What are the Best Steps to Control Your Diabetes?

Diabetes is one of the most common lifestyle diseases today. With its incidence rising, experts believe diabetes can lead to a host of life-threatening illnesses.

 

People with diabetes are at higher risk of heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure.

This condition can also cause permanent vision loss because diabetes damages the blood vessels in the eye.

 

Many people with diabetes develop foot problems due to nerve damage and poor blood flow.

 

Diabetes is a chronic disease caused by the pancreas not producing enough insulin or the body not being able to use insulin effectively. Blood sugar levels are regulated by the hormone insulin.

 

Given the high burden of diabetes-related disease, it is important to understand how to manage diabetes.

 

Only regular and correct self-monitoring of blood sugar levels will allow you to understand the progression of the disease and your doctor to draw conclusions about the effectiveness of treatment. In this MedAboutMe article, we tell you how to monitor your blood sugar levels on your own.

 

Here are the best steps to control your diabetes.

 

Healthy Eating

A balanced diet that contains all essential nutrients will help manage existing health conditions. Include a variety of vegetables and fruits in your daily diet. Managing diabetes also requires paying attention to portion sizes and controlling carbohydrate intake.

Eating healthy also means eliminating unhealthy foods. Experts also recommend eliminating sugary foods and drinks.

 

Physical activity

Regular exercise is vital to managing diabetes. Monitoring and maintaining appropriate weight is an important part of management.

 

Periodic inspection

Regularly monitoring blood sugar levels is another key step in managing diabetes. Check your blood sugar regularly.

 

Quit smoking

Smoking is declared a killer; it even says so on the packaging. Smoking not only causes cancer or respiratory disease but also insulin resistance. This may worsen existing conditions of type 2 diabetes.

 

Manage stress

Stress is another cause of changes in a person's blood sugar levels. To cope with stress, you can engage in various practices, such as exercising and getting enough sleep. Control stress to control diabetes.

 

Limit alcohol intake.

Limiting alcohol intake is another step in managing diabetes. Alcohol can affect your blood sugar levels for up to 24 hours after your last drink.

 

Therefore, it is recommended to limit the amount of alcohol you drink.

 

Medications

Prescription medications are necessary to relieve the diabetic condition. Prompt treatment and monitoring of blood sugar levels can go a long way.

 

How often should you monitor your blood sugar?

 

According to current clinical guidelines, people with type 1 diabetes should check their blood sugar levels at least four times a day—before each meal and at bedtime. In this disease, the pancreas does not produce insulin, and without insulin, blood sugar keeps rising. Therefore, you need to know its levels before breakfast, lunch, and dinner to determine what foods you can eat, how much you can eat, and what dose of insulin you can take.

 

There are no clear recommendations for people with type 2 diabetes. Most endocrinologists agree that you need to monitor your blood sugar levels at least a few times a week, and better yet, every morning on an empty stomach. People with this disease usually do not receive insulin injections; their pancreas produces the hormone on its own. But you also need to monitor blood sugar levels to prevent them from rising significantly and adjust your diet or take anti-diabetic drugs in a timely manner.

 

The problems associated with diabetes are difficult to imagine, making the disease seem less "real." However, it is very real that the problem of high blood sugar is not limited to the blood itself. Diabetes is not a disease that you leave in the doctor's office; take it with you wherever you go.

 

But you can fight it and keep improving your health. Every day we do thousands of things we don't even think about, from drinking our morning coffee to turning on our computer. Some of these activities, if done right, can help you feel good throughout the day. Some tips in this article will help you better monitor your blood sugar levels. Simple ideas that you can implement ina few minutes are sure to shake up your daily routine. Practicing some of these techniques regularly will help you feel better over time.

 

For diabetes, doctors can also prescribe diabetic care products online, as well as other tests and examinations that allow you to monitor not only blood sugar levels but other parameters as well. This will allow you to promptly notice possible irregularities and avoid dangerous complications.