Office Hours, Stress, and Sugar Levels: The Hidden Link that you should not ignore

Sitting for too long at jobs, especially the 9-5 jobs, has become an integral part of contemporary human lifestyle. The pressure of meeting deadlines, attending meetings, and high screen time exposure are all contributing to high-level stress inside the mind and body. 

This stress can tremendously hamper your health, and it becomes even more concerning if you are suffering from diabetes. The impact of the stress caused by the 9-5 sitting jobs on diabetic individuals can be highly negative or detrimental.

What is the Connection between Stress and Sugar?

The impact of stress does not remain confined to your mental health alone, as it also affects your blood sugar level. According to clinical studies and research, when you have excessive stress, your body releases the cortisol hormone, which is a major trigger factor behind increased blood sugar levels. In the context of a diabetic person, the release of the cortisol hormone can further deteriorate the insulin resistance. 

Therefore, even if you are following a diabetic-friendly diet, the prevalence of stress inside your body can worsen your blood sugar levels. You need to understand that diabetes management and care rely tremendously on stress management. 

Are you Sitting for Too Long?

If your job profile demands sitting continuously for hours, then your insulin sensitivity can be hampered. The worst part about sitting continuously for too long is that regular exercise also cannot help in controlling your blood sugar. 

The best way to address this risk is to get up from your desk at work at hourly intervals and stretch your body or walk a bit on the floor. These small movements can keep your metabolism strong. 

Are you Skipping Meals at work?

This is another major concern because tighter work schedules and meetings can make you skip meals, especially lunch, which can cause your blood sugar levels to go up. Your body is used to taking meals at specific times, and thus, if you are skipping lunch due to work pressure, then your blood sugar level goes up as soon as you take a quick snack after skipping the fixed lunch time. 

The best suggestion for this issue is to not miss or skip meals, along with consuming high-fibre meals, which are beneficial for controlling and managing blood sugar levels. In addition, you must also focus on consuming healthy snacks that are sugar and carbohydrate-free.

How to Manage Stress at Work?

It has become the need of the hour for people to learn workplace stress management due to high-level work pressure. Thus, controlling and calming your mind and body holds the key in this regard. Include mind-relaxing exercises, such as deep breathing, listening to calming music, walking, and stretching, as a mandatory part of your work routine. 

Tips for Controlling Diabetes While Working

• Monitor your blood sugar levels: This needs to be a mandatory practice at work, especially when you are feeling stressed. There are devices, such as a glucometer, that can help you track and keep a record of your blood sugar levels even at work. 

• Keep yourself hydrated: By keeping yourself hydrated, you can help your kidneys to flush out the extra glucose through urine, which in turn can help in controlling blood sugar.

• Do not compromise with sleep: You must try to get at least 7-8 hours of deep sleep before going to work because sleep deficiency can mess up your blood sugar levels by increasing insulin resistance.

• Be Transparent with your health condition: You must be transparent about your diabetes with your manager and the HR because this will allow you to take short breaks for relaxing and walking in between work.

The importance of professional or expert guidance

If you are finding it difficult to manage your diabetes or blood sugar level due to workplace stress, then you need to seek professional or expert guidance at the best diabetes clinics, such as Kins Diabetes in Siliguri. Such guidance or advice will allow you to gain insights about how you can manage your blood sugar levels at work based on individual problem analysis. In addition, you can also learn about the use of a glucometer and the possible diabetes diary management process, which are vital for effective diabetes management.

Final Thoughts

Remember, if you are healthy, then only you will be able to make your work life long and sustainable. Thus, the key is to balance healthy eating, regular exercise, blood sugar monitoring, and stress management at work. You need to make small but consistent changes related to balancing your blood sugar management practices, even during the busiest of days at work.

Do not let stress and other factors at work hamper your blood sugar level. Indulge in the best diabetes management practices at work by gaining insights from a reputed diabetes clinic near you.