Work stress and diabetes: How to maintain a balance between the two

Did you know work stress can do blunders to your blood sugar levels and make your diabetes turn from bad to worse?

Debjani Arora | Updated: August 8, 2018 10:19 am

Diabetes knows no bias it doesn’t affect workaholics and stay-at-home nerds differently. The condition leads to an increase in blood sugar levels which messes up the functioning of other vital organs too. But there are ways to manage this condition effectively and control the soaring blood sugar levels. Diabetes management consists of two crucial attributes – proper diet and physical exercise. So, if you are able to incorporate the required diet changes that help to maintain a steady blood sugar level (by choosing low glycemic index foods) and sweat it out regularly to burn a few calories, these habits can go a long way in managing your condition. This also means that you have to be conscious of your well-being and cannot afford to be callous with your health any more. Most people with diabetes try hard to be on track with diet and physical exercise, however, for people who are in a high-stress job and diabetic, this becomes a challenge.

“Earlier the most common causes of type 2 diabetes were considered to be a family history of diabetes, obesity and ageing, today work stress is considered a very important cause for the rapid rise in the number of people falling prey to the condition,” says Dr Roshani Gadge, diabetologist, Mumbai. In fact, work stress is one reason why people fail to rein control over diabetes. Here Dr Roshani tells us how work stress affects your blood sugar levels and how to fix it.

Disrupted meal times: In today’s competitive world most office-goers tend to neglect their health. Skipping meals or eating at improper times to meet deadlines is highly common and also accepted as the norm. This makes their blood sugar go for a toss and also binge eat at the desk. Irregular meal times also make them fall for their cravings which are usually high in sugar and processed fats.

Quick fix: We cannot stress the importance of having meals on time enough. If you are a diabetic know that you should follow the golden rule of eating on time as it is the only way you can manage your blood sugar levels effectively. So if you are too pressed to take that lunch break or sit at your breakfast table and eat a healthy platter, compensate for it by keeping healthy snacks handy this will help to regularise your blood sugar and prevent binge eating or consuming too many calories at one go, which makes your blood sugar soar.

Rotational shift: Working nights or rotating night shifts is becoming common in India. This pattern of work is associated with an increased risk of obesity and metabolic syndrome, conditions closely related to type 2 diabetes. People who work in shifts, especially night shifts, are more prone to lifestyle diseases because of their disrupted sleep schedule.

It is believed that sleeping at irregular or odd hours on frequent basis messes with the body’s natural clock and throws various functions out of gear including cardiovascular, digestive, immune, and hormonal functions, as well as metabolism. Insufficient sleep and poor sleep quality, common consequences of shift work, are independent risk factors for the development and exacerbation of insulin resistance and lead to increases in appetite and adiposity, which is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes.

Quick fix: If you cannot avoid rotational shifts or night shifts at least make sure that you sleep for eight hours at a stretch to give your body enough rest and help it recuperate.

Anxiety and stress: High-stress jobs which bring with it the baggage of targets, achievements, night shift and tremendous workload adds to the impending stress levels. This leads to poor eating habits like skipping meals, overeating, excessive drinking of coffee and other beverages, smoking that increases one’s chances to suffer from lifestyle diseases or for a diabetic it makes his blood sugar reach dangerous levels. “Work stress makes it harder to control blood sugar levels which, in most cases, only add to the frustration. It is commonly seen that those who are regularly stressed are more likely to have poor blood glucose control, even among diabetics who are under medication. One of the reasons for this is that stress hormones, such as cortisol, increase the amount of sugar in our blood,” points Dr Roshani

Quick fix: Know that you cannot win all the battles. So, learn to de-stress. Try deep breathing, meditation, yoga, to beat stress. Any de-stressing activity you engage in will also increase your overall productivity while increasing your happiness quotient and lowering cortisol levels all of which will have a positive effect on blood sugar levels.

Image source: Shutterstock

Published: August 8, 2018 10:08 am | Updated:August 8, 2018 10:19 am

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