Diabetes Can Cause Depression, Anxiety, and Sleep Disturbance

Diabetes, a chronic metabolic condition can often lead to anxiety and depression symptoms in a number of individuals. The quality of sleep and stress levels also bear significant impact as a result of the condition.

Several lifestyle-related risk factors including obesity and inactivity increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. Age, genetics, and family history can also be among the leading causes. While it’s crucial to monitor lifestyle, it is equally important to be aware about mental health issues resulting from such conditions. Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition that hampers the body’s ability to absorb insulin from the pancreas resulting in hyperglycemia.
Hyperglycemia is marked by elevated levels of glucose in the blood. 

Sage Journal of Health Psychology published a systematic review to understand the relationship between sleep and quality of life in type 2 diabetes. An important finding that emerged as a part of study elaborated upon the amalgamation of poor sleep quality and psychological factors including anxiety and depression in worsening the quality of life (QoL). Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition that hampers the body’s ability to absorb insulin from the pancreas resulting in hyperglycemia. Hyperglycemia is marked by elevated levels of glucose in the blood. 

Sleep disorders like obstructive sleep apnoea are also associated with overweight, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. The physical and psychological challenges that accompany type 2 diabetes negatively impact the quality of life. Lifestyle changes that are associated with prevention of complications in diabetes have the potential to predispose the person to psychological distress.  An association between health anxiety and trait anxiety, fear of diabetes complications and lower physical quality of life has been reported. Sleep disturbances share a direct correlation with poor physical and mental health which are important determinants of quality of life. Eight of the studies r

Reported that patients with sleep disorders scored notably low among multiple dimensions of QoL. Based on nine studies, anxiety symptoms and poor sleep quality mutually reduced QoL. A negative association was also reported between QoL and the severity of depression and anxiety.

Statistically significant differences were found in comorbidities and depressive symptoms linked with good and poor sleepers. A high number of comorbidities, diabetic complications, and depressive symptoms were associated with poor sleep quality. Physiological complications like arterial hypertension and asthma were remarkably higher with an increasing risk of obstructive sleep apnoea which in turn was linked with a higher prevalence of depression.

 Depression and anxiety are common in type 2 diabetes patients. Recent research findings highlight the prevalence of depression and anxiety with type 2 diabetes between 48.27% – 57.9% and 43.5% – 56.1% respectively. 

Physiological conditions like diabetes and thyroid don’t exist in isolation and can be associated with psychological issues including depression and anxiety.  Studies have found untreated diagnosed hypothyroidism to be positively associated with Beck Depression Inventory II scores. Untreated diagnosed hyperthyroidism shared a correlation with major depressive disorder.         

Several lifestyle-related risk factors including obesity and inactivity increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. Age, genetics, and family history can also be among leading causes. While it’s crucial to monitor lifestyle, it is equally important to be aware about mental health issues resulting from such conditions. Sometimes, the cause of psychological distress is attributable to hormonal fluctuations. While ruling out all the possible factors that can cause depression or anxiety, it is essential to assess blood reports including insulin levels and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH).