Type 2 Diabetes - The Stress Connection to Being Overweight and Prediabetes

In today's world, it's common to hear people talk about being 'stressed out.' And all that stress can be harmful to your health. Did you know stress may contribute to excess weight gain and in turn lead to prediabetes?There are a couple of different ways being stressed can lead to being overweight and related health conditions. Some people deal with stress by overeating. And if the extra calories eaten aren't burned off through exercise, weight gain occurs. But some people don't overeat when they're stressed, and they may not eat too much in general. So why are they still overweight?Being in a constantly stressed state has an effect on the different hormones released in the body. One of these hormones is cortisol. Cortisol is a stress hormone, and it affects fat storage and weight gain. When it's released, your body becomes better at storing fat. Cortisol also increases your appetite, including increased cravings for sugary and fatty foods. All of these effects of cortisol can combine to make you gain weight. So, even if you don't overeat, being stressed and producing more cortisol can cause you to be overweight, even obese.Being overweight increases your risk of developing prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes. When you gain weight, your body stores the extra weight as fat. These fat cells can make you resistant to insulin. As you become more resistant to insulin and your blood sugar increases, your pancreas works harder to produce more and more insulin to lower your blood sugar.


Over time, the cells of your pancreas can become worn out and stop producing sufficient amounts of insulin needed to carry sugar from your blood into your cells. This leads to insulin resistance, as we know, and leads to excess sugar in the blood and ultimately Type 2 diabetes develops. Fat cells can also build up in the pancreas and clog it, which further damage the beta cells that produce insulin.Reducing stress is an important way to manage your weight and prevent developing prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes. If you have Type 2 diabetes, reducing stress can help you to lose weight and better manage or even reverse your disease.There are many methods available for reducing stress. One way to fight stress is...

to make yourself take time each day to relax and take the focus off of everyday thoughts.
This helps combat the fight or flight response that takes place when we're stressed and increases cortisol. To get to this relaxed state, think about a certain word, sound, or phrase, and continue repeating the word. You can do this for as much or as little time as you want. Try this daily for the best stress reduction.