20 Causes of Sugar Spikes: What Can Unexpectedly Raise and Lower Glucose Levels?

Stress and increased glucose

In case of any deviations from the norm, the patient activates the body’s defenses in order to survive the changes. It must be remembered that in any stressful situation there is a decrease in the function of the immune system. The patient becomes vulnerable to any infectious diseases, bacteria and viruses.

Also, during stress, the patient experiences metabolic disorders. In this situation, the sympathetic nervous system is activated and insulin production decreases. In this case, glycogen reserves in the body quickly become free sugar. The result of this process is consistently elevated glucose levels against the background of constant insulin deficiency.

Stressful situations “force” the body’s cells to be constantly under tension, so all the energy goes directly into the vessels and blood flow. In this case, the patient experiences decreased sensitivity to the body’s own insulin. If stress is diagnosed for a long time, it will lead to persistent hyperglycemia. This condition is characterized by a significant increase in cortisol, which the body needs for normal functioning and performance. If its amount is excessive, negative consequences and complications of the general condition can be observed. Also, under stress, this hormone provokes overeating and cravings for sweets and fatty foods.

A dangerous increase in sugar during stressful situations is considered in the case of diabetes mellitus. The risk lurks even when emotions have subsided, since there must be an equalization of glucose levels, but this does not happen, since patients with diabetes have no or reduced ability to deal with a slight release of sugar into the blood.

In such a situation, deviations such as:

1. Impaired performance of the cardiovascular system.
2. Impaired functioning of the kidneys and organs of vision.
3. Activation of various diseases of the lower extremities.
4. Increased risk of stroke.

Patients with diabetes also experience partial or complete memory loss as a result of stressful situations. Therefore, such patients are recommended to learn to cope with depression and stress, lead a healthy lifestyle and take vitamin complexes that contain zinc.

The impact of stress on blood sugar levels is significant and should be taken into account. If you ignore constant stress, anxiety and depression, this can lead to negative consequences and a significant deterioration in well-being, which will then be difficult to stabilize.

Stress in diabetes

As it turned out, with a prolonged state of anxiety and crisis, the level of glycemia increases. Gradually, the resources of the pancreas begin to deplete. As a result, diabetes begins to progress.

To maintain optimal sugar levels, not only hypoglycemic agents play a role. A special diet and physical activity are prescribed. The patient is also given recommendations regarding stressful situations.

When worried and nervous, the patient has difficulty managing diabetes. Taking into account correctly selected therapy, indicators may increase, and a decrease in the effectiveness of medications may be observed.

Particular attention is paid to depression on the course of the disease in adolescents. At this age, sugar spikes can occur from the slightest unstable situations. In addition, controlling glycemic levels during emotional stress in adolescents with diabetes is more difficult. The psycho-emotional state during the transition period and puberty is taken into account. This situation requires a special approach. To relieve tension, you may need the help of a psychologist.

Video from Dr. Malysheva:

Actions for high sugar

If the laboratory test results are positive, there is no need to panic. You can donate blood again to be sure. If the result is confirmed, then it is necessary to establish the reasons for the increase in sugar. If your indicators increase due to stress, you need to reconsider your lifestyle, because many experts are of the opinion that diseases arise due to nervous tension, including diabetes.

First of all, the patient is advised to stop being nervous. It is also worth paying attention to nutrition, since a lot depends on it. It is imperative to undergo a thorough examination and get tested for glycated hemoglobin.

It is necessary to regularly monitor the weight; if it begins to increase as a result of depression, the patient may be recommended sedatives to normalize the emotional state and a diet.

If possible, you need to get rid of stress factors, for example:

• stop communicating with certain people;
• change jobs;
• take a vacation.

You can also constantly perform relaxation exercises or find another suitable hobby that will distract you from problems and everyday hustle and bustle. You need to constantly resist negative thoughts and factors, but it is not so easy. Sometimes, to improve your condition, you need to change your view of the world around you.

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Biochemical processes of stress

How does the body work during stressful experiences? Doctors say that a long-term traumatic factor causes various physiological changes; endocrine tissues are most susceptible to various aggressors. Let's consider the chain of biochemical changes in the body.

