Month 3: Stress and Diabetes
It’s especially important to keep stress at bay when you have diabetes because the hormones your body
produces in response to stress, may increase insulin needs in people with type 2 diabetes. When stress hormone levels
increase, a lot of energy (in the form of blood sugar, or glucose, and fat) becomes available to your body.
Here are a few tips to
manage stress while you manage your diabetes:
Rate Your Stress Level
Before checking your blood sugar level, give your stress level a number from 1 to 10 and note
it in your blood sugar log. After about a week, check for patterns. Do high stress levels and high blood
sugar levels go hand in hand?
Set Limits
It’s important to take care of you first, so sometimes you need to set limits to help balance your routine effectively.
Make Some Simple Changes
If traffic stresses you out, start with taking a new route, or listen to music while you drive.
Other changes you can make are taking dance lessons, or starting that hobby that’s always
interested you—like gardening or learning to play a musical instrument.
Join a Support Group
Ask your doctor or CDE to recommend one in your area.
Get Plenty of Sleep
Sleep is essential for a person’s health and well-being. Most people need 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night.
Do Your Best to Stay Positive
With a positive attitude, you’ll be more motivated to get things done and achieve your goals.
Learn to Relax
Breathing exercises are a great way to start. Try this simple technique from the American Diabetes Association:
- Sit or lie down with your arms and legs uncrossed.
- Take a deep breath, then exhale as much air as you can.
- Repeat, trying to relax your muscles while you breathe out.
- Do this exercise at least once a day for 5 to 20 minutes.
Do not take Lantus® if you are allergic to insulin or any of the
inactive ingredients in Lantus®.
You must test your blood sugar levels while using insulin, such as Lantus®.
Do not make any changes to your dose or type of insulin without talking to your
healthcare provider. Any change of insulin should be made cautiously and only under
medical supervision.
Do NOT dilute or mix Lantus® with any other insulin or solution.
It will not work as intended and you may lose blood sugar control, which could be
serious. Lantus® must only be used if the solution is clear and colorless
with no particles visible. Do not share needles, insulin pens or syringes with
others.
The most common side effect of insulin, including Lantus®, is
low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), which may be serious. Some people may
experience symptoms such as shaking, sweating, fast heartbeat, and blurred vision.
Severe hypoglycemia may be serious and life-threatening. It may cause harm to your
heart or brain. Other possible side effects may include injection site reactions,
including changes in fat tissue at the injection site, and allergic reactions, including
itching and rash. In rare cases, some allergic reactions may be life-threatening.
Tell your doctor about other medicines and supplements you are taking because they
can change the way insulin works. Before starting Lantus®, tell your
doctor about all your medical conditions including if you have liver or kidney problems,
are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding or planning to
breast-feed.
Lantus® SoloSTAR® is a disposable prefilled insulin
pen. Please talk to your healthcare provider about proper injection technique and
follow instructions in the Instruction Leaflet that accompanies the pen.
Click here for Full Prescribing Information for Lantus®.
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The health information contained herein is provided for general educational purposes
only. Your healthcare professional is the single best source of information regarding
your health. Please consult your healthcare professional if you have any questions
about your health or treatment.