Living Well With Diabetes: Tips For Daily Management
- Admin
- 18 March, 2024
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We all have someone in our immediate or extended families who suffers from diabetes. It is one of the most common chronic health conditions people worldwide encounter. If you control the condition effectively, diabetes will never turn life-threatening. Having said that, you cannot discount diabetes management. If you suffer from this illness, you should live a life of constant monitoring and impeccable precision.
Living with diabetes involves making every day count. It requires the patient to monitor their diet, exercise routine, and overall health daily. While many diabetes cases continue for life, they can be managed with a little effort and dedication.
Especially for patients who live alone and/or have gotten too old to remember their routine, healthcare professionals offer services like doctor on call and home nursing. Most commonly offered by general physicians, these services offer comprehensive medical care to patients, helping them navigate an issue like diabetes successfully.
While most aspects of diabetes management seem trivial and obvious, it is important to know about them and follow them religiously to lead a healthy life.
Before we get to the tips for daily diabetes management, let us quickly understand what diabetes exactly is.
When we talk about diabetes, we often refer to Type 2 Diabetes. This is a health condition characterized by excess sugar levels in the blood. It results from a lack of insulin in the patient’s body. Insulin is a hormone that breaks down and processes sugar in our bodies. When the levels of insulin fall, glucose levels rise.
Managing diabetes is important to lead a healthy life despite low insulin and high blood sugar levels. Not tackling the issue on time can have serious implications, such as cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, nerve damage, stroke, and even vision impairment. Systematic diabetes management helps you control the symptoms, manage insulin levels in your body, and keep serious health complications at bay.
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If you are struggling with diabetes, you will need to make daily efforts to stay healthy. Managing this disease involves focusing on four major areas – food, exercise, medicine, and illness.
Arguably the most important aspect of managing diabetes is eating well. Watch the food you eat and know what it does to your body. Here are a few important food-related tips for diabetes management:
People suffering from diabetes need to plan balanced meals more meticulously than others. A balanced diet gives your body the nutrients it needs and keeps it healthy. It is advisable to seek a dietician’s help to plan your meals as you navigate diabetes. If you are receiving home nursing services, the nursing staff will help you keep your meals healthy.
Carbohydrate counting is an important routine for diabetes patients. As the name suggests, it involves tracking the amount of carbohydrate-rich foods you consume every day. This determines your body’s need for insulin, especially if you take the insulin before a meal.
Out of all the nutrients you consume, carbs have the biggest influence on your blood sugar levels. Controlling carbohydrate consumption helps you manage the sugar in your blood. Moreover, some carbs are healthier than others. Consult a dietician and/or nutritionist for better advice.
The plate method is simpler than counting carbs. It involves taking a nine-inch plate and filling half of it with non-starchy veggies. The remaining portion is further divided into two halves, filling one section with lean protein and the other with healthy carbs.
If you are on medication, it is important to match your meals with the medicines you take. Just like excess blood sugar is harmful to your body, so is low blood sugar. Eating too little while being on diabetic medication can lead to hypoglycemia. It is important to note that diabetes management is not just about reducing blood sugar levels but controlling them.
It goes without saying that the most fundamental way of diabetes management is limiting eating or drinking sugary foods and drinks. Not only are these items high in sugar but also high in calories.
Controlling your diet alone is never enough to manage diabetes. It is advisable to pair this with a healthy exercise routine. When you exercise, your muscles use more blood sugar by converting it into energy. This helps you control blood sugar levels and use the external insulin better.
Here are some tips that facilitate seamless diabetes management:
If you are serious about controlling your diabetes and leading a healthy life, you need an extensive exercise plan. Ask your family doctor or a trusted healthcare expert about the exercise routine that best suits you. On average, most adults should indulge in around 150 minutes of aerobic activity every week to stay healthy while tackling diabetes.
It is better to perform at least thirty minutes’ worth of aerobic activity every day. Couple this with regular walks and jogs. If you are a senior citizen, your healthcare provider will set a personalized exercise routine that keeps you healthy.
Once you have established an ideal exercise routine, it is important to track your blood sugar levels. Your doctor may ask you to make necessary changes to your routine depending on your numbers.
Exercising on an empty stomach is not the best option, especially if you are taking diabetic medicines. It is better to grab a snack before you start exercising. However, ensure that the snack you have is light and does not interfere with your exercise. Moreover, it is advisable to have 10 to 20 grams of glucose in your pre-workout snack to prevent your blood glucose levels from dipping.
As trivial as this tip may sound, it is always important to drink enough water throughout the day, especially if you exercise daily. Dehydration can make your blood sugar levels go haywire.
If you are suffering from diabetes, it is always better to be prepared for emergencies like a dip in blood sugar levels. Always keep some snacks or glucose tablets handy while you exercise.
Medicine is likely to be your daily companion for effective diabetes management. Most diabetic medicines are prescribed to reduce the patient’s blood sugar levels. Here are some tips regarding medication that should help you manage diabetes:
If your doctor has asked you to take external insulin, ensure that you store it well. Keep an eye on the expiry date and store it in a place away from extreme cold or heat. Never make the mistake of keeping insulin in direct sunlight or freezer.
If any of your medicines are not showing its effects or leading to extremely low blood sugar levels, you should inform your doctor immediately. Under such circumstances, doctors often change the dosage and/or timings.
If you have just started taking medicines for your diabetes or switched to new ones, you should be extra careful with the same. Ask your doctor how exactly a medicine will alter your blood sugar levels and keep yourself informed regarding such matters.
Finally, it is important to be prepared to deal with the illness whenever things get worse. Keep these tips in mind to tackle the health complications hassle-free:
Stress-related hormones can raise your blood sugar levels. If you are struggling with diabetes, it is important to manage your stress levels. Do not put yourself in stress-inducing situations, practice mindfulness, have enough sleep, and meditate often.
One of the keys to remaining healthy in the wake of a health complication like diabetes is to take your medicines on time. Your diabetes medicines may last a lifetime. Keep taking them on time and inform your doctor if you experience any side effects.
Alcohol consumption can be risky for people suffering from diabetes. Shortly after you drink alcohol, your blood sugar levels drop. If you are already on medication, this is never a good sign. Ask your doctor if alcohol consumption is safe for you and the limit you should stick to.
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If you wish to manage diabetes and have access to the best general physicians in town, DocVille provides you with comprehensive health care at home. Depending on your medical condition, we help you consult qualified general physicians from the comfort of your home. If you need prolonged medical care, you can obtain home nursing services that ensure that your blood sugar levels are always under control. With DocVille, you can have yourself treated by some of the best healthcare professionals in Mumbai and Thane without heading out of your house.
