High HbA1c and links to stress and burn out

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KD12

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Type 2
Hi
I wonder if anyone can offer advice or have a similar experience to share? …
I have had a type 2 diagnosis for about 6 years. controlled by diet and exercise with my Hba1c being around 47 or 48
today a doctor told me it is 64 and it really scared me.. the last 3 months have been some of the most stressful of my life and I am being treated for work related burn out. This has affected my sleep, energy levels etc although I haven’t gone mad with my diet.
I have to back soon to discuss and wonder if this could this be what has caused such a huge rise? could it be temporary? anyone else experienced this due to very high stress levels? And did your levels return to normal if your stress reduced?
i have 10 days to wait before seeing the nurse again and this is’t helping my stress ….
 
Yes, I find stress can put my blood sugar up, particularly extreme long-term stress. Even if the stress isn’t the sole cause, trying to reduce that will help your overall health. I found mindfulness and breathing exercises very good, along with getting outside and walking.

And welcome to the forum 🙂
 
Hi and welcome

I am really sorry to hear you are going through a tough time. Stress certainly raises my levels and I can see on my graph that good sleep significantly reduces them, so a combination of stress and poor sleep could well be responsible for the increase. I second what @Inka says, particularly as regards walking and getting into a good brisk rhythm so that your breathing is a bit laboured and you get a bit warm and your heart rate increases a bit. For me that really helps my mental health, my BG levels and my sleep. If you can do at least 40 mins a day, that should help along with perhaps lowering your carbs a bit further if there is room for any dietary adjustment.
 
Welcome to the forum.
When I was diagnosed my doctor said that while stress probably did not cause the onset of diabetes it can be a contributor factor (even a significant factor for some) in raising blood levels. In the last year, with a mixture of lock down, furlough and a not very open-minded boss if got very stressed. My BG was definitely rising - though not to the extent yours did. I started using an app called Smiling Mind - which is a meditation app. Unlike many it is free. While I am a bit cynical about all of that it actually really helped. I also started walking again - and particularly where there is greenery (we have a couple of large woods near). Finally I started sketching. I am not an artist - not even a bit, but the act of doing it also helped.

Stress can be really hard to deal with - last year my stress went to a very dark depression - so please be aware. Those are the activities I used to help me, you you may find better ones for your circumstances . My BG is now going down again (although Christmas didn't help 🙂 ) - so I yes it can be temporary, but you HCP will be able to advise you further

Good luck

Nick
 
I do think stress and changes in life style has a big part to play. When I retired from a job which had been stressful for the previous 2 years due to a bullying manager although that was a relief I was doing far less exercise than at a normal day at work as that would chalk up anything between 15,000 and 20,000 steps. Then of course the piece of cake with the afternoon cuppa, then the worry of my daughters who work on the frontline in the NHS when all the Covid started and I wasn't sleeping. That was enough to push me from lower end of prediabetic into low end of diabetic zone.
It does seem to be an aspect not recognised as having impact.
 
I would also like to say that it is not a failure to use a little help to manage your diabetes at this time, so don't be set against trying some medication if offered. It doesn't have to be forever, if you don't want it to be but could help you manage your levels during this difficult phase of life you are going through. And do explain to the nurse about the stress you are under and that is why you are struggling with your levels at the moment. You should not be frightened of what he/she has to say. They are there to support you not to criticize and if they don't support you then that is their failing not yours. You were clearly doing very well for several years up until this point and I am sure you will manage things well again in the future.
 
So I think I was actually diagnosed with type 2 diabetes off the back of being stressed and not diabetic at all.

I was diagnosed about 5 years ago as I'd gone to the doctors with stress. They took my bloods and then called 3 days later to take more. Both HBA1C came back as 49 so they diagnosed me and sent me on my merry way having zero symptoms of diabetes.

I had a baby at the end of August and my entire pregnancy was ruled by diabetes even though there was nothing wrong with me! (They were just doing their jobs at the hospital mind!)

I saw a diabetes consultant at the end of my pregnancy who seemed to be confused by my diagnosis and I am now having numerous tests to see if they were wrong.

HBA1C came back down to 36 once I left the job I was in!!
 
Stress is a huge factor for me, it does raise my BG quite a bit and I tend to have a lot of stress from a wayward daughter. I found out too from my dietitian that even changes in daily routine can mess with it as well. Mine went even more silly than usual over the Christmas break and I had been very careful and I couldn't work out why but she said it's more likely the change of routine.
 
Welcome to the forum @KD12 and @Zoe1992

Sorry to hear about the stress you have experienced, and the way it has messed with your BG levels. :(

Stress responses can release hormones which are like the ones that are supposed to fuel ‘fight or flight’ responses or provide the extra energy the body needs after illness/injury, so an impact on BG levels is quite common, but the extent seems to vary from person to person.

Rises in falls happen to many people with diabetes @KD12 - when was your previous HbA1c taken? Was there a bit of a gap because of the pandemic? Did your routine change much in the interim? I am sure the stress could well have played a part, but there may have been additional factors too.

But we have lots of members who have reduced their raised HbA1cs from far higher results back into a healthy range.

Have you got a plan of action? What strategies have you used in the past?
 
Inka said:
Yes, I find stress can put my blood sugar up, particularly extreme long-term stress. Even if the stress isn’t the sole cause, trying to reduce that will help your overall health. I found mindfulness and breathing exercises very good, along with getting outside and walking.

And welcome to the forum 🙂
Click to expand...
thank you Inka, I really appreciate you letting me know….
 
Zoe1992 said:
So I think I was actually diagnosed with type 2 diabetes off the back of being stressed and not diabetic at all.

