Effects of stress on blood sugar dynamics

Abstract

Diabetes is a highly prevalent chronic disease both worldwide and in Singapore. There is also a growing population that is diagnosed to be pre-diabetic. Additionally, stress levels are also rising rapidly. This increases the need for a better understanding of the effect in which stress has on our blood glucose level (BGL). A biomarker for stress is heart rate variability (HRV) which is used in the creation of the stress measurement system (SM system). The SM system is able to measure and quantify stress. Data such as BGL, electrocardiogram (ECG), food intake, and heart rate (HR) were collected and processed from the author of this thesis. It was discovered that carbohydrates have the greatest impact on BGL and this impact can be reduced with high protein intake. Stress was found to cause a secondary rise in BGL. In addition, physical exercise was able to cause a significantly faster increase in BGL. Another finding is that HR data collected at 100 Hz is sufficient to replace the HR data collected at 514 Hz using mobile ECG device. All in all, these findings will come in handy in the prediction and management of BGL, especially for the diabetics.