Uncovering the connection between diabetes and mental health

Table of Contents

  • ● Diabetes and Mental Health: A Brief Overview
  • ● The Link Between Diabetes and Depression
  • ● How High Blood Sugar Affects Your Mood and Mental Health
  • ● Stress and diabetes
  • ● Tips for Managing Your Blood Sugar and Mental Health Simultaneously
  • ● Takeaway
  • ● FAQs

Diabetes and Mental Health: A Brief Overview

The connection between mental health and diabetes has been under the radar for a long time. While
the physical impact of diabetes is well-known, the connection between diabetes and mental health is less understood. The relationship is reciprocal; several drugs used to treat mental health disorders can increase the potential risks of diabetes, on the other hand, lifestyle management in diabetes leaves you mentally exhausted.

Diabetologists must take their patient’s; mental health into account. This can help identify potential mental health problems early and guarantee that patients get the support they need to manage their physical and psychological health.

What is the connection Between Diabetes and Depression

Studies support a bidirectional relationship between the complications of diabetes and depression.

According to studies, mental health conditions like depression and anxiety can increase the risk of developing diabetic complications like diabetic retinopathy (difficulties affecting the eyes) and diabetic nephropathy (complications affecting the kidneys). On the other hand, diabetes complications raise the possibility of significant depression, anxiety, or stress symptoms, and loneliness due to ongoing poor health and dietary restrictions.

The processes that lead to this link between mental health and diabetes are:

  • ● Depression often leads to indiscipline life, like poor diet control, irregular medicine intake, smoking, sedentary days and a regular bingeing of high-calorie foods. These will negatively impact glycemic control, which is linked to a higher risk of complications.
  • ● The burden and suffering associated with diabetes cause depression and mood changes.
  • ● Poor endothelial function (the altered functioning of the inner lining of the blood vessels) due to cholesterol deposition has been linked to depression and diabetes, increasing the risk of heart diseases.
  • ● The prescribed drugs for diabetes may have side effects that worsen diabetes and its associated complications.

How High Blood Sugar Affects Your Mood and Mental Health ?

Fluctuations in blood sugar levels bring about mood changes with them. The culprit that throws your mood entirely out of whack may be both high and low sugar levels.

Here are a few mood swings that indicate a low sugar level:
Confusion, and anxiety
Hunger and irritability
Tiredness and exhaustion

Here are a few mood swings that indicate a high sugar level:
Thirst and dehydration
Anger and intense feelings
Nervousness
Clouded judgment

If you are a diabetic and have similar mood changes often, you should consider visiting a diabetologist for a consultation.

Stress and diabetes

The stress of managing diabetes and a healthy lifestyle can get overwhelming at times. It leads to something called “diabetes burnout.” This acquired stress can worsen diabetes by fluctuating blood sugar levels.

Stress can cause your blood sugar levels to rise and occasionally drop. These fluctuations can ultimately cause mood swings.

It is mandatory to recognize symptoms of stress, mood swings, and depression in diabetes in order to seek help.

Tips for Managing Your Blood Sugar and Mental Health Simultaneously

There are numerous ways to facilitate diabetes management and lessen your risk of going through mood swings, stress, depression, or another mental health condition.

You can try the following options and remain stress-free:

● Be regular with diabetes medicines.

Stop stressing over medicine timing and doses. Use your smartphone and set up an alarm system and a monthly calendar that will be your assistant in managing diabetes.

● Diabetes-friendly diet plan.

Stress does not mean you binge eat. If you are a family member of a diabetes patient suffering from anxiety, then keep an eye on his eating habits. You need to prevent them from night snacking and sugar treats.

● Regular exercise and physical activities

There is no alternative to this. Use smart gadgets like smartphones and fitness bands as workout planners to motivate yourself. Equip yourself with yoga mats, resistance bands, and weights to perform quick workouts at home. Online yoga sessions are also an amazing way to rejuvenate your mental health and manage diabetes.

● Blood glucose monitoring

Pay attention to high and low readings. If necessary, keep track of any unusual readings and inform your doctor. If your readings fall outside of the expected range, try out methods to raise or lower your blood sugar.

● Stress management

According to experts, you should search for patterns. Consider your stress level each time you log your blood sugar levels and see if a trend develops. If a pattern emerges, you can learn to recognize the symptoms of stress and take steps to reduce your blood sugar and avoid stress. Working with a professional to learn relaxation and coping mechanisms may be necessary.

● Therapy

Therapy is a very beneficial form of treatment that is beneficial to both those with and without mental health issues. The four main areas of mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness are the focus of therapy.

Family therapy fosters improved communication, conflict resolution, and family dynamics.

Family therapy is frequently used to treat eating disorders and mental health. Psychological counselling has two parts: The cognitive component aims to create empowering beliefs about your life. The behavioural component teaches you how to make better decisions.

Takehome

Diabetes is multifaceted, and it comes with multiple physical and mental health complications. Maintain your management plan and maintain healthy blood sugar levels to reduce your risk of mental health conditions. Never be afraid to ask for help with your diabetes treatment or to talk about your mental health with family, friends, or a mental health professional.

