Proper medical care and living a healthy lifestyle are part of managing your diabetes. Diabetes management is not limited to monitoring blood sugar levels.
A person should eat a well-balanced diet. A dietician may recommend a diabetic diet to help with diabetes management. The diabetic diet may be a traditional diabetic diet or counting carbohydrates for diabetes.
Exercising helps the body use glucose in the blood. People with diabetes who is overweight could have an easier time managing diabetes if they lose extra weight. Exercising three or four days a week for half an hour at a time is often recommended. Regular exercise can also reduce the risk of heart disease which is a common problem for people with diabetes.
A regular routine of sleep can help make diabetes easier to manage. It is important that people with diabetes get enough sleep. Sleep problems should be reported to the doctor.
Diabetes management includes stress management since stress can negatively impact blood glucose levels. The physician or a therapist can teach the person with diabetes how to manage stress with techniques like progressive relaxation.
Alcohol should be avoided, especially if the person has complications of diabetes or high levels of triglycerides. Diabetes complications that are caused by nerve damage can be made worse by alcohol consumption.
Drinking alcohol may cause low blood sugar because alcohol interferes with the liver's production of glucose. People with diabetes may be at serious risk of low blood sugar if they consume alcohol.
People with diabetes need to get prompt medical attention for sores on the feet. Sores on the feet are susceptible to infection. For people with diabetes, infected sores on the feet can lead to gangrene and the need to amputation.
Blood glucose levels need to be checked as often as the doctor advises. The diabetic person needs to report difficulty controlling blood glucose levels to their physicians. Uncontrolled blood glucose levels increase the person's risk of diabetes complications.
In addition to having regular check-ups with their physician, people with diabetes should have annual eye exams and regular dental exams. If diabetic patients notice numbness in the hands or feet or other possible signs of diabetes complications, they should notify their physicians.
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