When people are diagnosed with diabetes, the usual subject of discussion is medication, insulin and routine testing. All of that is important, of course. But what about the things that get overlooked most of the time?
The everyday lifestyle factors that have a much stronger correlation with blood sugar management than people realize. Things like how well someone is sleeping, how much stress they’re under, and what they do after dinner each night?
Unfortunately, those factors don’t come in a bottle. Managing them takes effort and the willingness to change habits that have been around for a while.
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Sleep Problems and Blood Sugar Levels
Most people don’t associate sleep problems with elevated glucose levels in the morning. However, it’s one of the more direct cause and effect relationships. When people don’t get at least 7 hours of sleep on a regular basis, or they experience sleep disruptions throughout the night, their bodies go into damage control.
Stress hormones are released and tell the liver to release glucose. Blood sugar levels elevate even in the absence of food.
It gets even worse: even one night of bad sleep diminishes the body’s sensitivity to insulin the following day. It prevents glucose from entering cells where it’s needed most and the annoying cycle of fatigue and poor blood sugar control in turn makes it harder to bounce back.
The Stress Hormone that Doesn’t Show Up on Tests
Chronic stress has a similar effect on blood sugar levels. However, the management here may be a bit more complicated. Stress hormones elevated over a longer period of time keep blood sugar levels higher than usual regardless of food consumption or adherence to medication routines.
Here’s where it gets tricky: chronic stress doesn’t fit into time slots for taking medication, but it needs to be evaluated anyway. It requires an assessment of realistic stressors in life and finding productive ways to deal with them.
For some people, learning practical approaches through resources that focus on diabetes principles from Barbara O’Neill has provided helpful perspective on managing the condition through broader lifestyle awareness.
Workplace related stress, family concerns, financial problems, and even the stress of living with a chronic disease trigger those stress hormones. The body doesn’t differentiate between these types of stress but reacts to them in the same way. It prepares itself for an emergency and glucose needs to be readily available for energy if it’s needed.
Movement Patterns Versus Exercise
Everyone says to get more exercise when diabetes management comes up. And while that is true, another important factor is making sure someone is moving throughout the day rather than just squeezing in a workout.
Sedentary behavior reduces insulin sensitivity over time. Blood sugar levels stay elevated longer than usual after a meal if someone spends most of their time sitting at a desk.
The good news? Small amounts of activity positively impact glucose levels. Getting up every hour during the workday adds up to something measurable. Even simple things like standing up and walking around while talking on the phone or parking farther away from a building can help.
People don’t have to run a marathon to avoid complications like neuropathy. It only takes tiny decisions over the course of a day.
Eating Patterns vs Food Intake
What someone eats matters but when they eat gets less attention than it probably should.
Eating around the same time every day helps maintain stable blood sugar levels. Skipping meals or varying eating times throws a wrench in that routine and creates spikes that are more difficult to manage.
Eating late is also problematic since glucose metabolism works less effectively in the evening than it does earlier in the day. A meal at 10 PM affects blood sugar levels differently than one eaten at 6 PM.
This is not to say that late night eating is a no-no across the board. It is, however, worth remembering that our bodies process food differently at various times of the day.
Hydration Patterns
Drinking more fluids will help a person manage blood sugar levels but it may not be something most people think about. When someone is thirsty, they drink something. However, when someone becomes dehydrated during the day, glucose levels rise.
When someone is even mildly dehydrated, glucose concentrations in the blood increase. This creates additional work for the kidneys to filter excess glucose out of the urine.
Drinking the right amount of fluids at regular intervals throughout the day will keep blood levels steady and will make it easier for kidneys to do their job.
The Compounding Effect
None of these factors work in isolation. Increased fatigue leads to increased stress which in turn creates an energy shortage when it’s time to move around or work out.
The good news? Improvements in one area create a snowball effect and lead to positive results in others.
Establishing good sleep practices makes other burdens feel lighter. Increased movement patterns during the day creates more time for everyone to focus and helps people avoid forgetting things in their day to day lives.
Being more mindful of eating patterns increases energy availability during waking hours. Other factors come into play, but looking out for how food impacts your body is one strong strategy. Managing diabetes requires looking at a bigger picture than glucose levels alone.
It’s all connected and our everyday choices actually affect diabetes management more than most people think.
