Diabetic patients suffer more from depression, anxiety and distress- yoga and meditation can be the great mood enhancer to promote blood sugar control!

diabetic patient can look normal from outside but there are a lot more things happening inside him/her. Diabetes can significantly affect the mental health of the person and make the life more challenging. However, yoga and meditation can reduce the impact and help the patients in achieving well-being.

How diabetes make people suffer more-

Diabetes increases the risk of depression and anxiety. A patient diagnosed with diabetes is susceptible to depression than a normal person. The constant need to check blood sugar, follow therapeutic diets, and consuming pills can be overwhelming for them. This feeling leave them in distress and anxious. Emotional strain affects them, leading to stress and biological changes such as inflammation and hormonal imbalances, which can result in depression. A diabetic patient may seem irritable, sad, insecure, or disengaged.

How to know if a diabetic person is suffering from depression?

There are several visible symptoms of depression that one may notice –

• Persistent Sadness
• Loss of interest in activities
• Irritability
• Anger issues
• Making someone appear withdrawn or unmotivated

Anxiety can manifest as over thinking, restlessness, or trembling- this might be mistaken for low blood sugar. Such emotional imbalance can result in neglecting self care, for instance – skipping regular blood sugar test. This may worsen both diabetes and mental health; creating a noticeable distress pattern.

Anxiety and depression in diabetic patients can be subtle or striking, often comes along the physical symptoms of the condition. Fatigue, poor focus, feeling of worthlessness, guilt, and in some severe cases- suicidal thoughts or death may emerge. Anxiety can disrupt blood sugar levels as stress hormones may get activated, making these symptoms both visible and disruptive.

Why Diabetes Triggers Anxiety and Depression?

Okay, there is a thing that one need to understand- the link between diabetes and mental health is deeply rooted in both psychological and biological factors.

Let’s understand the biological mechanism behind diabetes –

• Stress and hormones – Coping with diabetes is inherently stressful and chronic stress triggers HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal) axis and the sympathetic nervous system. When this occurs, cortisol, adrenaline, and noradrenaline levels rise. This results in insulin resistance and mood swings. These hormones can also make blood sugar levels unpredictable and thus, the patient has to go through emotional stress.
• Inflammation – Diabetes also connects to chronic inflammation, which increases the levels of inflammatory cytokines.
• These molecules have power to impact the human pancreatic beta cells, worsen insulin resistance, and brain functioning. This triggers depression in a person as the neurotransmitter metabolism and synaptic plasticity get affected.
• Brain changes – a diabetic patient can have altered brain structure such as cerebral atrophy, lacunar infarcts and reduced hippocampal volume. These are linked to depression and these alterations are driven by high HbA1C levels, impair cognitive and emotional imbalance.

 Let’s talk about the psychological factors –

• Being under pressure of chronic illness

As a diabetic patient needs to monitor blood sugar levels without compromising with the dietary restrictions, it can make him/her feel relentless. This kind of pressure can make them ignorant towards their self well-being.

• Fear and stigma

Most diabetic patients fear of long-term complications or amputations that can trigger anxiety. Social stigma or feeling like a burden to family and friends can lower self-esteem. Diabetic patients prefer isolating themselves due to over-thinking which again lead them towards depression.

• Lifestyle changes

Unmanaged diabetes is the result of poor lifestyle and bad habits that include zero or less physical activity, high stress level, unhealthy diet. All these things are related with mental health risks.

Yoga and meditation is a powerful combination to support mental health for people suffering from lifestyle diseases like diabetes. The combo addresses the anxiety and depression by the condition.

• Stress reduction

The stress and anxiety can be reduced to great extent with yoga and meditation. The person with diabetes can calm down the nervous system and reduce the cortisol hormone which spike blood sugar and trigger anxiety. Breathing exercises or the pranayam and meditation practices can help individuals feel calmer and focused.

• Managing diabetes distress

Diabetes distress affecting 33% to 50% of the patients is a certain emotional strain that frustrates the individuals. Meditation gives impactful results by helping individuals in processing their thoughts and feelings by making them aware without judgment.

Yoga gives them confidence to work and manage diabetes without making them feel like “trapped”. Simple yoga poses like seated forward bend, seated twisting or restorative stretches can motivate them towards healthy living.

You can start small with 3-5 minutes of breathing practices. In case of limited mobility, opt for chair yoga or gentle stretches. Join yoga community where experts give yoga classes nearby. And if you feel too lazy to search for them, connect with Yogymummy and see how your life changes!

We are offering online yoga meditation sessions across the world.