednisone is helping you to walk. I hope you feel better.

Ruth

Rosa

· #23 · May 25, 2011

To fiesta (and all)

fiesta said:
+

Rosa, what muscle disease do you have?

Something is raising my blood pressure but I do not know what. I am on blood pressure medication, Diovan.

I am glad that prednisone is helping you to walk. I hope you feel better.

Ruth

Hi Ruth, Thank you for your kindness. I have a rather rare muscle disease called Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR), which differs from Fibromyalgia but I don't know how. It's excruciatingly painful at times - I drove to the store earlier and didn't think I'd make it back to my car in the parking lot, the muscle cramps in my legs were so bad. The pain travels, believe it or not. It affects all the muscles. I'd never heard of it before I got it. It primarily strikes Caucasian women over the age of 50 (I'm nearly 66 and have had it for approx. 3 years now). When I first developed it, I was literally bedridden for 4 months and my poor husband had to do everything. I can walk without my walker or wheelchair most of the time.

Prednisone is a wonder drug in some ways, but has some wicked side effects. My sugar is often in the 400's or 500's! I'm scared. I'm on several blood pressure meds too.

For the diabetes, I take Metformin, Glipizide, Novolog & Lantus SoloStar. I admit I don't watch my diet enough, but you'd think with all these meds my sugar could get under control. I welcome any suggestions and thanks for responding to me. I love this forum - we know we're not alone.

One more request - would like to hear from any of you whose sugar goes as high as mine.

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Reactions: 1

bigrosiegreenbaum

· #24 · May 25, 2011

Rosa said:
Hi Ruth, Thank you for your kindness. I have a rather rare muscle disease called Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR), which differs from Fibromyalgia but I don't know how. It's excruciatingly painful at times - I drove to the store earlier and didn't think I'd make it back to my car in the parking lot, the muscle cramps in my legs were so bad. The pain travels, believe it or not. It affects all the muscles. I'd never heard of it before I got it. It primarily strikes Caucasian women over the age of 50 (I'm nearly 66 and have had it for approx. 3 years now). When I first developed it, I was literally bedridden for 4 months and my poor husband had to do everything. I can walk without my walker or wheelchair most of the time.

Prednisone is a wonder drug in some ways, but has some wicked side effects. My sugar is often in the 400's or 500's! I'm scared. I'm on several blood pressure meds too.

For the diabetes, I take Metformin, Glipizide, Novolog & Lantus SoloStar. I admit I don't watch my diet enough, but you'd think with all these meds my sugar could get under control. I welcome any suggestions and thanks for responding to me. I love this forum - we know we're not alone.

One more request - would like to hear from any of you whose sugar goes as high as mine.

Rosa, you HAVE to watch your diet and be strict about it. You can't expect the meds to take care of you if you're not taking care of yourself. Don't make the same mistake my friend made by just upping her meds and thinking as long as she did that she could eat all she wanted and not exercise. She's now 38yo and she just had a foot amputated from that attitude.

Rosa

· #25 · May 25, 2011

bigrosiegreenbaum said:
Rosa, you HAVE to watch your diet and be strict about it. You can't expect the meds to take care of you if you're not taking care of yourself. Don't make the same mistake my friend made by just upping her meds and thinking as long as she did that she could eat all she wanted and not exercise. She's now 38yo and she just had a foot amputated from that attitude.

Thank you, and I know you're 100% right. I'm a highly responsible person except when it comes to my eating habits. I've got to get it through my head that I cannot just eat what I want and hope the meds will take care of it - I realize it doesn't work that way.

Thanks for your concern and I'm sorry your friend had to have her foot removed. That happened to two cousins of mine

Jeremymc1

· #26 · May 25, 2011 (Edited)

Rosa said:
Hi Ruth, Thank you for your kindness. I have a rather rare muscle disease called Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR), which differs from Fibromyalgia but I don't know how. It's excruciatingly painful at times - I drove to the store earlier and didn't think I'd make it back to my car in the parking lot, the muscle cramps in my legs were so bad. The pain travels, believe it or not. It affects all the muscles. I'd never heard of it before I got it. It primarily strikes Caucasian women over the age of 50 (I'm nearly 66 and have had it for approx. 3 years now). When I first developed it, I was literally bedridden for 4 months and my poor husband had to do everything. I can walk without my walker or wheelchair most of the time.

