Are Mood Swings A Symptom of Diabetes?
Nov 25, 2023 By Madison Evans

An individual's blood sugar level, stress, or an underlying mental health issue might all contribute to irritability in a diabetic person. Having diabetes can have a significant impact on your emotional and mental well-being, despite popular belief.

Anxiety, despair, and stress are other possible outcomes. Checking in on how you feel is vital since day-to-day diabetes management may be stressful. Having a firm grasp on and consistently implementing your strategy for managing your diabetes will help you maintain a level head.

Diabetes and Mood Swings

Feeling various highs and lows is not unusual if you have diabetes. Mood swings and other changes in your thoughts are related to your blood sugar levels. Poor blood glucose regulation can contribute to unpleasant emotions and reduced quality of life.

How can you tell whether your blood sugar is too high or too low? Regular monitoring of your blood sugar levels is an essential part of any diabetes care regimen. The ideal range for your blood sugar might vary from person to person.

Diabetes And Stress

The stress of a diabetes diagnosis, and the stress of managing diabetes over time, can contribute to feelings of being overwhelmed and diabetes burnout. Reasons you can be feeling anxious include:

  • You physically feel bad.
  • The management plan, daily routine, lifestyle changes, and expenditures may concern you.
  • The prospect of permanent therapy may leave you feeling helpless.
  • You may be tired from managing your strategy.

The adverse effects of stress on diabetes are real. Long-term stress, on the order of weeks or months, has been linked to fluctuations in blood sugar. Stress can cause both increases and decreases in glucose levels in the blood. Your general disposition may shift as a result of these changes.

Diabetes and Mental Health

If you have diabetes, you may be more susceptible to mental health problems. Women with diabetes are disproportionately affected by anxiety. The percentage of people with diabetes who suffer from anxiety is around 30% - 40%.

Depressive symptoms affect up to 25% of patients with diabetes, according to one study. Diabetes and depression affect women more than males. Here are a few of the signs that you may be suffering from depression:

  • anger
  • anxiety
  • Having a poor quality of life
  • Adopting a sluggish way of life
  • Alterations in sleeping habits

Being aware of the signs of depression and getting assistance is crucial. Feelings of depression may compromise diabetic management. If your diabetes isn't well-managed, your highs and lows might cause even more drastic swings in your mood and make your symptoms much more difficult to bear.

Adaptation Strategies

Mood swings, stress, despair, and other mental health issues can all be mitigated by better diabetes care. To control your diabetes, try these strategies:

Maintain Your Diabetic Regimen

Your doctor's treatment strategy will involve taking medicine regularly, checking blood sugar levels, and making other lifestyle improvements.

Check Blood Sugar Routinely

Keep an eye out for excessive numbers. Please keep track of any abnormal readings in case you need to discuss them with your doctor. If your glucose levels are inconsistent with what is expected, try experimenting with ways to raise or reduce them.

Systematize Your Strategy

Prepare for medicine or blood sugar checks by setting a timer on your smartphone. As a result, you can maintain a consistent blood sugar level and reduce the likelihood of missing crucial steps in your strategy.

Plan Meals

If you have diabetes, you should eat well-balanced meals regularly. Create a shopping list based on the meals you plan to eat this week that suit people with diabetes. If you want to make sticking to your weekly meal plan simpler, prepare meals in advance.

How to Make Someone Feel Better

Maybe you know someone with diabetes, personally or via friends and family. You can be an invaluable resource in monitoring their mental health and assisting with treatment while they deal with this issue.

Teenagers And Younger Kids

Youths and young adults with diabetes require encouragement and direction from family and friends to implement their treatment and management programs successfully. Please provide them with nutritious meals, encourage them to participate in sports, and bring them to the doctor often. Keep an eye out for mood swings or other telltale indicators of stress or depression, and encourage them to get the treatment they need.

Adults

Diabetic adults are also counting on you to help them. If a loved one's mood looks wrong, you can inform them that they should check their blood sugar. You can work out and prepare nutritious meals together! Listen to your friend's or loved one's explanations for their symptoms. If you find them straying from their diabetes treatment plan or noticing changes in their mental health, advise them to contact a doctor.