When you’re stressed, your body is primed to take action. This “gearing up” is what causes your heart to beat faster, your breath to quicken, and your stomach to knot. It also triggers your blood glucose levels to skyrocket. “Under stress, your body goes into fight-or-flight mode, raising blood sugar levels to prepare you for action,” says Richard Surwit, PhD, author of The Mind-Body Diabetes Revolution and chief of medical psychology at Duke University in Durham, NC. If your cells are insulin resistant, the sugar builds up in your blood, with nowhere to go, leading to hyperglycemia. We have no shortage of short-term stress in our lives—from traffic jams to working long hours at a demanding job—and our stress hormones, which were designed to deal with short-term dangers like fleeing predators, are turned on for long periods of time, even though we’re neither fighting nor fleeing. What we’re doing is stewing, which can cause chronically high blood sugar. MORE: What The Color Of Your Pee Says About Your Health A prescription to take it easy The good news is, simple relaxation exercises and other stress management techniques can help you gain more control over your blood sugar, according to a study conducted at Duke University. More than 100 people with high blood sugar took five diabetes education classes either with or without stress-management training. After a year, more than half of the stress-relief group improved their blood sugar levels enough to lower their risk for the worst complications, such as heart disease, kidney failure, nerve damage, and vision problems. Study participants soothed their stress with a variety of techniques: progressive muscle relaxation, deep breathing, and positive mental imagery, as well as by stopping high-tension thoughts. (You can buy a compact disc and manual of the relaxation-training program used in the study at www.richardsurwit.com.) MORE: 10 Silent Signals You’re Way Too Stressed There are many, many ways to teach yourself to handle stress better. It just comes down to making the commitment and taking the time to learn one (or more). Seek out a local stress-relief class, offered by many hospitals, YMCAs, and adult-education programs. (And try adding these foods that fight stress to your diet.) One thing, though: Be sure to tell your doctor you’re starting a stress-reduction program. If you’re already diabetic and take diabetes medication, he may want to adjust your dose so that you don’t end up with dangerously low blood sugar levels. Take time for yourself One key aspect of reducing the effects of stress on your blood sugar level—and your health in general—is to consciously insert little pockets of rest time into your life. They don’t have to be long, but they should be frequent, because rest is essential for your health and psychological and spiritual well-being. “Rest is a natural and necessary part of life and of work,” says Stephan Rechtschaffen, MD, cofounder of the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies in Rhinebeck, NY. If you don’t make time for rest, your body will demand it—by getting sick. Researchers in the Netherlands say that excessive tiredness—a state they call vital exhaustion, typified by fatigue, irritability, and demoralization—may double your chance of heart attack, for example. MORE: 7 Things That Happen When You Stop Eating Sugar No matter how busy you are, you can (and should) find ways to rest—especially if you have diabetes. Here’s how:
Use yoga. Start your day with yoga, meditation, or a walk. Deep breaths. Take three deep, slow breaths before answering the phone, starting the car, serving the kids lunch, or any other activity.Move at lunch. Reserve some hours each week to spend with your spouse or a close friend, where you enjoy a special meal and share an activity.Reclaim your Sundays. Above all, take back Sundays as a day of rest for family, leisure, and worship. Don’t spend the day mowing the lawn, grocery shopping, or catching up on office work.Hit the spa. One of the fastest-growing segments of the beauty industry is the day spa. Facials, massages, and other forms of pampering are becoming a part of the routines of many beauty salons.Progressive relaxation. This self-guided exercise can also be performed with the help of a CD. It involves tensing and progressively relaxing different muscle groups to achieve full body relaxation.Delegate. Take some unnecessary stress off yourself and farm out time-consuming chores like ironing (to the dry cleaner) and party preparation (to a caterer).Choose your battles. Is getting into an argument with your teenager over an unmade bed really worth it? Does it really matter if your spouse forgot to put the recycling out? Only fight those battles that make a difference, and let the minor annoyances pass you by.Ignore and avoid. Have an annoying neighbor or a grating co-worker that just puts you on edge every time they walk up? Stay out of their paths and surround yourself with people that support you.Get a massage. Yield to your need to be kneaded. It feels amazing. And although you may not care while in the midst of having your feet rubbed, research suggests that massage strengthens immunity by helping your body produce more disease-fighting white blood cells, lower blood pressure, reduce stress hormone levels, and improve your mood.Try an exercise class. If the very thought of step aerobics makes you groan, consider that there are tons of activities you’ve yet to try, such as spinning, rock climbing, fencing, freestyle dance, ballet, and the mini-trampoline. You’ll get a great cardiovascular workout in an atmosphere that allows you to be playful and uninhibited. As a bonus, studies show that 30 minutes of aerobic activity 3 days a week may be just as effective as medication for relieving symptoms of depression. Moreover, there’s evidence that regular exercise slows our bodies’ responses to the stress that makes us cranky and anxious.Opt for aromatherapy. Sweeten the atmosphere in your home and office with fresh flowers, gorgeous green plants, potpourri, and aromatherapy sprays, candles, or oils.
