You probably know adrenaline as the hormone that helps you handle stress, but it’s also an energy booster. When it surges, your body quickly releases stored glucose (blood sugar) to give you a quick burst of energy.

DiabetesTeam members have noticed that their blood sugar levels tend to go up after they feel scared, stressed, or on edge. Several hormones will cause a rise or even a spike in blood sugar. Adrenaline (also called epinephrine) and cortisol are two of the main stress hormones.

“Frustration, pain, fear, and stress cause an increase in the levels of those hormones, which increases blood sugar,” commented one member.

Members also share how they’ve managed blood sugar spikes related to a stress response: “I breathed deeply and talked myself down and managed to avoid a spike,” said another member.

What Is Adrenaline?

Adrenaline is a hormone that your body uses to prepare for high-stress situations. Your body’s response to an adrenaline release is nicknamed a “fight-or-flight” response because the hormone prepares your body to fight danger or run away. It gets you ready to protect yourself. It’s also called an “adrenaline rush.”

Your adrenal glands, which sit on top of your kidneys, make adrenaline and other hormones your body needs. During an adrenaline rush, your heartbeat increases, your breathing gets faster, and processes like digestion slow down to conserve energy and blood for more urgent matters. You also feel more alert and ready to engage with your surroundings.

Can Adrenaline Raise Blood Sugar?

Yes, adrenaline can raise your blood sugar. When your body thinks you need more energy, like during stress or fear, it gets that energy by raising your blood sugar levels. One way it does this is by telling your liver to release stored sugar into your blood.

Adrenaline can also make it harder for insulin (the hormone that lowers blood sugar) to do its job. This means sugar stays in your blood longer, which can cause a spike in your blood sugar.

Another hormone called glucagon may also help raise your blood sugar, especially if levels keep dropping after the first rush of adrenaline. But even without glucagon, adrenaline alone can raise blood sugar levels by acting directly on your liver and making your muscles take in less sugar. For people with diabetes, this rise in blood sugar can be more noticeable and harder to control.

Situations That Might Cause an Adrenaline Spike

Adrenaline spikes don’t just happen when you’re in danger. Many situations can trigger a fight-or-flight response. You can experience an adrenaline rush from:

• Fear — Adrenaline is meant to help you survive in scary or life-threatening situations. Any time you feel fearful or afraid, an adrenaline rush happens.
• Stress and anxiety — Your body interprets any stressful situation as being dangerous, so it releases adrenaline to give you the energy to get through it.
• Excitement — Seemingly the opposite of fear and stress, excitement can also activate your adrenal glands to release adrenaline.
• Daring activities — Some people seek out skydiving or base jumping because they enjoy the adrenaline rush.
• Intense exercise — Intense workouts like sprinting and powerlifting put your body under stress, causing an adrenaline rush in the process.
• Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) — When your blood sugar is low, your body releases adrenaline (and then glucagon) to make your glucose levels go back up. This is why low blood sugar makes you sweat, have a rapid heart rate, and feel anxious.

Possible Impacts on People Who Manage Their Blood Sugar

If you have diabetes and manage your blood sugar, adrenaline can affect you in the short term and the long term.

Short-Term Symptoms

The initial symptoms of an adrenaline rush are similar to the signs of hypoglycemia:

• Having a fast or pounding heartbeat
• Sweating
• Feeling on edge
• Trembling or shaking
• Having clammy hands

Long-Term Concerns

Beyond causing hyperglycemia (high blood sugar), adrenaline also reduces how well insulin works by making your body less sensitive to it. This condition is called insulin resistance.

If you’re under a lot of stress, the long-term high blood sugar and resulting insulin resistance can make diabetes management more challenging. This can increase your risk of experiencing diabetes complications.

In rare cases, a tumor on the adrenal glands (called a pheochromocytoma) can cause the body to make too much adrenaline. This excess adrenaline can lead to hypertension (high blood pressure) and may also raise blood sugar or increase the risk of diabetes over time.

Managing the Impacts

It’s important to monitor your blood sugar in response to adrenaline triggers like stress or fear and to stay on track with your diabetes management plan.

When you start to feel tense, there are steps you can take to lower stress in the moment and keep adrenaline from pushing your blood sugar too high.

These include:

• Practicing deep breathing
• Spending time in nature
• Listening to calming music

Talk to Your Doctor

If you experience frequent blood sugar spikes because of adrenaline from stress, hypoglycemia, or other causes, talk to your doctor. They can help you stay on track with diabetes management or offer self-care strategies to avoid possible diabetes complications.

Join the Conversation

On DiabetesTeam, people share their experiences with diabetes, get advice, and find support from others who understand.

Have you noticed a spike in blood sugar after an adrenaline rush? Let others know in the comments below.