Diabetes Patients Benefit From Practicing Mindfulness

For many people with diabetes, experiencing stress comes with the territory. That’s understandable – managing this chronic condition is hard work. The constant monitoring of blood sugar levels, diet, and sleep, as well as maintaining a strict medication regimen can be overwhelming. If not addressed, stress can worsen diabetes symptoms in a mind-body connection that becomes a harmful cycle. There's good news – diabetes patients can benefit from practicing mindfulness. Mindfulness helps create a positive mind-body connection to weather times of stress while managing your diabetes. Research underscores the benefits of practicing mindfulness for both physical health and mental well-being. Tried and true activities can become part of your everyday routine and not another daunting “to do” on your list.

Impacts of Mindfulness on Diabetes

Research has shown that practicing mindfulness can improve symptoms of diabetes by reducing the emotional burden and stress of managing the disease. Mindfulness can improve glycemic control, enhance self-care and promote a more positive outlook. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD, in 1979, and offered through a course at The Center for Mindfulness at UMass Memorial Health, has been scientifically shown as an effective complement to a wide variety of medical and psychological conditions. For example, one study found that participants who took an eight-week MBSR program showed better blood glucose levels and A1C compared to a control group. Practicing mindfulness can improve symptoms of diabetes by reducing the emotional burden and stress of management, improving glycemic control, enhancing self-care, and promoting a more positive outlook. Some other recent studies reveal that:

• Mindfulness interventions can improve self-care behaviors in patients with diabetes, including adherence to medication, healthy eating and regular physical activity, which contribute to better management and outcomes.
• Mindfulness practice can reduce diabetes distress – the emotional burden and stress related to managing diabetes – and improve quality of life for patients with diabetes.
• Through mindfulness, participants can experience better emotional regulation, which contributes to a more positive outlook and better diabetes management.

The Everyday Practice of Mindfulness

In mindfulness practice, you focus on experiencing each moment as it unfolds. By paying attention to the present moment, acknowledging whatever arises with an accepting attitude, and tuning in to your physical sensations, thoughts, and emotions, you can respond to stressors with greater balance and ease. Try incorporating mindfulness practice into your diabetes management by making small adjustments to your daily routine. Here are a few ideas: Mindful breathing – To bring calm and reduce stress by breathing with awareness

• Potential benefit: Improved glucose levels and A1C
• Find a quiet place, sit comfortably, and soften your gaze or close your eyes to begin noticing your breath. Discover its natural rhythm, the sound it makes, and how air moves in and out of your body.

Mindful movement – To focus on your breathing rhythm and body movements

• Potential benefit: Exercise and mood improvement
• Try a walking meditation to combine physical movement with awareness of your surroundings.

Mindful eating – To listen to your body’s hunger and fullness cues

• Potential benefit: Self-care through healthy eating
• Slow down and enjoy your meals without rushing or overeating in times of stress. Savor each bite, paying attention to the taste, texture and aroma.

Mindful body scan – To end your day relaxed and in tune with your body’s signals

• Potential benefit: Quality of life through improved sleep
• Lie down in a comfortable position and mentally scan your body from head to toe, paying attention to any areas of tension or discomfort.

The Center for Mindfulness Offers Stress Reduction Programs

The live, online courses offered by The Center for Mindfulness (CFM) can reinforce your own mindfulness practices to reduce stress as you manage your diabetes. As an MBSR teacher, I help participants develop the skills to integrate mindfulness into their daily life. In addition, the convenient morning or evening MBSR courses involve group discussions and sharing of experiences. We learn from each other’s insights and challenges, creating community and support. Participants join the course from throughout the world, bringing a diversity to our time together that proves very empathetic. I call it the universality of stress – everyone experiences it, you are not alone. At the conclusion of the course, the group comes away with the foundation to continue their mindfulness practice on their own and the tools to make the best choices for their health and well-being, without self-judgment. If you don’t have time to commit to an MBSR course, try the CFM’s free, online global meditation sessions, offered in English and Spanish, or one of our four-week courses. Read other posts about mindfulness and diabetes. Guest Blogger: Ginny Wholley, Certified MBSR Teacher