FAQs

Q. How can I control my blood sugar and anxiety?

To control fluctuant blood sugar levels and related anxiety do the following:
1. Eat a diet that is rich in proteins, fibers and micronutrients.
2. Cut down on refined sugars
3. Have fruits with less sugar content like citrus fruits
4. Go for a 30-minute walk daily.
5. Perform breathing exercises that calm your mind.

Q. Can high blood sugar cause depression and anxiety?
Yes, high blood sugar levels, alter the blood supply to the different body parts. It alters sensory
activities in the brain. This leads to anxiety, nervousness and sweating.

Q. Can self-help books reduce anxiety?
Self-help books are a great source of inspiration for diabetics and mental health issues. It is self-
motivating and enlightening. Reading is healing in nature.

Dr. Nikhil Prabhu ( Diabetes Specialist )

Dr Nikhil Prabhu is a consultant Diabetologist from mumbai. he has been practicing for more than 10 years and currently over 7000 patients are under his treatment for diabetes and thyroid disorder from mumbai and navi mumbai area. | you can book his appointment for tele-consultation on 9082523295 | follow us on YouTube for more diabetes & health related tips

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Diabetes and Anxiety – A Mental Torment

Diabetes and Anxiety are linked with each other which takes a mental tole on the patient. Anxiety and depression are the most common problems faced by patients suffering from Diabetes. It is believed that type 1 or type 2 Diabetes is linked with anxiety and mental health issues. There is stimulation of hypothalamus pituitary adrenal gland which in turn releases cortisol, growth hormones, epinephrine, nor epinephrene, other hormones in blood glucose levels. Thus leading to anxiety, depression during diabetes. Also one can not rule out increase in sugar levels or diabetes due to stress, anxiety.

Epidemiology of Diabetes & Anxiety:

According to the recent study in America, around 20 to 25 percent of diabetic people were suffering from anxiety than non diabetics. Around 40 to 45 percent of women population in India who have Diabetes are suffering from anxiety.

Diabetes_anxiety

Ways of identifying anxiety in a diabetic patient:

  • Feeling of fear, nervousness, at the time of commencement of the event.
  • Avoiding visiting public places, events, any occasions.
  • Development of symptoms of headache, palpitation of heart, restlessness, cramps in abdomen, sweating during attack of anxiety.

Patients  get anxious due to diagnosis of complications of Diabetes like neuropathy, retinopathy, nephropathy, gangrene etc. They also face anxiety due to management of Diabetes, following strict diet, taking complicated medications, sometimes insulin injections, exercising, improving lifestyle changes etc.

How to help a diabetic patient suffering with anxiety issues?

Usually in India, the Diabetes of the patient is managed by the diabetologist who is a physician and his mental health issues are treated with psychologist or psychiatrist. This leads to lack of collaboration between the two doctors as far as diabetes and mental health issues are concerned. Hence a Collaborative model of Diabetes and psychologist is practiced in such a way that the Diabetes and mental health issues like anxiety are well managed by the team of physicians working together. Thus the patient is given a self identified goal for Diabetes control and management and also given psychotherapy sessions to identify the mental health issues by the patient.

Management and treatment of anxiety and Diabetes:

  • Management of anxiety by anticholinergic drugs, antipsychotics, beta blockers, nor epinephric drugs, anti depressants, benziodiapides help a lot.
  • Antidepressants help in controlling Diabetes.
  • Psychotherapy is given to patients with anti depressants and cognitive behavioral therapy is proved to be successful in such cases.
  • Counselling sessions are conducted for behaviour therapy and controlling anxiety.
  • Routine check ups for Diabetes is done.
  • Improvement of lifestyle helps tremendously in improving the mental state of an individual.
  • Exercising regularly helps to maintain fitness and control diabetes. It utilizes your glucose for energy this maintaining blood sugar levels.
  • Plate diet is yet another way to improve your lifestyle and eating habits.
  • Having more of fruits and green vegetables helps in boosting immunity and controls diabetes.
  • Taking self care of being cautious of any injury helps preventing any complications.
  • Identifying anxiety at an early stage of onset helps in curing the patient from the mental illness by Counselling and medication.
  • Screening anxiety is extremely important for patients with HbA1C is more than 6.5.
  • Educate the patient on relaxation methods like meditation, yoga, breathe in and breath out exercise, concentrating candle etc.

Thus we conclude that mental illness is equally important as important as Diabetes. Diabetes and anxiety pose a mental torment to the patient. A thorough routine investigation should be done for behaviour changes in such diabetic patients.

Dr. Nikhil Prabhu ( Diabetes Specialist )

Dr Nikhil Prabhu is a consultant Diabetologist from mumbai. he has been practicing for more than 10 years and currently over 7000 patients are under his treatment for diabetes and thyroid disorder from mumbai and navi mumbai area. | you can book his appointment for tele-consultation on 9082523295 | follow us on YouTube for more diabetes & health related tips

More Posts - Website

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