The Link Between Stress and Diabetes

There are two reasons why stress could lead to a spike in blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes. "One reason is that people under stress may stop taking care of their diabetes,” says Baha Arafah, MD, an endocrinologist at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio. “They may neglect to check their blood sugar levels, or they may stray from their diet and eat or drink too much."

Another reason is that stress increases the body’s demand for energy. “To get that energy, your body releases hormones that raise your blood sugar,” Dr. Garcia-Banigan says. “People without diabetes can make enough insulin to keep up with that sugar and get it into cells where it can be used, but if you have type 2 diabetes your insulin can't keep up with the high blood sugar levels."

Emotional and physical stress that may occur during an illness or injury can also cause the release of blood sugar that’s been stored in liver and muscle cells. “Stress hormones include cortisol, adrenalin, and growth hormone,” Dr. Arafah says. They all have the ability to increase blood sugar levels."