1. At the first sign of danger, the adrenal glands produce adrenaline and norepinephrine. Adrenaline increases with anxiety, shock, and fear. Once in the blood, it increases the heartbeat, dilates the pupils, and also begins work on adapting the body to stress. But prolonged exposure depletes the body's defenses. Norepinephrine is released in any shock situation, its action is associated with an increase in blood pressure. Under stress, adrenaline is considered the hormone of fear, and norepinephrine, on the contrary, is considered to be the hormone of rage. Without the production of these hormones, the body remains unprotected from the influence of stressful situations.
2. Another stress hormone is cortisol. Its increase occurs in extreme situations or intense physical activity. In small doses, cortisol does not have a particular effect on the functioning of the body, but its prolonged accumulation causes the development of depression, and a craving for fatty foods and sweet foods appears. It’s not for nothing that cortisol is associated with weight gain.
3. One cannot exclude from the biochemical chain an important hormone that especially affects women - prolactin. In situations of severe stress and depression, prolactin is intensely released, which leads to metabolic disorders.

Biochemical processes cause certain mechanisms that adapt a person to danger. At the same time, stress hormones can affect the functioning of the body. Let's look at their impact in more detail. How do prolactin and cortisol affect health?

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Cortisol

Cortisol is necessary for the body to function correctly; it regulates sugar balance, glucose and insulin metabolism. However, under stress, the amount of the hormone in the blood increases and the effect of the hormone, critical for the state of the body, is triggered.

What happens if cortisol exceeds its normal level?

1. High blood pressure.
2. Decreased thyroid function.
3. Hyperglycemia.
4. Bone fragility.
5. Decreased immunity.
6. Tissue destruction.

This effect manifests itself under chronic stress, and accordingly a prolonged increase in the hormone.

Another negative effect of the stress hormone is the appearance of fat deposits in the waist area. It is associated with the appearance of cravings for sweet and fatty foods. If stress has entered the chronic phase, it becomes a vicious circle. The body is given signals that it needs to store fat for energy reserve. Often, it is chronic stress and high cortisol levels that interfere with weight loss.

To avoid the problems described above, you need to learn to cope with stress. Cortisol decreases in a calm environment, in the absence of prolonged experiences. A good emotional background will allow you to maintain the hormone at the required level.

Video: BBC film “Body Chemistry. Hormonal hell. Part 1"

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Prolactin

Prolactin is associated with the function of childbirth and additionally affects metabolism. If prolactin in a woman’s body is elevated, then its excess leads to impaired ovulation, lack of pregnancy, and can cause mastopathy, adenoma and fibrosis.

What causes the increase in this hormone? The most important sources include the stress factor. Even ordinary anxiety before exams causes a short-term increase in a hormone such as prolactin. In addition to stress, reasons for the increase include:

1. Taking a certain number of medications.
2. Radioactive radiation.
3. Operations on the mammary glands.
4. Chronic liver and kidney failure.
5. Endocrine diseases.

What if prolactin is low? Reduced levels occur in rare cases. If the body is healthy, then an increase in the hormone is associated with pregnancy, emotional and physical overload. To find out about an increase in the norm, you should take an analysis to determine it. After this, the causes are determined and treatment is prescribed.

If prolactin is produced during prolonged depression, the consequences for the body can be critical. The hormone is very mobile, so it is difficult to influence its concentration. It is important to maintain a calm regime; nervous overload causes strong fluctuations in the stress hormone. Prolactin and its level should be monitored when planning pregnancy.

Video: BBC film “Body Chemistry. Hormonal heaven. Part 2"

It should be noted that a person under stress needs a certain amount of hormones in the body. Cortisol, prolactin and adrenaline prepare the body to fight and adapt. But if the traumatic factor drags on, then their negative impact begins.

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Prevention of stress hyperglycemia

It is impossible to completely protect yourself from such conditions. But it is necessary to monitor the situation to prevent the development of the disease or to control unexpected surges in sugar in diabetes. To understand how stress affects health, a patient with diabetes needs a clear example.

After every unpleasant or conflict situation, it is worth measuring your sugar using a glucometer. The data is entered into a special diary. Next, you need to compare the degree of tension and glucose levels. It is very important to track how the body reacts to a particular psychological technique. Here, to determine, you also need to measure indicators and record them in a diary.

