I have stopped testing at work because of this and i want to hear about others’ experiences and advice.
I’ve found that my job stresses me out and when that happens my #'s rise. Since I never get lows (another subject) I don’t yet have a read on what that feels like, but on this occasion I felt a little shaky and hungry, but my reading was over 14o so i didn’t know whether to eat or not (I had a banana).
I got some of my worst readings at work whether i’d eaten or not, and i think it’s stress, but how do you know whether to eat if numbers can’t be trusted?
Peter, I would listen to my body. If you are feeling shaky, something is going on. Maybe the numbers don’t show it, maybe it’s a high for you. Learn what your body feels like in a high situation as well as a low sugar reading. If you are shaky and hungry, maybe the best thing would be to get out of the work situation, take a walk away from your desk or work area, eat something healthy and just breath and relax. I understand the stress making your numbers go up. When I am stressed just being the mother of teens, my numbers go up. For the weeks before my mother passed away, my numbers were in the 170’s…just due to stress. Pain causes my numbers to go up, also. So I have learned to listen to my body and take what I learn to decifer what’s going on. If I am still not sure, I do check in with my doc or diabetic nurse and run things past them. Don’t forget to include them in on this information…they may have some answers for you…or at least document that this is happening to you.
I hear you, but the way i felt was just as if (pre-diagnosis) i had skipped too many meals. mostly when BG is up i just get irritable.
now i feel i either can’t trust the numbers or that it’s too complex.
i’ll have to complain too about not going low. in one way that’s a blessing but i feel i can’t really gauge how i’m doing unless i can see a full spectrum. i test far more often than advised - that is costly and i want a return on it doggonit!
I know stress makes my bg go up. Sometimes I don’t feel that I’m under stress. I have to watch how intense my exercise is because it will spike my bg. I just got back from a backpacking trip to Utah in the canyons of Cayote Gulch. We must have hiked over 25 miles in 100 degree heat. My bg readings were terrible the entire trip. I barely ate anything because I was so exhausted and I’ve never exercised so hard in all my life but the stress kept my numbers high. I even tried deep breathing and yoga but it didn’t work. A trainer once told me that when your body perceives stress it produces cortisol and adrenaline ( fight or flight hormones) The cortisol then causes the liver to produce more glucose to handle the problem. Since my insulin production is not good my bg then continues to rise.
