In This ArticleView AllIn This ArticleWhat Is Insulin Resistance?What’s Its Link with Stress?Ways to Manage Stress
In This ArticleView All
View All
In This Article
What Is Insulin Resistance?
What’s Its Link with Stress?
Ways to Manage Stress
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Getty Images
You know what it feels like to have your stress spike. It’s an emotional and physical response. Your palms sweat before a big presentation. Your heart pounds when you nearly get into a car accident. When you get a bad-news phone call, you may hold your breath.
We all experience stress, and being stressed is a natural and vital reaction. Stress releases hormones likecortisol that produce the “fight or flight” response, pushing you to take action when needed. When the threat is over, those keyed-up feelings subside, and you return to normal.
However, chronic long-term stress can lead to a variety of health conditions, including insulin resistance. And that’s a problem. Learn more about the connection between high levels of stress and insulin resistance, and expert-backed ways to manage stress.
Insulin resistanceis a condition in which cells in your muscles, fat and liver do not respond well to insulin.As a result, they cannot take up glucose from your blood. “Over time, insulin resistance can lead to elevated blood sugar levels, eventually resulting in prediabetes or type 2 diabetes,” saysMaria Elena Pena, M.D., an endocrinologist at Catholic Health. This can also increase the risk for cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure and high cholesterol, she explains.
What Is the Link Between Stress and Insulin Resistance?
Unfortunately, these changes set the stage for a dysregulated metabolism, saysLauren Plunkett, RDN, a certified diabetes care and education specialist and a person living with type 1 diabetes. “Long term, this can progress to cardiovascular disease, obesity and elevated fasting glucose levels as a result of insulin resistance,” she says.
How to Manage Stress and Prevent Insulin Resistance
Not all stress can be avoided (nor should you try!), but finding strategies to reduce it and learning how to respond to it can better equip you to recover from stressful situations. Lifestyle changes can make a big difference in your resilience against stress. Here’s where to begin.
Eat More Plants
The 6 Best Mediterranean Diet Foods That Can Help Lower Your Stress Levels
Get Moving
The Best Walking Plan to Help You Reduce Stress
Prioritize Sleep
Increased stress levels can impact sleep, and poor sleep quality or insufficient sleep can increase insulin resistance.Therefore, getting adequate amounts of sleep is essential. If you are not getting enough sleep,assessing your routinemay help. You may benefit from cooling down your room, avoiding screens for one hour before bedtime or eliminating your afternoon coffee.
6 Surprising Habits That Can Disturb Your Sleep, According to Health Experts
Find Your Go-To Relaxation Strategy
Relaxation techniqueslike deep breathing and meditation can help you better react to and manage your emotions and thoughts, including those that cause stress.Deep breathing might be a good place to start since it can be done anywhere and anytime.
Other mind-body practices that have been shown to help relieve stress include prayer,meditation, yoga, tai chi and mindfulness techniques.These activities can make you feel less stressed. They help slow your heart rate, lower blood pressure, reduce cortisol levels, improve cognitive function and reduce insulin resistance.
The Bottom Line
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SourcesEatingWell uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Insulin Resistance & Prediabetes.American Diabetes Association.Understanding Insulin Resistance.Baban KA, Morton DP.Lifestyle Medicine and Stress Management.J Fam Pract. 2022;71(Suppl 1 Lifestyle):S24-S29. doi:10.12788/jfp.0285Weickert MO, Pfeiffer AFH.Impact of Dietary Fiber Consumption on Insulin Resistance and the Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes.J Nutr. 2018 Jan 1;148(1):7-12. doi:10.1093/jn/nxx008Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Sleep for a Good Cause.MedlinePlus.Relaxation techniques for stress.
Sources
EatingWell uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Insulin Resistance & Prediabetes.American Diabetes Association.Understanding Insulin Resistance.Baban KA, Morton DP.Lifestyle Medicine and Stress Management.J Fam Pract. 2022;71(Suppl 1 Lifestyle):S24-S29. doi:10.12788/jfp.0285Weickert MO, Pfeiffer AFH.Impact of Dietary Fiber Consumption on Insulin Resistance and the Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes.J Nutr. 2018 Jan 1;148(1):7-12. doi:10.1093/jn/nxx008Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Sleep for a Good Cause.MedlinePlus.Relaxation techniques for stress.
EatingWell uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Insulin Resistance & Prediabetes.American Diabetes Association.Understanding Insulin Resistance.Baban KA, Morton DP.Lifestyle Medicine and Stress Management.J Fam Pract. 2022;71(Suppl 1 Lifestyle):S24-S29. doi:10.12788/jfp.0285Weickert MO, Pfeiffer AFH.Impact of Dietary Fiber Consumption on Insulin Resistance and the Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes.J Nutr. 2018 Jan 1;148(1):7-12. doi:10.1093/jn/nxx008Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Sleep for a Good Cause.MedlinePlus.Relaxation techniques for stress.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Insulin Resistance & Prediabetes.
American Diabetes Association.Understanding Insulin Resistance.
Baban KA, Morton DP.Lifestyle Medicine and Stress Management.J Fam Pract. 2022;71(Suppl 1 Lifestyle):S24-S29. doi:10.12788/jfp.0285
Weickert MO, Pfeiffer AFH.Impact of Dietary Fiber Consumption on Insulin Resistance and the Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes.J Nutr. 2018 Jan 1;148(1):7-12. doi:10.1093/jn/nxx008
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Sleep for a Good Cause.
MedlinePlus.Relaxation techniques for stress.