Physical activity is considered an effective way to neutralize stress hormones. This is explained by the fact that cortisol and adrenaline are produced by the body precisely for these purposes. The exercise doesn't have to be grueling. Walking at a moderate pace for 45 minutes is enough. During this time, hormones will return to normal.

There are also other approaches to relieving tension. One of the behavioral tactics is the release of emotions. A patient with diabetes needs to lead an active lifestyle and avoid passivity and despondency. Almost all types of physical activity reduce blood glucose levels and at the same time reduce tension and help overcome stress.

Recommended activities include:

• practice meditation and yoga;
• visit a psychologist, psychotherapist, psychoneurologist for a long-term depressive state;
• take medications depending on your mental state - sedatives, antipsychotics, anti-anxiety drugs;
• pick up a relaxing hobby;
• carry out exercises of alternating tension and relaxation of different muscle groups.

You can buy sedatives without a prescription. Sedafiton, Novopasit, Persen, Glycine will help you cope with anxiety. Many antipsychotic and anti-anxiety medications are available by prescription. They are prescribed mainly by neuropsychiatric doctors.

Methods for dealing with pressure changes

Only a qualified doctor can treat high or low blood pressure; self-medication is extremely dangerous, especially in the case of hypertension. The selection of medications and treatment methods is selected individually, based on the patient’s health and age.

For hypotension, drugs that tonic and gently raise blood pressure are usually prescribed.

These are the following:

• Ginseng.
• Eleutherococcus.
• Rhodiola rosea.
• Lure.
• Reindeer antlers extract (Pantocrine and other preparations of similar origin).

Nowadays, many tablet and liquid preparations have been created based on plant and animal raw materials that can stimulate an increase in blood pressure.

The following medications are used for hypertension:

• Diuretics (diuretics).
• Calcium antagonists.
• ACE inhibitors.
• Adrenergic blockers.
• Angiotensin antagonists.

Only the attending physician selects and prescribes the timing and dose individually for each patient.

To keep your blood pressure within normal limits, it is extremely important to maintain a healthy lifestyle. It is completely in vain to believe that a gentle regimen with minimal mobility can help maintain healthy blood pressure. On the contrary, only under the condition of moderate but regular physical activity is it able to remain in good shape, without falling or rising. This is how our body is created - an organ, system or function becomes unusable if it is not sufficiently exploited. Since blood pressure is directly related to the state of the vascular system and heart health, without moderate and feasible physical activity it will certainly change, deviating from the norm.

Overload is a completely different matter. These are the ones that should be avoided in every possible way. That is, for a hypertensive or hypotensive person it is extremely harmful to exercise in the gym, lifting weights or making sudden movements, but it is very useful to go for walks, jogging, swimming, cycling or doing various types of gymnastics, especially Pilates and yoga, where there is no excessive stress and the cardiovascular system is well trained.

• In addition to physical overload, it is necessary to avoid stress of another kind - psycho-emotional. This is especially important for irritable and excitable people who react painfully to even minor troubles. Usually, under stress, blood pressure rises sharply, as the body releases adrenaline and other hormones into the blood, stimulating the acceleration of cardiac activity and, as a result, an increase in blood pressure.
• For hypotensive patients, sleep and rest patterns are important. They need a fairly long, full-fledged sleep; it is preferable to go to bed and get up at the same time, to wake up not by an alarm clock, but on their own, since for this group of people a sudden awakening with a rapid change in body position is usually accompanied by extremely unpleasant sensations - dizziness, weakness, nausea, darkening of the eyes. It is better for them to do this gradually, allowing the pressure to adapt to the change in position, and also start their morning with coffee or strong tea to tone them up.
• A contrast shower, hardening, swimming, dousing with cold water - in a word, everything that can stimulate the vascular system - also helps to relieve lethargy and drowsiness.
• Another important factor in preventing changes in blood pressure is nutrition.
• Overeating, obesity, preference for fatty, heavy, salty and spicy, artificial foods, alcohol abuse and smoking lead to problems with the condition of blood vessels and the development of not only hypertension, but also other diseases. You need to be especially careful when handling regular table salt - its excess has been proven to contribute to fluid retention and the development of arterial hypertension.

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Symptoms of inflammation of the pancreas.

