The fifth and often most overlooked hormonal shift involves insulin, the hormone that regulates your blood sugar levels. Narcissistic abuse creates chronic insulin resistance that can persist for years after the situation with the narcissist ends. When you are in a constant state of fight or flight from narcissistic abuse, your body continuously releases glucose into your bloodstream to provide quick energy for survival. This triggers repeated insulin spikes as your body tries to manage the excess blood sugar.
Over time, your cells become resistant to insulin’s effects, requiring higher and higher levels to achieve the same glucose control. This insulin resistance creates a cascade of metabolic problems. You may experience intense sugar and carbohydrate cravings as your body desperately tries to get glucose into resistant cells. Weight gain becomes almost inevitable, particularly around the midsection. You may feel tired after meals, experience brain fog, and have difficulty losing weight no matter how much you diet or exercise. The connection between insulin resistance and other hormonal disruptions creates a perfect storm. Insulin resistance worsens cortisol dysregulation, which further impairs thyroid dysfunction, affecting reproductive hormones and creating a complex web of hormonal chaos. Many survivors develop pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes years after their abusive relationship ends, not understanding that the metabolic damage began during the period of narcissistic abuse.
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