It’s OK to Feel Tired: Understanding Diabetes Burnout in the Middle East

At Roche, we see that living with diabetes in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait is not only about managing glucose. It is about managing life. Behind every number on a glucometer is a person balancing health, work, family, and emotion, often without the space to pause and breathe.

The Weight You Do Not See

Burnout in diabetes is more than stress. It is an emotional and physical depletion that occurs when constant self-management becomes overwhelming. According to Diabetes UK, diabetes burnout often brings feelings of guilt, frustration, and disconnection from care routines1. People begin to tire of the endless tracking, vigilance, and fear of doing something wrong.

In a region where resilience is celebrated and self-reliance is part of daily life, acknowledging that exhaustion can feel uncomfortable. Yet understanding burnout is not weakness; it is the first step toward balance.

The Roche 2025 Diabetes and Emotional Well-Being Surveys reveal this hidden weight. Two in three people living with diabetes in Saudi Arabia say the condition significantly affects their emotional well-being2. In Kuwait, seven in ten share the same feeling3. Nearly 58 percent in KSA and three in five in Kuwait reported a constant mental burden linked to glucose management. More than half said they often feel socially isolated or anxious about their future4.

These numbers represent more than medical data. They speak of people trying to keep up with life while quietly carrying emotional strain, people who rarely admit how heavy that can feel.

Why the Mind Matters in Diabetes Care

Science confirms what many feel. When stress builds, the human body releases cortisol and adrenaline, hormones that raise blood-sugar levels5. The Cleveland Clinic explains that this creates a loop in which stress elevates glucose, and high glucose increases stress again6.

There is another side to this story that often goes unseen: diabetes distress. The American Diabetes Association describes it as the emotional strain caused by the daily demands of living with diabetes; checking blood sugar, counting carbohydrates, adjusting doses, and constantly thinking ahead7. It is not a sign of weakness but a natural human response to constant vigilance.

That is why emotional well-being is not separate from diabetes care; it is part of it. The American Psychological Association notes that long-term emotional stress can change how people follow medication, diet, and exercise routines8. When burnout or distress sets in, even small tasks such as checking glucose before dinner can feel impossible.

Across our region, emotional health still remains unspoken. Families talk about sugar levels but not about the loneliness or fatigue that accompany them. This silence can make people believe their exhaustion is a personal failure instead of a natural response to continuous effort.

The Human Side of Numbers

In Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, survey participants described a quiet kind of pressure that sits between every test result and meal plan. Many shared feelings of social withdrawal or guilt when readings fluctuated. A teacher in Jeddah said she avoids social dinners because she “does not want to explain” her glucose checks, while a father in Kuwait spoke of “the guilt that comes when the numbers do not behave”2,3.

These reflections echo global findings. According to the International Diabetes Federation’s IDF Atlas 2025 and research published in Diabetes Care on “Diabetes Distress Among Adults With Type 2 Diabetes,” more than 589 million adults worldwide live with diabetes, and up to half experience diabetes-related emotional distress9,10. Distress rarely looks dramatic. Sometimes it looks like staying silent when asked how you are doing.

Breaking the Silence

Culture shapes how emotions are shared. In many Middle Eastern homes, strength is expressed through endurance. People are taught to keep moving forward even when they feel depleted. Real change begins when we recognise that mental health is part of physical health.

During Ramadan, when routines shift and discipline intensifies, more people are speaking openly about emotional well-being. Community programmes and health educators are encouraging conversations about managing diabetes during fasting, turning private struggles into shared experiences.

Support does not always require therapy or medication. Sometimes it starts with empathy. Asking a friend or relative, “How are you feeling about managing it lately?” can make a world of difference. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirms that social support can improve both emotional stability and glucose control11.

Relearning Self-Compassion

Managing diabetes is not about perfection. It is about consistency, care, and compassion. Experts at Diabetes UK recommend viewing glucose readings as information, not judgment1. That small shift helps people see patterns rather than failures.

We encourage everyone living with diabetes to take gentle steps toward emotional care:

• Build predictability. Regular meals and testing times can ease anxiety.

• Pause with purpose. Short breaks or mindful breathing calm stress hormones.

• Move for your mind. Gentle activity releases endorphins that lift mood.

• Connect with others. Sharing challenges helps normalise them.

Celebrate progress. Each stable week, each new habit, each improved reading matters.

Where Empathy Meets Innovation

At Roche, we believe true care goes beyond numbers. Our Jasady initiative was created to bring emotional and physical well-being into the same conversation. When people feel supported, their health outcomes improve.

Technology helps through continuous glucose monitoring, digital tracking, and connected devices, but empathy is what turns data into understanding. Together, they build a bridge between science and humanity.

When we speak honestly about burnout and emotional fatigue, healing begins not only physically but mentally and socially. The courage to talk about what has been unspoken makes healthcare more human.

The Quiet Strength of Every Day

For millions across Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and beyond, living with diabetes is an act of quiet resilience. It is waking up each morning to test, plan, and keep going, even when it feels heavy. That is strength.

Acknowledging emotional fatigue does not reduce that strength; it honours it. It reminds us that it is OK to be tired, it is OK to ask for help, and it is OK not to be OK all the time. Caring for yourself, in every sense, is part of what it means to live fully with diabetes.