I was diagnosed about 5 years ago as I'd gone to the doctors with stress. They took my bloods and then called 3 days later to take more. Both HBA1C came back as 49 so they diagnosed me and sent me on my merry way having zero symptoms of diabetes.

I had a baby at the end of August and my entire pregnancy was ruled by diabetes even though there was nothing wrong with me! (They were just doing their jobs at the hospital mind!)

I saw a diabetes consultant at the end of my pregnancy who seemed to be confused by my diagnosis and I am now having numerous tests to see if they were wrong.

HBA1C came back down to 36 once I left the job I was in!!
Click to expand...
Wow, that gives me hope this can change back, thank you.
 
Inka said:
Yes, I find stress can put my blood sugar up, particularly extreme long-term stress. Even if the stress isn’t the sole cause, trying to reduce that will help your overall health. I found mindfulness and breathing exercises very good, along with getting outside and walking.

And welcome to the forum 🙂
Click to expand...
Thank you inka - after just Getting on with it previously I really feel I need some help and support, so your thoughts and welcome are much appreciated.
 
rebrascora said:
I would also like to say that it is not a failure to use a little help to manage your diabetes at this time, so don't be set against trying some medication if offered. It doesn't have to be forever, if you don't want it to be but could help you manage your levels during this difficult phase of life you are going through. And do explain to the nurse about the stress you are under and that is why you are struggling with your levels at the moment. You should not be frightened of what he/she has to say. They are there to support you not to criticize and if they don't support you then that is their failing not yours. You were clearly doing very well for several years up until this point and I am sure you will manage things well again in the future.
Click to expand...
Thank you for your insight - it does feel like a failure after managing for so long With just diet and exercise. I know that doesn’t Make logical sense….. I think I’m more frightened that the high number means complications when I kinda thought if I managed it well I would be ok, the nurse is lovely, but it was a shock to hear that my levels were so high.
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
Welcome to the forum @KD12 and @Zoe1992

Sorry to hear about the stress you have experienced, and the way it has messed with your BG levels. :(

Stress responses can release hormones which are like the ones that are supposed to fuel ‘fight or flight’ responses or provide the extra energy the body needs after illness/injury, so an impact on BG levels is quite common, but the extent seems to vary from person to person.

Rises in falls happen to many people with diabetes @KD12 - when was your previous HbA1c taken? Was there a bit of a gap because of the pandemic? Did your routine change much in the interim? I am sure the stress could well have played a part, but there may have been additional factors too.

But we have lots of members who have reduced their raised HbA1cs from far higher results back into a healthy range.

Have you got a plan of action? What strategies have you used in the past?
Click to expand...
Thank you for your welcome… my previous level was taken a year ago and was 47. i run my own business which has always been stressful but ramped up during lockdown but this last year has been stressful to the point of causing burnout and depression for which I am having treatment. I have felt in fight or flight mode for best part of the year. I have halved the business to help with stress, but has brought its own problems with making redundancies and caused more not less stress in the short term.
i haven’t really got a plan at the moment as I‘m still trying to get over the shock and work out what has gone wrong…
when first diagnosed I did Micheal molsely 8 week sugar diet plan, and have since follow a low carb diet but not with any precision But enough to keep my blood levels low. The numbers now seem so high I’m wondering if a tightening up would make much difference … there is plenty of scope for better exercise program and losing more weight.
I do need a plan you are right just not quite sure where to start….
 
KD12 said:
Thank you for your welcome… my previous level was taken a year ago and was 47. i run my own business which has always been stressful but ramped up during lockdown but this last year has been stressful to the point of causing burnout and depression for which I am having treatment. I have felt in fight or flight mode for best part of the year. I have halved the business to help with stress, but has brought its own problems with making redundancies and caused more not less stress in the short term.
i haven’t really got a plan at the moment as I‘m still trying to get over the shock and work out what has gone wrong…
when first diagnosed I did Micheal molsely 8 week sugar diet plan, and have since follow a low carb diet but not with any precision But enough to keep my blood levels low. The numbers now seem so high I’m wondering if a tightening up would make much difference … there is plenty of scope for better exercise program and losing more weight.
I do need a plan you are right just not quite sure where to start….
Click to expand...
If you start by keeping a food diary noting everything you eat and drink, you may be surprised that some things have slipped and quantities increased gradually. People do it to start with and then when they think things are under control it goes by the board. That will allow you to review your diet and see where some savings or substitutions can be made.
Using a blood glucose monitor will help you identify any foods which may now be problematic, as time goes by your tolerance to certain foods may have changed.
It may seem a bit time consuming at first but should pay off in the end.
 
I found the food diary helped me, but you have to be brutally honest, and test two hours after eating to see the impact in your BG.
I took up tai chi, good exercise, and the meditation techniques are good for relieving stress as well.
 
Leadinglights said:
If you start by keeping a food diary noting everything you eat and drink, you may be surprised that some things have slipped and quantities increased gradually. People do it to start with and then when they think things are under control it goes by the board. That will allow you to review your diet and see where some savings or substitutions can be made.
Using a blood glucose monitor will help you identify any foods which may now be problematic, as time goes by your tolerance to certain foods may have changed.
It may seem a bit time consuming at first but should pay off in the end.
Click to expand...
Thank you @Leadinglights I am starting to do that now….
 
travellor said:
I found the food diary helped me, but you have to be brutally honest, and test two hours after eating to see the impact in your BG.
I took up tai chi, good exercise, and the meditation techniques are good for relieving stress as well.
Click to expand...
Thank you @travellor i am starting a food diary … tai chi sounds worth checking out too.
 
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