/Best Practices for Managing Diabetes
Top Factors to Managing Diabetes

Best Practices for Managing Diabetes

Managing Diabetes: How Lifestyle and Daily Habits Impact Blood Sugar Levels

Successful diabetes management requires constant vigilance. Understanding what causes your blood sugar levels to fluctuate and learning how to manage these daily variables are crucial steps in maintaining control.

Managing diabetes requires maintaining your blood sugar levels within the range your healthcare provider recommends. However, various factors can cause your blood sugar to fluctuate, sometimes rapidly. Discover what can influence these changes and learn strategies to manage them effectively.

Healthy Eating with Diabetes

Eating well is crucial for everyone, but it’s especially important if you have diabetes. Understanding how different foods impact your blood sugar levels is key. It’s not just about what you eat, but also how much and the combinations of foods in your meals and snacks.

Diet with Diabetes

What You Can Do:

  • Plan Balanced Meals: Knowing what and how much to eat is vital. Two popular methods are carbohydrate counting and the plate method. Consult your healthcare provider or a dietitian to see which approach suits you best.
  • Master Carbohydrate Counting: This involves tracking the carbs you consume daily. If you use insulin during meals, knowing the carb content in foods helps you take the right insulin dose. Carbs significantly affect blood sugar because they convert to sugar in the body. Opt for nutrient-rich carbs like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. These contain fiber that stabilizes blood sugar. Minimize refined carbs such as white bread, sugary cereals, and sweets.
  • Use the Plate Method: This simple approach helps maintain a balanced diet and control portions. Start with a 9-inch plate. Fill half with non-starchy veggies like lettuce, cucumbers, and broccoli. Divide the rest between lean proteins (e.g., fish, beans, lean meat) and healthy carbs (e.g., fruits, whole grains).
  • Mind Your Portions: Knowing proper portion sizes is essential. Use everyday objects for reference—a serving of meat is about the size of a deck of cards, cheese is like six dice, and cooked pasta or rice is a fist size. Measuring cups or scales are also helpful.
  • Balance Food and Medicine: If you’re on diabetes medication, balance is critical. Eating too little relative to your medication, especially insulin, can cause low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). Too much food can lead to high blood sugar (hyperglycemia). Work with your healthcare team to coordinate meals and medication.
  • Limit Sugary Drinks: These beverages are high in calories and low in nutrients, causing blood sugar spikes. Limit these drinks unless treating low blood sugar. Options include regular soda, juice, and sports drinks.

Managing Diabetes During Illness

When you’re dealing with diabetes, it’s crucial to be ready for those times when you’re under the weather. Illness can trigger stress hormones in your body, which are good for fighting off sickness but can also spike your blood sugar levels. Changes in your appetite and activity can further affect your blood sugar control.

What You Should Do:

  • Plan Ahead: Collaborate with your healthcare team to prepare a sick-day plan. This should outline which medications to take and how to adjust them if necessary. Note how often you should check your blood sugar. It’s also important to ask if you need to measure urine ketones. Your plan should include recommended foods and drinks, as well as safe cold or flu medications. Know the signs that warrant a call to your healthcare professional, like a fever over 101°F (38.3°C) lasting more than 24 hours.
  • Continue Your Medicine: Keep taking your diabetes medication, but consult your healthcare provider if you can’t eat because of nausea or vomiting. You might need to adjust your insulin dosage. For those using rapid-acting or short-acting insulin or other diabetes medications, you may need to lower the dose or temporarily stop taking them. These medications need precise coordination with food to avoid low blood sugar. However, do not discontinue long-acting insulin. Frequent blood sugar monitoring is essential when you’re ill.
  • Stick to Your Meal Plan: Try to follow your usual diabetes meal plan. Eating normally helps regulate your blood sugar. Have a stash of stomach-friendly foods like gelatin, crackers, soups, instant pudding, and applesauce ready.
  • Stay Hydrated: Drink plenty of water or other non-caloric fluids like tea to maintain hydration. If you use insulin, consider sipping on sugary drinks such as juice or sports drinks to prevent your blood sugar from dropping too low.

