Can Stress Raise Blood Sugar? What You Need to Know

"When you're stressed -either physically or emotionally-your brain activates a built-in alarm system called the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. This pathway ends with your adrenal glands releasing cortisol, the body's primary stress hormone. Cortisol signals the liver to release glucose into your bloodstream, giving you a quick burst of energy to fight or flee from a threat. In the short term, this can be useful. But when cortisol stays high long-term, it can interfere with how your cells respond to insulin."

"Cortisol tells the body to prioritize quick energy over storage, so it temporarily reduces insulin's ability to move glucose into cells. Over time, this repeated interference can make cells less sensitive to insulin, causing blood sugar to stay elevated long-term. However, cortisol isn't the only factor in stress's effect on blood sugar. Recently, researchers discovered a direct brain-to-liver pathway linking the amygdala-a key stress center-to glucose production."

When stress occurs, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis triggers adrenal cortisol release. Cortisol signals the liver to release glucose into the bloodstream for immediate energy. Acute cortisol responses are adaptive, but prolonged high cortisol impairs insulin-mediated glucose uptake and promotes insulin resistance. A direct brain-to-liver neural circuit from the amygdala can raise glucose by as much as 70% even before hormonal release. Stress can raise blood sugar in people without diabetes, and repeated stress spikes, especially combined with poor diet and inactivity, drive insulin resistance and increase type 2 diabetes risk. Managing chronic stress helps reduce glucose spikes and protect metabolic health.

Read at Alternative Medicine Magazine