At first, it may seem as if it will be impossible to truly manage diabetes. It requires a drastic change in diet and extensive care and maintenance. While diabetes is challenging, there are a number of things you can do to better cope with this condition. Below are a few key tips that are sure to help you deal with your diabetes more easily.
If you suffer from diabetes, consider getting checked for sleep apnea. If sleep apnea is diagnosed and treated quickly, it won’t have a chance to negatively affect your health.
The risk of getting diabetes can be reduced by having a diet that is high in fiber. This is a good way to replace high glycemic foods, such as white bread or processed foods by whole grain foods. There have been quite a few studies that prove the point that those who choose whole grain will have a lesser risk of getting diabetes as opposed to those who do not.
Many online pharmacies offer steep discounts on popular diabetes medications. Many of these pharmacies allow you to have shipments sent automatically each month, so you won’t run out of supplies.
If you have diabetes and are experiencing vision issues, make sure to let your physician know. There are a number of eye conditions that are associated with diabetes, such as cataracts, glaucoma, and particularly diabetic retinopathy. If you do not address these problems with your physician, they might result in more serious conditions, including blindness.
Eating several small meals a day instead of three large ones is a good habit for people with diabetes. Eating more often during the day helps maintain your blood sugar at stable levels. More frequent meals also decreases your chances of overcompensating with binging later on.
This makes your baby more likely to be a diabetic. Do all you can to keep your child from developing this illness by taking proper care of yourself.
If you have diabetes, cinnamon is a great way to spice up your food without adding anything negative to it. Cinnamon also helps draw out the sweetness in different foods without elevating blood glucose levels. Some studies have shown that cinnamon will lower the sugar levels, but regardless it is a good thing to add to your foods.
Smoking is unhealthy for anyone, but diabetics who do it are begging for trouble. When you smoke, you cause many complications to your health. Smoking makes you insulin-resistant, and if you’re not a diabetic, you could be at risk for type 2 diabetes.
Blood Sugar
Keep checking your blood sugar after giving birth. While gestational diabetes usually resolves with delivery of your baby, you want to make sure you don’t continue to have problems with your blood sugar level. It is often assumed to be impossible to continue to have problems with blood sugar regulation after birth, but unfortunately this is not the case.
When you’re measuring blood glucose levels, don’t use urine ketone testing alone. A high level of ketones in the urine only indicate that glucose levels are higher than 200 mg per deciliter. Finger sticks or testing strips are recommended by the ADA and will give you a more accurate result.
It is against the law for an employer to bar applicants based on someone having an illness, such as diabetes. Also, you do not even have to disclose information about your medical conditions.
Include more healthy carbs into your diet. Diets focused on extremely low levels of carbohydrates can harm diabetics as they eliminate sources for needed fiber and nutrients. Give yourself the stamina to keep going by ensuring you have a sufficient amount of carbohydrates in your diet.
Blood Sugar
If you are diabetic and want to reduce the chance of complications, get more exercise. It helps control weight as well as lowering the body’s blood sugar. It makes the body more sensitive to insulin levels. Because increased physical activity affects blood sugar, diabetics should not be sedentary.
Keep any needed supplies readily available in one bag so that you always are within reach of what you might need to respond to extreme glucose levels in both directions. Make sure you keep your meter hooks, insulin, and syringes in one place!
Understand ketoacidosis and how it occurs. Ketoacidosis is the increased acidity in the blood that occurs when blood sugar is abnormally high. In return, this leads to ketones and high blood acid levels. It is extremely dangerous and can cause a coma. Symptoms include confusion, breath that smells like fruit, and extreme thirst. These symptoms can be remedied by taking insulin coupled with increased hydration levels. It is imperative that you keep tabs on your blood glucose levels, take your medication as directed, and know the symptom and treatment option in order to avoid ketoacidosis.
Diabetes requires careful analysis of your body and diet. Use the advice included in the article above to cope with diabetes. End your struggle with diabetes, and begin taking steps to make its treatment an integral part of life.
