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What to eat when the right food isn't available (Hurricane Irma)?
Diabetes & Endocrine System | Last Active: Sep 30, 2017 | Replies (31)Comment receiving replies
I am not really qualified to address the role stress plays in diabetes for everyone, but it does have a negative effect on me. I have talked to several friends I am in touch with, and they agree that stress does seem to elevate the blood numbers. My stress is pretty much a constant. I do not sleep well at night. I feel as if I'm wasting time if I'm asleep, and that makes me stressed. I know I need to be calm and relaxed, but that isn't always possible. When I am stressed, my blood pressure also increases and so does my blood. I am trying to research to see the correlation. My endo. also told me that I was too stressed, and that made my body have to work harder to absorb the stress. I don't know if that is true or not. I do know that when personal problems change my routine, my blood sugar is higher. For now my husband is having heart problems. He has been a cardio patient with heart disease for seven years. This includes a heart attack, numerous heart caths, blood pressure at stroke level. All of that keeps me totally on edge. I get upset when my blood is high, and that causes more stress. I do not know if other people react this way, but this is the way I am. Even at my age, I cannot change. I am going to be stressed out and in control of what's going on. That's one reason I have a problem with most people in the medical profession. I read and research before appointments so that they cannot talk med-speak to me, and I ask questions that make them know that I am informed. Each person has to know his/her body and be aware of what's happening. Being stressed is difficult. If people can learn to calm themselves, that can be effective. Rather than cry and yell about diabetes, I do my best to control it with what I know. Diabetes is a disease that I will always have, but I must be on top of the disease and do what I can to keep it from taking me down. This old lady still has a lot of fight left in her.
retiredteacher
Replies to "I am not really qualified to address the role stress plays in diabetes for everyone, but..."
Perhaps it is late to respond to this comment string. However, I have found a very simple exercise to relieve my stress throughout the day.
I went to a Cancer Retreat over the weekend (at Ghost Ranch, NM) and we did an exercise called "iomogi" breathing (not sure about that spelling). Basically, you breath in deeply through your mouth to the back of the throat, and out the same way. You breath deeply into your stomach and release your breath slowly, starting out of your stomach. Each breath you count to 6 while inhaling and exhaling. As you feel confident that you can breath into the back of your throat you start breathing in and out of your nose, if you cannot make that switch (I have not been able to) not to worry it will work either way. Some people can get up to 30 seconds with each breath!
The point of this exercise is that it helps to relax your autonomic nervous system. Related some chemical in your brain and you automatically relax. I did it when my heart rate was up to 110, and I was able to relax and lower my heart rate.
Now I am not the type of person who tries these alternative exercises, but I realized I needed an open mind to get all the benefits of my retreat. Wild as it seems, It worked!
If someone knows what this breathing exercise is called, I would be grateful if they would let me know.
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@retiredteacher sometimes I think my PCP gets annoyed with me because I too try to be informed.
The thought of stress playing a role in Bg is interesting. I right now am going through a lot of stress and my BP is up into the low 150's, it's never been there before. I am wondering if the stress is causing it or perhaps the thyroid medication. I was dropped down to 25 mag and wonder if I even need that.
JK