Stress and hypos?

[coldclarity]

Ugh. So. I've been under a lot of stress lately, but have also been a bit more active. I've also not been eating great, but that's been carb-heavy if anything. I've gone from almost no hypos to one or two a week and it's doing my head in. I can always work out the reason, but it's always something I could have got away with pre-stress. I've dropped my long acting insulin by two units, and I'm going to drop it again tonight...

But I thought stress was meant to make my blood sugar go up, not down! Anyone else experienced similar??! Or have I found a cure? 😉

 

[Caroline]

Have never heard of stress causing hypos, but that doesn't mean it can't happen.

If you have been more active than usual and not eating well, that may contribute to it. Others will e a long soon and have different insights on it.

I hope yu are feeling well in yourself in other ways.

 

[coldclarity]

Hi Caroline 🙂

I'm not particularly worried, and feel fine otherwise, it's just an irritation and weirdness really...

 

[Caroline]

and as we are all different diabetes is not an exact science. It's nice to know what has worked for others as it is something different to try.

 

[MrsSharpwaa]

Although Mr S is type 2, he does have regular hypos and stress is one of his main triggers. Whilst unusual, it apparently does happen in a minority of people.

 

[Copepod]

Exercise makes your body more sensitive to insulin, so, unless you are also reducing yoru insulin doses, increased activity levels will increase the risk of hypoglycaemia.

Meanwhile, stress might be increasing insulin resistance or mught be reduing it - as others have said, some people are different to others.

It's a question of which influence is affecting - increasing or decreasing insulin resistance / reducing or increasing risk of hypoglycaemia more than the other.

So, worth discussing adjusting your insulin doses with a healthcare professional - or adjusting doses yourself if you have been taught how.

 

[MaryPlain]

I've found that long term stress can contribute to hypos. This is what I think is happening:

- short term, stress causes liver to dump glucose, leading to high blood sugar.

- when this happens repeatedly over time, liver has no more glucose to dump, causing hypos.

This may be completely unscientific but my own experience fits with it!