• High temperature up to 38 degrees.
• Diarrhea for a long time. Porridge-like stools, with inclusions of undigested food.
• Sudden weight loss that is not associated with changes in the quality and quantity of food.
• Sleep disturbance. You can't sleep. Insomnia.
• Food toxicosis.
• Constant feeling of hunger, especially in the morning.
• Reaction to salty mineral water.
• Bloating after eating.
• Pain in the left hypochondrium.
• Thirst in the morning and after eating.
• Frequent urination after eating.

Naturally, having such symptoms of the disease, I turned to a therapist. In general, I should have gone to an endocrinologist, but I didn’t know about that. I told her how my pancreas hurt. Passed blood and urine tests. So, in blood tests there was increased diastasis, and in urine tests there was amylase of about 2000 E when the norm is 600 E. These are the main indicators that indicate inflammation of the pancreas or, as doctors say, pancreatitis. I became interested in why the pancreas hurt and began to look for the causes of pancreatitis.

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The norm of fasting blood glucose for a person is 3.3-5.5 mmol when analyzing capillary material. This is an axiom. Elevated sugar indicates serious problems in the body and makes one suspect the patient has diabetes mellitus or impaired glucose tolerance. But is an increase in blood glucose always caused by pathology? And how are nerves and high blood sugar connected?

It turns out that increased glucose levels can be caused by a stressful situation. In this case, the indicators normalize after some time on their own and do not require special treatment. Sometimes the problem arises during severe surgical operations, serious infectious diseases, when the body itself experiences a deep shock.

Of course, an increase in blood sugar due to stress is rarely very noticeable. Typically the values ​​deviate from the norm by several moles. Even an evening argument on the eve of a blood test can give an unexpected false high result. For this reason, when preparing to submit material for research, it is strongly recommended to avoid nervous stress, excessive emotions, incl. positive.

Chronic stress

Stress is a part of everyday life and is beneficial to some extent in increasing physical and mental performance. In an acute stressful situation, for example, before an exam, interview or other situations, hormonal substances are released. As a result, it temporarily enhances the immune response, increases glucose concentrations and increases the secretion of various hormones - adrenaline, norepinephrine and cortisol. Hyperglycemia occurs only in the short term and provides a temporary stimulating effect.

When the body experiences acute stress from time to time, it has a positive effect on health. These stressful situations usually last from a few minutes to several hours and are a normal response to mental or physical problems. However, if the body is not able to actively repair itself during periods of rest, the risk of severe and difficult-to-control hyperglycemia increases.

With chronic stress, the body is in constant readiness, which negatively affects hormonal metabolism and contributes to the development of various diseases. Constant stress load causes the reactions described above in the body to work smoothly. Chronic cortisol action not only increases insulin secretion, but also reduces blood flow to all organs, increases blood pressure over the long term, and inhibits the cellular immune response. In addition, high cortisol levels promote tumor formation and are therefore associated with the risk of cancer.

How does stress increase blood sugar?

Firstly, any increased stress requires the mobilization of the body's defenses for survival. This means that during periods of stress, immunity inevitably decreases. A person becomes vulnerable to any infections, viruses, dormant chronic and acute illnesses.

The second way emotions influence glucose levels is through metabolic disorders. Since insulin performs an anabolic function, when the sympathetic nervous system is activated, insulin secretion simultaneously sharply decreases. In this case, the existing glycogen reserves are quickly converted into free sugar. The result is stable hyperglycemia against the background of obvious insulin deficiency.

Additionally, stress forces cells to tensely maintain their life; all energy goes directly into the blood vessels. The depots close their doors to store energy. Thus, insulin resistance invariably increases, and sensitivity to the insulin present in the body decreases significantly.

The main problem of long-term stress, leading to persistent hyperglycemia, is a strong increase in cortisol levels. In normal quantities, this hormone is vital for the human body. It promotes wound healing, preservation of performance, mobilization of strength in any dangerous situation, and absence of allergies. But in excess quantities, the hormone becomes the main enemy of health.

The steroid hormone is responsible for the utilization of proteins and fats in the body. Its excess accelerates the breakdown of proteins and greatly stimulates appetite. For this reason, during periods of acute stress, it is difficult to force a person to eat, but depression is almost always accompanied by overeating and excess weight gain. It is believed that cortisol is the main culprit in cravings for fatty, sweet, and junk foods.