http://blogs.fasterskier.com/krisfreeman/2009/12/02/nerves-of-sugar/
As a diabetic I have to balance the “fight or flight response” on my own. I get nervous before a race and release sugar just like everyone else. Unfortunately my regulatory system is broken and I have to give myself the appropriate amount of insulin. This is where things get tricky. How nervous I am affects how much sugar I release into my body: more Nerves equals more glucose . The difficult part is there is no real way to monitor how nervous I am.
-Kris Freeman, 12/2/2009
This post by Olympian Kris Freeman really gets me thinking. How to monitor your nerves to find out how much the natural release of sugar into your body? It’s not just elite athletes like Kris that have this happening, this happens to me all the time on the bike, on boats, or even heading into a big meeting. Your body has a physical response to a mental stimulus.
I personally have found some correlation in the length of time I spend “nervous” – basically preparing and how long/how high the BG can go. In sailing, there is a half hour-to-fifteen minute period to the start where I will spike. When cycling or running, it really depends how long I am waiting around to start. The more time spent standing around, the higher I will go (the more time I have spent thinking rather than doing).
It would be interesting to see if any breathing or relaxation exercises have any effect.
