Impact of Stress on Diabetes: Cause, Effects and Ways to Cope
One of the deadliest health conditions in today's world is diabetes and one of the major causes of blindness, kidney failure, stroke, heart attacks, and limb amputation. According to a WHO report, there was a 5% increase in premature mortality from diabetes between the years 2000 and 2016. Moreover, in 2019, diabetes has been named the ninth leading cause of death with an estimate of 1.5 million deaths directly caused by this metabolic disease, 40% of which occurred before the age of 70. In recent years during enhanced hostility periods, studies have shown stress is one of the formidable causes of diabetes-related morbidities.
In today's fast-paced life, stress has become an unavoidable trespasser in our everyday lives, affecting not only our mental health but also our physical well-being. It has proven to be especially lethal for the pre-diabetic or diabetes-prone population. Recent research shows that although stress is not a direct root of origin for diabetes, it is indeed a very potent contributor to chronic hyperglycemia in diabetes. The COVID 19 Pandemic and the subsequent lockdown measures have had a tremendous effect on lifestyle and diabetes self-management. According to BMJ Open Diabetes Research and Care, the changes due to the pandemic have caused weight gain, less exercise and as result poor glycemic control in diabetic people around the world. Furthermore, work-related stress factors are associated with diabetes development in workers with reduced glucose tolerance (Journal of UOEH, 2021). For Type 1 Diabetes, mental stress may either increase or decrease blood sugar levels while in Type 2 diabetic people, it mostly increases blood sugar.
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