Prednisone is a wonder drug in some ways, but has some wicked side effects. My sugar is often in the 400's or 500's! I'm scared. I'm on several blood pressure meds too.

For the diabetes, I take Metformin, Glipizide, Novolog & Lantus SoloStar. I admit I don't watch my diet enough, but you'd think with all these meds my sugar could get under control. I welcome any suggestions and thanks for responding to me. I love this forum - we know we're not alone.

One more request - would like to hear from any of you whose sugar goes as high as mine.

I would question how you are using your Lantus and Novolog. Are you taking the Lantus every night? How often are you testing? Are you correcting high blood sugar with your Novolog? Does your ratio bring your blood sugar down? Are you calculating carbs and then taking insulin to keep your blood sugar down? Bottom line, your insulin should be keeping your blood sugar down.

Rosa

· #27 · May 25, 2011

Jeremymc1 said:
I would question how you are using your Lantus and Novolog. Are you taking the Lantus every night? How often are you testing? Are you correcting high blood sugar with your Novolog? Does your ratio bring your blood sugar down? Are you calculating carbs and then taking insulin to keep your blood sugar down? Bottom line, your insulin should be keeping your blood sugar down.

Thanks for your response. I take Lantus 2/day. Novolog, the fast-acting insulin, brings my sugar right down in a fairly short time. I test 3-4 times a day.

I don't even know how many carbs a diabetic is allowed. I have to go for blood work again soon, and my doctor is going to have a fit. I'll be sure to ask more questions during my office visit this time. I get so disgusted with myself, yet I keep giving in to foods I should not eat. I'll keep you all posted. You're a great bunch of people!

fiesta

· #28 · May 25, 2011

Rosa, thank you for answering me. I have never heard of it but it sounds like what I have. I have pain that travels up and down, too. I am 68 years old. Believe it or not, some exercise helps the pain. I do Gilad's, Bodies in Motion, Beginner's aerobics. There are also chair exercises that you can do. It is called chair dancing.

When I was on medication for my diabetes, my BG numbers were in the 400 range. I thought the medication was allowing me to eat what I wanted. That is not true. Even with meds, you still have to stick to your diet.

I am on the Glycemic Index Diet. You can still eat a lot of foods that will fill you up. I hope I have helped you.

Rosa

· #29 · May 25, 2011

To fiesta et al

fiesta said:
Rosa, thank you for answering me. I have never heard of it but it sounds like what I have. I have pain that travels up and down, too. I am 68 years old. Believe it or not, some exercise helps the pain. I do Gilad's, Bodies in Motion, Beginner's aerobics. There are also chair exercises that you can do. It is called chair dancing.

When I was on medication for my diabetes, my BG numbers were in the 400 range. I thought the medication was allowing me to eat what I wanted. That is not true. Even with meds, you still have to stick to your diet.

I am on the Glycemic Index Diet. You can still eat a lot of foods that will fill you up. I hope I have helped you.

Hi - You are definitely a help to me and I'm grateful. I hoped the medications would let me "cheat" and now I know I can't get away with that. I'm very glad you called my attention to that fact.

You can find out if you have PMR by having blood work done. I'm sure a regular physician can do that, but mine was diagnosed by a rheumatologist. Unfortunately, it's extremely rare for it to go away, so in all probability I'm stuck with this for life. But there are far worse things, so I seldom get depressed about it, and I'm very prone to depression.

I love this forum! I'm a nightowl, and right now it's 4:42 a.m. where I live. I'll just sleep late when I do go to bed. I sleep in a hospital bed due to the PMR; I cannot get comfortable on a regular mattress.

So I'll have to watch carbs carefully - my sugar levels have been way too high for a long time. So far, nobody has answered this question for me - are carbs the same as sugar? And why are so many food items labeled sugar-free, but in the same listing, high in carbs? How can manufacturers get away with that? Also, are ALL carbs bad?

Thanks a million for your input. You're very thoughtful

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bigrosiegreenbaum

· #30 · May 25, 2011

Rosa said:
Thank you, and I know you're 100% right. I'm a highly responsible person except when it comes to my eating habits. I've got to get it through my head that I cannot just eat what I want and hope the meds will take care of it - I realize it doesn't work that way.

