Does diabetes affect mental health?

 Does diabetes affect mental health?

Anyone can be surprised when a calm person suddenly becomes angry, annoyed, irritable, and has a dark face over small things. If that person has been suffering from diabetes for a long time, then it may definitely have had an effect.

Diabetes is generally a condition in which the amount of glucose in the blood is high. Just as in people with diabetes, if its amount is high, there is a risk of organ damage, obesity, heart disease, etc. In the same way, it also affects mental health.

How does it affect mental health?

To understand the relationship between diabetes and mental health, it is necessary to go deeper into both sides. Some people with diabetes are surrounded by stress. Because, on the one hand, this is not a disease that can be cured after drug treatment. It must be controlled.

Blood glucose levels need to be checked regularly, taken medication, and paid attention to diet. This management and control can be frustrating for a person to do every day. Due to these challenges, a person can become frustrated, anxious, or depressed. The worry that they will not be able to get rid of such a complicated process can haunt them.

On the other hand, if they experience mild physical symptoms, they may worry about whether diabetes will progress to something else, whether eating this food will increase diabetes, how much of this medicine they will take every day. Doctors have called such worries diabetes-related anxiety or diabetes burnout. This worry can even lead to depression due to excessive thinking.

According to the study, one in five people with type 2 who do not need to rely on insulin and one in six people who take insulin have diabetes-related distress.

Similarly, our mood is related to high and low blood sugar or glycemic. Symptoms of poor glycemic control are similar to symptoms of mental health, such as irritability, excessive anxiety. Because our brain runs on glucose.

If diabetes is controlled, there is no problem. But if diabetes continues to increase and decrease, mood changes occur rapidly. Which can affect relationships between family members and relatives.

When blood sugar is low, anxiety, fear of something and confusion arise. When blood sugar is high, it can experience symptoms such as loss of appetite, coordination and concentration, difficulty in making decisions, aggressive behavior, impatience and sleeplessness.

Risk of diabetes for those with mental health problems

People with mental health problems such as anxiety, stress or depression may also gradually be unable to pay attention to their diet and lifestyle. They may experience problems such as low physical activity, lack of coordination of eating, boredom, irregular sleep, which increases the risk of diabetes. In addition, when unnecessary anxiety continues to increase in them, the amount of cortisol hormone increases excessively.

As a result, it can affect hormonal balance, which causes problems in regulating and controlling blood sugar.

Effect on sex life

If diabetes is increasing in excessive amounts, it can also affect sex life. Women who have vaginal dryness, men who have low arousal, or premature ejaculation may not be happy with their sex lives. This thinking can also gradually lead to mental health problems.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people with diabetes are two to three times more likely to be depressed than those without diabetes. Only 25 to 50 percent of them are diagnosed and treated for depression.

How to recognize the impact on mental health?

– Symptoms such as small tremors, panic attacks, staying up all night, being aggressive without listening to others, feeling sad, not liking anything, being pessimistic, feeling tired, eating too much or not eating. If many of these symptoms are seen in daily life, it is understood that there is a mental problem.

How to manage mental health if you have diabetes?

– If you are having mental problems, you should tell your doctor. So that the doctor can evaluate both problems holistically, taking into account the effects on diabetes and mental health.

Therapy

If people with diabetes are suffering from mood swings, anxiety, fatigue, and stress, therapy can improve this condition.

This therapy can be given by a psychologist or psychiatrist. Therapy includes techniques to relax the mind and manage diabetes, through which emotional regulation is maintained. It also reduces stress.

Express your worries. If you experience feelings like stress and anxiety, you can share them with someone close to you. Expressing your feelings in this way not only makes you feel lighter, but they can also give you useful advice.

If possible, you should also share these problems with your family. So that they can also understand the problem and behave accordingly.

Regular blood sugar tests

Since uncontrolled diabetes affects the brain, the level of glucose in the blood should be checked regularly. So that there are no sudden fluctuations in it, which can lead to mental health problems.

Sleep and Physical Activity

Getting seven to eight hours of sleep and staying physically active by participating in physical activities can help improve your mental health, including blood glucose levels. Adequate sleep can help regulate high blood pressure and is also a mood booster.

Lifestyle Changes

A healthy diet, regular exercise, adequate sleep, and Lifestyle choices such as meditation can help improve diabetes and mental health.

Medication Use

If necessary, your doctor can prescribe appropriate medications for diabetes and mental health. Medication use plays an important role in keeping the disease under control.