When you are stressed, your body activates the fight-or-flight response — an evolutionary survival emchnism. Your adrenal glands release cortisol (a stress hormone) and adrenaline to help react quickly to perceived danger.

As part of this process, your liver releases stored glucose into the bloodstream to give your muscles quick energy — even if you haven't eaten recently.

This stress-induced blood sugar spike made sense when escaping predators. But in modern life, constant stress keeps cortisol elevated, leading to frequent sugar surges — and over time,  this can contribute to insulin resistance, weight gain, and energy crashes.