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- While blood sugar can affect mood, a person’s mood may also affect their blood sugar levels. A pre-print paper from 2020 describes research indicating that mood and stress can significantly influence blood glucose levels and glycemic variability, or fluctuations in blood sugar levels.
www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/317458
Data suggest that greater glycemic variability may be associated with lower quality of life and negative moods. Implications include replication of the study in a larger sample for the assessment of blood glucose fluctuations as they impact mood and quality of life.
- Glucose variability and mood in adults with diabetes: A ...
The literature regarding the association between glucose...
- Stress and A1c Among People with Diabetes Across the Lifespan
Chronic stress—especially in relation to living with...
- Glucose variability and mood in adults with diabetes: A ...
The literature regarding the association between glucose variability (GV) and mood in adults with diabetes is systematically reviewed. Methods used are summarized and evaluated, and suggestions for future research and clinical implications are made.
- Overview
- Diabetes and rapid shifts in mood
- Diabetes distress
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Effects of diabetes on relationships
- Tips for helping someone cope
- When to see a doctor
- Summary
Managing diabetes can be stressful, and variations in blood sugar levels may also contribute to mood changes. These factors may place a strain on relationships.
Diabetes impairs the body’s ability to use blood glucose. The most common types are type 1 and type 2.
To help manage this condition and keep blood sugar in a target range, people with diabetes typically need to follow a strict routine that involves medical treatments, a certain diet, and physical exercise.
Controlling diabetes can be overwhelming and may negatively affect emotional and mental health. Plus, in addition to causing a range of physical symptoms, having hyperglycemic or hypoglycemic episodes can also impact a person’s mood and thinking.
All of these factors may be difficult to navigate and strain relationships. But learning about these effects of diabetes can help a person with the condition, and the people around them, build stronger, healthier relationships.
This article will explore the effects of diabetes on mood and relationships in more detail.
Research has provided mixed results, but some evidence indicates a potential relationship between mood and blood sugar. Fluctuations in blood sugar, whether high or low, may cause a person to experience a variety of serious symptoms, which can include changes in mood.
The symptoms of low blood sugar that may affect a person’s mood include:
•confusion
•nervousness or anxiety
•hunger
•difficulties with coordination, concentration, and decision making
Having diabetes can lead to what some people call diabetes distress. This stress response may stem from the burden of managing diabetes every day. Some people call this “diabetes-specific” distress or “diabetes-related” distress.
Evidence suggests that this may affect:
•1 in 4 people with type 1 diabetes
•1 in 5 people with insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes
•1 in 6 people with non-insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes
A doctor may use the Problem Areas In Diabetes scale and the Diabetes Distress Scales to help identify the condition and guide conversations and care.
People with diabetes have an increased risk of depression. Because managing the condition typically involves lifestyle changes and added responsibilities, people may find it burdensome and emotionally draining.
People with diabetes are 2 to 3 times more likely to have depression. However, it can be difficult to detect and diagnose depression in people with diabetes. For this reason, it is advisable for people to have regular mental health screenings during their visits to a doctor.
Some symptoms of depression include:
•lack of interest in activities
•changes in sleep patterns
•sleep disturbances
Anxiety disorders are a group of mental health conditions that can cause persistent feelings of nervousness and worry.
Managing a long-term condition, such as diabetes, can be a major source of anxiety. Experiencing anxiety can affect a person’s diabetes self-management. Some evidence suggests that having one condition — diabetes or anxiety — may increase the risk of developing the other.
Moderate to severe symptoms of anxiety can affect 1 in 5 people with insulin-treated type 2 diabetes, non-insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes, and type 1 diabetes.
It can be difficult to diagnose anxiety disorders because people may mistake the symptoms for those of hypoglycemia. Anxiety symptoms vary, but they include excessive, persistent worry, panic attacks, irritability, confusion, sweating, and disrupted sleep.
Potential treatments include therapy, medications, and strategies such as staying physically active, practicing relaxation techniques, and taking steps to improve sleep.
Learn more about diabetes and anxiety here.
Having type 1 or type 2 diabetes may place strain on relationships due to the factors we describe above. Also, having any chronic condition can increase the need for emotional support and the potential for frustration and tension, which can lead to conflict.
Understanding the range of potential effects of diabetes can help loved ones provide support and strengthen the relationship.
A 2020 study highlights the effects of spousal influence on diabetes management and health behavior. This emphasizes the roles that healthy intimate relationships can play in self-care and improving diabetes outcomes.
Diabetes can also impact a person’s sex life. Possible complications include erectile dysfunction, vaginal dryness, and a lower sex drive. Communication is essential. Discussing any sexual effects and finding ways to work with them together can help.
A person with diabetes and their loved ones may benefit from strategies such as:
•Paying attention to feelings: Regularly experiencing frustration and stress may suggest that a person needs more help managing their condition.
•Talking about feelings and concerns: Members of a healthcare team, friends, and family may be able to help. They may, for example, think about ways to manage feelings of judgment.
•Allowing loved ones to help: A person does not need to bear all the responsibilities of managing diabetes alone. Those closest to them can help remind them to take medications, monitor their blood glucose, and do physical activities together.
•Talking to others with diabetes: Others with diabetes are likely to understand and may provide helpful advice.
•Doing one thing at a time: To reduce stress, people may benefit from making a list of tasks and working through each point individually. This can also help a person recognize which tasks are more immediate and which ones they can do in time.
If a person notices rapid fluctuations in their mood or any other symptoms that may indicate a mental health condition, it is advisable to contact a doctor.
A healthcare professional can review a person’s diabetes management plan and recommend tips or different medications. They may also be able to diagnose a mental health condition and suggest appropriate treatment or issue a referral to a doctor who can.
Diabetes is a chronic condition that can affect both physical and mental health.
Fluctuations in blood sugar may lead to rapid changes in mood, for example. Additionally, a person may find managing diabetes every day overwhelming, and this stress can have various effects on mental health.
Oct 21, 2019 · A growing body of evidence suggests a relationship between mood and blood-sugar, or glycemic, highs and lows. Symptoms of poor glycemic regulation have been shown to closely mirror mental health symptoms, such as irritability, anxiety, and worry.
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Chronic stress—especially in relation to living with diabetes—was most strongly associated with A1c, particularly among subgroups that face disproportionate stress, such as minority groups or adolescents/young adults. Mechanisms of the stress-A1c association include physiological, psychological, behavioral, and environmental links.
The Effects of Diabetes on Mood. To understand the effects of diabetes on mood, we first need to know how the condition affects the body. Diabetes impairs your body’s ability to use blood glucose correctly. As such, those with diabetes must manage the condition to reduce glucose variability.
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Jul 14, 2020 · Blood Glucose. There is no clear empirical support for a link between GV and mood in adults with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. More rigorous research is warranted using CGM and ecological momentary assessment of mood to assess if and under what conditions an association between GV and mood exists.
