Stress can mess with your diabetes big time. I was in great control but when my husband suddenly had to have heart surgery and many complications, my sugars shot up to almost 1000 and I found my self almost blind.

http://www.webmd.com/diabetes/features/stress-diabetes

From my experience, yes. I am sure it doesn't for everybody, but stress really causes my glucose reading to go high.

THanks for your input, Gayle and phedrick. That article was very helpful, Gayle!

YES, YES, AND YES!! You need a new PCP if they don't think stress can raise your levels. Lots of things can raise your levels stress is a biggie!

jody,

I thought so! I'm in the sandwich generation of caring for my family and also my mom. It's VERY stressful, full of ups and downs. I wondered what the impact was on my health.

Thanks, Jody!!

Yes, it does. I am going to a diabetic clinic and she said that her numbers are through the roof if she is stressed out. I was stressed and my numbers shot up too.

Yes.

THanks for your input! How fast do you think this happens. Ie if I'm going for a blood test and something very stressful just happened right before I drove over, would this affect that blood test immediately?

I agree with everyone else. For most of us diabetics stress will raise your numbers. Mine can get in the 300's.

How quickly does this happen? Immediately or over time?

I wouldn't think an immediate reaction in sugar levels to stress, but I think if you are stressed out over a period of time it will raise it. Now blood pressure on the other hand can be directly affected by immediate stress within minutes.. Blood sugar I think takes a bit longer to be affected. But the situation you described as helping family being stressful will raise it. But say for example a fender bender on the way to the dr. I don't think would. But like I said something like that could affect your blood pressure immediately. Very short term stress I don't think has an affect on our sugars, it's more the long term stresses. Hope that helps.

THanks, Jody. That makes a lot of sense!!

You're welcome.

If short term stress caused high blood sugar I'd be in trouble.. I love haunted houses and scary movies, and they get my heart rate going... Which is a slight stress to the body, but nothing that would affect my sugars. I just really think it's more like stresses that you have over a period of time.. The same kind of stresses that could cause ulcers as well... So be careful and be sure to take care of yourself, because if you aren't taking care of yourself you won't be able to help others in their care over the long range.

I find that every time I am under stress my blood glucose levels go up and probably some of my crashes are due to stress. When I was int he skilled nursing facility last fall I crashed every night, but I also wasn't eating the correct amount of carbs and they were in control of my insulin and that bothered me. I felt that I didn;t have control of anything in my life and I need to have control of something. It is hard to give up control of everything all at once.

jody,

you are so right!! I think the as more time goes by, they will attribute stress to more and more things that are going wrong with our bodies!

Brenda,
That must have been a real challenging experience at the skilled nursing facility. I have problems with giving up control also.