Diabetes is a chronic health condition that affects how your body turns food into energy. The body breaks down food into sugar and then releases it into your bloodstream. When your blood sugar goes up, it signals your pancreas to release insulin. Insulin acts like a key to let the blood sugar into your body’s cells for use as energy.
With diabetes, your body doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use it as well as it should. When there isn’t enough insulin or cells stop responding to insulin, sugar stays in your bloodstream. Over time, this excess sugar adversely impacts your heart, vision, and kidneys.
Many people reported having overwhelming stress due to diabetes. Those anxieties, known as diabetes distress, may cause individuals to slip into unhealthy habits, stop checking your blood sugar, even skip doctor’s appointments. In any 18-month period, 33% to 50% of people with diabetes have diabetes distress.