Diabetes burnout - how mindfulness can support your mental wellbeing

What is diabetes burnout?

Diabetes burnout, also known as diabetes distress, is when the constant demands of living with diabetes begin to take a toll on your health - not just physically, but mentally too.

Dr Chris Mosunic, Chief Clinical Officer at Calm, explains that living with diabetes can affect your sleep, mood, and overall emotional wellbeing due to the constant planning and decision-making.

“The frequent tasks such as checking glucose, dosing, meal planning, and activity monitoring make diabetes feel loud in daily life,” he says. “Decision fatigue can really impact someone’s mental health if not addressed.”

Mosunic adds that people with diabetes are 20% more likely to develop anxiety. More broadly, those living with long-term physical health conditions experience depression and anxiety at around twice the rate of the general population.

Dr Chris Mosunic, Chief Clinical Officer, Calm

Can mindfulness practices help with diabetes burnout?

Mindfulness practices can be effective tools for supporting mental wellbeing. While they won’t remove the daily tasks that come with living with diabetes, Mosunic says they can help ease some of the mental and emotional impact of diabetes burnout.

Some examples of mindfulness practices include:

• Breathwork - simple breathing exercises to calm your nervous system during blood sugar spikes or dips.

• Grounding exercises - focusing on physical surroundings to interrupt moments of feeling overwhelmed.

• Body scans - taking a 30-second pause to tune in to physical sensations without judgement.

• Focusing on the present moment - practising gentleness with yourself on hard days instead of aiming for management ‘perfection’.

“Mindfulness practices have been shown to reduce anxiety symptoms, improve sleep, and increase peace of mind, according to NHS and other clinical trials,” says Mosunic.

“Mindfulness-based interventions are one way people can approach their whole health, learning how to cope with stress, sleep disturbance, and mood changes in their day-to-day lives.”

How can mindfulness support diabetes management?

Mindfulness practices can offer a range of benefits when it comes to managing anxiety and the effects of diabetes burnout. And while the focus may be on mental wellbeing, there could also be positive knock-on effects for your physical health.

Mosunic emphasises that mindfulness and meditation can support both mind and body, potentially helping people living with diabetes navigate the everyday burden of self-care.

“Meditation may help people fall asleep faster and sleep better, reduce stress and overwhelm, and feel more focused and grounded for whatever each day brings,” he explains.

“There is emerging evidence that reducing stress and improving sleep may support diabetes outcomes indirectly by having people stay engaged in self-care, potentially impacting glucose variability.”

Supporting better sleep with diabetes

Getting enough quality sleep is one of the best things you can do for your health. Without enough sleep, you may be more susceptible to a range of negative health effects. These include cognitive decline, a weakened immune system, weight gain, muscle pain, and reduced insulin production.

Mosunic highlights that poor sleep can lead to hormonal changes, increased appetite, and reduced energy - all of which make blood glucose harder to manage.

“People with diabetes often worry about nighttime highs or lows, so this stress and glucose anxiety can make it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep,” he says. “That lack of sleep can then create more stress or difficulty with decision-making the next day. It’s a cycle that is especially challenging because diabetes management never stops.”

Mosunic notes that Calm’s Mind in Range collection offers a few different tools to help with sleep - including sleep stories, meditations, and breathing exercises, which may help promote better sleep.

How to build mindfulness into your daily routine

If you think you may be experiencing diabetes burnout, incorporating mindfulness practices into your day could be a helpful place to start. Mosunic recommends keeping things simple and choosing techniques that fit naturally into your regular routine.

“For those starting out, I’d suggest 3 to 5 minutes once or twice a day,” he says. “A breathing exercise before a meal or glucose check, then a meditation or Sleep Story at night.

“The great thing about mindfulness practices is that they are flexible. You can access what you need, when you need it.”

Mosunic explains that some people may experience an immediate sense of calm or reduced tension after just one breathing exercise. However, longer-term benefits - such as improved sleep and mood - are more likely to develop gradually with consistent practice.