Thanks for your concern and I'm sorry your friend had to have her foot removed. That happened to two cousins of mine

I'm pretty sure we've all been there. It's hard to go from being a carb addict to suddenly having to change overnight, but you have to make the commitment. And remember your two cousins - you don't want that to happen to you! I've had a bad few weeks because of stress from a cat problem and admit I haven't been taking the best care of myself - in my case, going without meals as opposed to over-eating, and not exercising much. Today, I'm getting back on track and developing what my shrink calls "distress tolerance" to deal with stress better when it comes along. You'll get there.

moon

· #31 · May 25, 2011

Rosa said:
- are carbs the same as sugar? And why are so many food items labeled sugar-free, but in the same listing, high in carbs? How can manufacturers get away with that? Also, are ALL carbs bad?

Sugar and starch are both carbohydrates and broken down by the body to glucose. So a product can be sugar-free and still be loaded with carbs.

No, not all carbs are bad, but for diabetics it's a matter of how many carbs we can tolerate and which ones.

The mantra around here is 'Eat to your meter' - meaning learning via testing what foods you're able to incorporate into your diet, in what quantity, and even what time of day. It sounds daunting, but doesn't take very long to get the hang of it - honest!

Reactions: 1

fiesta

· #32 · May 25, 2011

That is so true!! I have, overtime, learned how to find out what foods I can eat and which ones, I cannot. Everyone is different. One hour after a meal I test my blood sugar. If it has spiked, I check to see which food is new. Then, I know that I cannot eat that food and I cut it out of my diet.

Keep a log to see what foods you are eating and at what times. That will help you to know what foods are the quilty ones.

Ruth

Reactions: 1

RockyXX

· #33 · May 26, 2011

ahh i gave up watching my diet... all my life i ate what i wanted and it was never a big deal and never gained weight. :/ when i see something i wanna eat, i eat it. lol.

Rosa

· #34 · May 26, 2011

RockyXX said:
ahh i gave up watching my diet... all my life i ate what i wanted and it was never a big deal and never gained weight. :/ when i see something i wanna eat, i eat it. lol.

RockyXX, I may do the same. Been cheating all along. I think I'm just gonna give up.

Jeremymc1

· #35 · May 26, 2011

Rosa said:
RockyXX, I may do the same. Been cheating all along. I think I'm just gonna give up.

Are you kidding? You might want to think that one through. The challenge you face trying to control your diet is nothing compared to what others face with more life threatening diseases. Mind you, I am sending this from a Dairy Queen watching my kids eat delicious ice cream with nothing in front of me. Is it easy for me? No...but it's way easier than carrying an extra 20lbs on my frame if I don't take care of myself, or in the long term, going blind or losing a limb.

Buck up and keep trying. Every time you don't cheat, you are helping yourself. Try to not cheat more often than not, slowly winning more battles to eventually win the overall war.

bigrosiegreenbaum

· #36 · May 26, 2011

Rosa said:
RockyXX, I may do the same. Been cheating all along. I think I'm just gonna give up.

I honestly hope the two of you are just engaging in some banter.

Rosa

· #37 · May 26, 2011

bigrosiegreenbaum said:
I honestly hope the two of you are just engaging in some banter.

Hi,

I can't speak for RockyXX, but I am tempted to give up - I do NOT want to die but nothing seems to work for me. I've already had 2 strokes; a small one 7.5 years ago, then a "silent" one 5 months later that thankfully did nothing. I have a tiny bit of weakness in my left hand but I'm right-handed so I barely notice anything. I am very overweight and have a muscle disease (PMR) which prevents me from doing much of anything physical. I used to love to walk but now there are many days I can barely walk at all - bottom line, no exercise. I've been guilty of hoping the meds would take care of my sugar; a mistake I think a lot of diabetics make. I'm very prone to depression; have never been suicidal but I let things go, like my sugar. The first stroke scared me into quitting cigarettes and as much as I thought I loved smoking I wouldn't take one puff for a million dollars - it will be 8 years in June that I quit. I'm sad a lot of the time because of my age - I'll be 66 in Aug. and I feel my life is pretty much over anyway. I hope not, but I'm no kid any more. I'm scared, so very scared. Gosh, I hope I'm not upsetting anyone out there! I have one grown son, my pride and joy, who just got married in Oct. of 2010. I am very happily married (second marriage for both of us and my husband had no children by his first wife but is the best stepdad to my son that I could ever ask for). We adore our daughter-in-law, but I see this generation and know that my generation is on its way out. Hence, I feel maybe it's futile to strictly adhere to a low-sugar diet. How much longer will that keep me on this earth? If I sound depressed, it's because I am. Actually, right now I'm going to do something sensible and call one of the healthcare workers our ins. offers; they are available 24/7. I need a talk. PLEASE forgive me for taking up this space. I'll come back later or tomorrow (I'm a nightowl) and let you know what happens. I don't think I can really help myself until this depression abates. Love and peace to you all.

