Keeping up with the latest news, tips and tactics dealing with diabetes is a great way to stay out in front of the disease and to ensure that you’re doing whatever is necessary to fight against the affliction. Read the tips in the article below if you need to know what you can do to improve your life if you have diabetes.
If you’re going to go a non-traditional route for your diabetes treatment, continue to be under the supervision of a doctor. Make sure to visit him at least every 3 months, so he can check your blood sugar levels, blood pressure and cholesterol. He should also test your organ functions, at the intervals he sets for you.
Enroll in a diabetes class or schedule meetings with a diabetes educator. Your physician is a good source of health information, too, but an educator is specifically trained to bring medical jargon down to your level. An educator or class can take a lot of the mystery out of your diabetes treatment plan, which is important in order for you to be active in your health care.
If you lack comprehensive health insurance and are diagnosed with Diabetes, don’t fear. Many drug companies and supply manufacturers have programs that can give you either free supplies or a vast discount. You may need to have your doctor apply on your behalf, attesting to the fact that you are financially strapped.
One of the most important tips for anyone with diabetes to remember is to eat healthy foods. Eating healthy foods that are low in fat and sugar keeps your blood sugar levels in check. In addition to this, it also keeps your body healthy, in shape, and at a normal weight.
If you have diabetes, you must be careful about what you eat. Foods change blood sugar levels differently in different people, so it’s up to you to keep track of how foods affect you. Eating a large meal may require a higher dose of insulin than smaller meals, if you have to use insulin. Monitoring your meals will allow you to more actively control your blood glucose levels.
Have a bedtime snack. While you sleep, your blood sugar levels can drop seriously low. To avoid morning hypoglycemia, have a small snack to keep your blood sugar levels high. The perfect snack before bed? A peanut butter sandwich or a banana. Anything with fiber is a great idea for snacks at this time.
If you are a diabetic and find that your foods are too bland, you may want to add some cinnamon. It does not contain any sugar, calories, or sodium, so it is healthy for diabetes. Also, some studies suggest that it may even help to lower blood sugar in some people.
Even if you don’t feel well and don’t want to eat, you need to eat low-GI foods every few hours, as well as check your blood glucose levels. Low glucose for long periods can make you feel dehydrated, so clear fluids are very important during that time.
Smoking is dangerous to your health, but it is especially harmful to a person with diabetes. Continuing to smoke if you have diabetes will increase your risk for many different health problems. Smoking tends to cause resistance to insulin and increases your chances of becoming a diabetic, particular with type two.
If you’re a diabetic, it is important to keep your insulin in an insulated bag if you are going away for a while. Insulated bags protect insulin from spoiling due to temperature extremes.
If your doctor approaches you about starting to take insulin, do not respond negatively without first listening to the reasoning of a medical professional. While you may know someone who developed complications from taking insulin, understand that the complications from allowing diabetes to go unchecked can be significantly more damaging, even life-threatening.
Individuals who have been diagnosed with IGT, or impaired glucose tolerance, should be especially vigilant in monitoring their lifestyle changes, including dietary, exercise, and activities. Losing weight and increasing your exercise routine can significantly lower your chances of progressing from impaired glucose tolerance to full-blown diabetes, therefore prolonging and enhancing your life.
When you’re diabetic it can be very useful to carry around some emergency food. Whether it’s just a bar of granola or a candy bar, this can be life saving as it keeps up your blood sugar and reduces the risk of having a glucose deficit. When you have a glucose deficit it’s very possible to lose track of time and get confused.
A great tip for both diabetes control and prevention is weight loss. In one widely published study scientists were able to show that for every kilogram lost, equivalent to roughly two pounds, patients were roughly sixteen percent less likely to have diabetes. For such a small amount of weight loss, it cannot be taken lightly.
You should speak with your doctor before you decide to go on a diet if you have been diagnosed with diabetes. There are certain diets that are not good for diabetics. They can have serious side effects and long-lasting consequences. A doctor will be able to recommend a diet that is safe.
Develop a health care team to help you manage your diabetes. This should include your primary care doctor, a hormone specialist to help with your insulin, a registered dietician to help you with your new diet, an eye doctor to keep a close eye on your vision, a foot doctor to pay close attention to your feet and a good dentist. This team should work together to keep you healthy.
Diabetics need to have a thorough eye exam every year to quickly diagnose any disorders. The condition of your eyesight might worsen at first, but it will improve over time. Keeping blood sugar at healthy levels can prevent diabetic retinopathy from getting worse.
Staying out in front of this disease and avoiding the potential complications is what it’s all about. Diabetes takes a lot of management, and thus it’s easy to allow your treatments to lapse. Use the tips you’ve learned in this article to increase your overall awareness and to ramp up the fight against the disease.