Gestational Diabetes - How Mindfulness Regulates Blood Glucose Levels
Receiving a diagnosis of Gestational Diabetes can be stressful. If your GTT is coming up or you’ve already been diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes then this information will be really important for your health and your baby’s.
Current medical advice is to manage GD with diet and exercise, yet for some reason stress reduction is rarely mentioned or it’s at the very end of the list of ways to help but is there any pregnant person NOT experiencing high levels of stress at the moment?
When we’re stressed the body releases more glucose into the bloodstream to give you a boost of energy to escape or flee from a potential threat.
Anything that is stressing you out is perceived as a threat by the brain so it gives you that glucose boost to escape what IT thinks is a scary bear - but it’s actually a late mortgage payment…
So as your brain mistakenly dumps glucose into your bloodstream it raises your blood sugar levels. What else does stress do? As many can attest to at the moment it sends us running to the fridge so we’re more likely to overeat…so then we put on a few lbs which then increases the chance of developing GD. If you’re currently on lockdown or due to physical limitations can’t exercise then we need another approach.
Some Good News
A recent study published in the Journal of Diabetes & Metabolic Disorders suggests that the practice of Mindfulness not only significantly decreases blood glucose levels but the participants in the study reported feeling happier too. As there is a strong link between Gestational Diabetes & Postpartum Depression being proactive about your physical health in pregnancy may impact your mental health too.
A 2018 study and others also show significant positive effects of Mindfulness and Gestational Diabetes
A new 2020 study showed significant improvements in blood glucose levels and happiness.
What I find fascinating about this growing body of research is how simple mindfulness practices reduce blood glucose levels significantly.
Glucose Tolerance
The women in the mindfulness group had levels of 100 mg/dL, whereas the usual care group had significantly higher mean levels of 111 mg/dL (p < 0.03). When examined categorically, approximately 8% of women practicing mindfulness and 21% of women in the normal care group had a glucose level above 130 mg/dL. After adjustment for age, pre-pregnancy BMI, and parity, the intervention was associated with significantly lower odds of exhibiting impaired glucose tolerance (OR 0.34, 95% CI 0.12, 0.97).
If you’re new to mindfulness you may have some preconceived ideas about what being mindful entails - it has nothing to do with ‘Omming’ for hours in a candlelit room. It’s just an approach of noticing that you’ll use throughout your day so you don’t have to commit any additional time or energy to these practices.
There’s 3 areas of focus and all things that you can do today and don’t cost a thing. You’ll simply be focusing, noticing and being aware as you go about your daily activities. I’ve written several blogs on these topics linked below and of course mindful movement and mindful breathing will be very helpful during labor.
Start with a mindful cup of tea, take a mindful shower or brush your teeth mindfully tonight.
So if your GTT is coming up - start these practices today and do whatever you can do reduce stress on the day of the test. You’ve got nothing to lose and a LOT to gain for you and your baby.
I’d love to hear from you - have any of your careproviders provided you with information on mindfulness as a way to optimise healthy blood glucose levels in pregnancy?
Additional Resources
For more on a mindful approach to pregnancy my new book - Mindful Pregnancy is a great resource and you can find guided Mindfulness exercises in the GentleBirth App.
Excerpt from Mindful Pregnancy
Recent Diabetes & Mindfulness Research
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30735772
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0266613816302182
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S096522991730208X
Recent Mindful Eating Research
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10865-015-9692-8
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/nutrition-research-reviews/article/structured-literature-review-on-the-role-of-mindfulness-mindful-eating-and-intuitive-eating-in-changing-eating-behaviours-effectiveness-and-associated-potential-mechanisms/351A3D01E43F49CC9794756BC950EFFC
https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2016-52932-001