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Shanny

· #38 · May 26, 2011

Have you been treated for the depression before, Rosa? Are you on any meds now?

I've taken fluoxetine (SSRI) for several years, but I seem overcome lately with acute inertia & barely get out of my chair. "Let things go" is exactly what happens. My doc has now changed my antidepressant to venlafaxine (SNRI), thinking it may restore some energy, so here's hoping.

I rather agree with you that being rid of the depression first could give you the strength to conquer the rest - you have a happy marriage & a lot of reasons to stick around a good many more years . . . perhaps even some grandchildren will come along, which are about the most fun thing on earth!

I just wonder if you should seek a doctor's help in dealing with the despondency . . . it surely couldn't hurt. We're about the same age - so let's not throw in the towel just yet!

And rest assured there are plenty of us capable of creating walls of text, so "this space" is yours for the taking!

I'm a bit of a nightowl myself sometimes.

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Shalynne

· #39 · May 26, 2011

Rosa said:
Hi,

I can't speak for RockyXX, but I am tempted to give up - I do NOT want to die but nothing seems to work for me. I've already had 2 strokes; a small one 7.5 years ago, then a "silent" one 5 months later that thankfully did nothing. I have a tiny bit of weakness in my left hand but I'm right-handed so I barely notice anything. I am very overweight and have a muscle disease (PMR) which prevents me from doing much of anything physical. I used to love to walk but now there are many days I can barely walk at all - bottom line, no exercise. I've been guilty of hoping the meds would take care of my sugar; a mistake I think a lot of diabetics make. I'm very prone to depression; have never been suicidal but I let things go, like my sugar. The first stroke scared me into quitting cigarettes and as much as I thought I loved smoking I wouldn't take one puff for a million dollars - it will be 8 years in June that I quit. I'm sad a lot of the time because of my age - I'll be 66 in Aug. and I feel my life is pretty much over anyway. I hope not, but I'm no kid any more. I'm scared, so very scared. Gosh, I hope I'm not upsetting anyone out there! I have one grown son, my pride and joy, who just got married in Oct. of 2010. I am very happily married (second marriage for both of us and my husband had no children by his first wife but is the best stepdad to my son that I could ever ask for). We adore our daughter-in-law, but I see this generation and know that my generation is on its way out. Hence, I feel maybe it's futile to strictly adhere to a low-sugar diet. How much longer will that keep me on this earth? If I sound depressed, it's because I am. Actually, right now I'm going to do something sensible and call one of the healthcare workers our ins. offers; they are available 24/7. I need a talk. PLEASE forgive me for taking up this space. I'll come back later or tomorrow (I'm a nightowl) and let you know what happens. I don't think I can really help myself until this depression abates. Love and peace to you all.

Please, please, please don't apologize, Rosa!

You are going through some seriously heavy stuff.

You got scared into quitting smoking. Me? I'm still, uhhh, working on it. You have my deep respect.

Diabetes was my wake-up call. Meds alone did nothing for me. When I changed my diet, too, good things began to happen. My own depression mellowed, as well.

Diabetes and depression are linked, it seems, though the experts have only just begun to explore that connection.

None of us, no matter our condition, knows how long we'll be around. 66 is not old. You have time to put some quality back into your life.

I am very glad you'll be talking to a healthcare worker.

Please keep us posted. You are in our thoughts.

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Jeremymc1

· #40 · May 26, 2011

Hang in there Rosa. This forum is full of people with various issues, but one common bond and that is the disease that ails us all...diabetes. While this alone can at times become depressing or cause depression, it sounds as though you have other issues that are not helping things. Talking to a professional can surely help, as can reaching out to complete strangers on a web forum

You bring joy to those around you Rosa, whether you see it all the time or not. If that's not a reason to fight and find a way to get yourself better, I don't know what is. Don't give up on yourself, we certainly won't give up on you.

Sincerely,

Jeremy

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