Why Do High Stress and Poor Sleep Affect Blood Sugar Levels?

Hello! That's a great question. Many people only know that blood sugar is related to "diet," but it actually has a lot to do with our emotions and sleep state too. I'll try to explain it clearly in plain language.

Think of our body as a highly sophisticated "command center," and blood sugar is the "fuel" that powers all the various "departments" (organs, muscles).

Part 1: What Happens in the Body When Under Stress?

Imagine our ancestors suddenly encountering a tiger in the forest back in ancient times. How would the body react?

It would instantly switch to "fight or flight" mode!

To give you the strength to fight or run faster, the body's "command center" immediately issues an order: "Quick! All departments, attention! Emergency! Release all the reserve fuel (sugar) from the warehouse into the bloodstream immediately, ready for use at any moment!"

This process is mainly carried out by two types of "messengers" – stress hormones (primarily cortisol and adrenaline). They will:

Order the liver to release stored glycogen: The liver is like our body's "sugar warehouse." When stress hormones give the command, it quickly releases its stored sugar (glucose) into the bloodstream, causing blood sugar to rise rapidly.
Make the body "insensitive" to insulin: Insulin is the "worker" responsible for transporting sugar from the blood into cells for use. Under stress, the body thinks, "It's an emergency now, sugar needs to stay in the blood for backup, don't rush to move it away!" So, cells start to somewhat ignore the instructions from the "worker" insulin. This is called insulin resistance.

Back to modern life: Our "tigers" today are work deadlines, family conflicts, exam stress, etc. Even though we don't actually need to fight or flee, our bodies still faithfully activate this "ancient emergency system."

The result is:

When you feel anxious or stressed, your body frantically releases sugar into the bloodstream.
You don't burn off this sugar through significant physical activity.
Over time, blood sugar levels naturally tend to stay high. For people with diabetes, this is even more troublesome because their "workers" (insulin) are already understaffed or inefficient.

Simply put, stress is like the body's "wartime mobilization," keeping blood sugar – this "military supply" – constantly on high alert.

Part 2: What's Happening in the Body When You Don't Sleep Well?

Lack of sleep is, in itself, a huge physiological stressor for the body. So, the stress response described above also kicks in when you're not sleeping well.

Additionally, poor sleep brings a few extra problems:

Insulin gets even "lazier": Research shows that even just one night of poor sleep reduces the sensitivity of your body's cells to insulin the next day. This means your "workers" want to do their job, but the cells "close the door," leaving sugar to continue "wandering" in the bloodstream.
Appetite goes "haywire": Our bodies have two hormones that control appetite:
- Ghrelin: It tells you, "I'm hungry, go eat something!"
- Leptin: It tells you, "I'm full, you can stop now!"
When you're sleep-deprived, ghrelin levels rise, and leptin levels fall. The result is that you feel much hungrier the next day and find it harder to feel full. Even worse, you'll also crave high-calorie, high-carb foods (like sweets, bread, fried foods) because your body wants to replenish energy quickly. After all this, how could blood sugar not spike?
Repair work gets delayed: Sleep is prime time for the body to repair itself and regulate its systems. If this time is cut short, various bodily functions, including the blood sugar regulation system, become disrupted.

Simply put, poor sleep = ongoing stress on the body + appetite control failure + blood sugar regulation system malfunction.

To Summarize

You can think of it this way:

Stress actively "adds fuel to the fire" of your blood sugar.
Poor sleep "adds fuel" while simultaneously weakening your body's "firefighting" system (the insulin system).

Therefore, to manage blood sugar well, managing your stress and sleep is just as crucial as watching your diet and staying active. They are not secondary factors; they are equally important "three pillars," alongside diet and exercise.

So, What Can We Do?

Manage Stress: Find a stress-relief method that works for you, like exercise, listening to music, meditation, talking to friends – even taking 10 minutes a day for deep breathing can be very helpful.
Improve Sleep: Establish a regular sleep schedule, avoid phones and computers for at least an hour before bed, and create a dark, quiet, and cool sleep environment.

Hope this explanation helps! Take care!