Exercise with Diabetes

Exercise plays a vital role in managing diabetes. When you engage in physical activity, your muscles utilize blood sugar for energy. Regular exercise also enhances your body’s insulin sensitivity, helping lower blood sugar levels. Whether it’s a vigorous workout or light activities like housework, gardening, and walking, being active can benefit your blood sugar.

Exercise with Diabetes

Steps to Consider:

  • Consult Your Healthcare Provider: Discuss an exercise plan with your healthcare professional. They can suggest suitable types of exercise for you. Generally, adults should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week, such as walking, biking, or swimming. Try to incorporate about 30 minutes of activity most days, along with strength training 2 to 3 times a week.
  • Assess Your Readiness: If you’ve been inactive, your healthcare provider might evaluate your overall health first. They’ll recommend a balanced mix of aerobic and strength exercises tailored to your needs.
  • Schedule Your Workouts: Determine the optimal time for exercise based on your meal and medication schedule. This ensures your routine aligns well with your daily regimen.
  • Monitor Your Blood Sugar: Before starting, consult your healthcare provider about ideal blood sugar levels and testing requirements. If you take insulin or other diabetes medications, checking your blood sugar before, during, and after exercise is crucial to prevent it from dropping too low.
  • Watch for Low Blood Sugar Symptoms: Stay alert to signs like shakiness, fatigue, hunger, or confusion. If you use insulin and your blood sugar is below 90 mg/dL (5.0 mmol/L) before exercise, have a small snack or glucose product to prevent a drop.
  • Stay Hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids during exercise to maintain hydration and support stable blood sugar levels.
  • Be Prepared for Emergencies: Keep a small snack, glucose tablets, or gel handy during workouts. Carry medical identification indicating your diabetes status and any medications you take.
  • Adjust Your Diabetes Management: You may need to alter your insulin dosage or monitor your blood sugar closely post-exercise, especially after intense activities. Your healthcare provider can guide you on making the necessary adjustments.

Alcohol with Diabetes

For individuals with diabetes, consuming alcohol can be risky. Alcohol can cause low blood sugar levels immediately after consumption and for hours afterward. Typically, the liver releases stored sugar to balance falling blood sugar levels. However, if your liver is processing alcohol, it might not provide this crucial boost.

Recommendations:

  • Consult Your Healthcare Professional: Before drinking alcohol, get approval from your healthcare provider. While excessive alcohol can lead to health issues like nerve damage, an occasional drink may be permissible if your diabetes is well-managed and your healthcare provider agrees.
  • Limit Your Intake: Women should limit themselves to one drink per day, while men should have no more than two. One drink is equivalent to 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits.
  • Avoid Drinking on an Empty Stomach: If you use insulin or other diabetes medications, eat before drinking alcohol to help prevent low blood sugar. Alternatively, consume alcohol with a meal.
  • Select Your Drinks Wisely: Opt for light beer and dry wines, which have fewer calories and carbohydrates. If you prefer mixed drinks, choose sugar-free mixers like diet soda, diet tonic, club soda, or seltzer to avoid raising your blood sugar.
  • Count Alcohol Calories: Include calories from alcohol in your daily intake if you’re counting calories. Consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian for advice on incorporating calories and carbohydrates from alcoholic beverages into your diet plan.
  • Check Blood Sugar Before Bed: Since alcohol can lower blood sugar levels long after your last drink, check your blood sugar before bed. If it’s not between 100 mg/dL and 140 mg/dL (5.6 mm/L and 7.8 mmol/L), have a snack to help prevent a drop in blood sugar levels overnight.

Managing Your Diabetes with Medication

Managing your diabetes medication can be a challenging but crucial aspect of staying healthy with the condition. With Sugar Defender, GlucoFreedom, and Glucotil as popular options for medication, it can be overwhelming to know what to choose. However, by working closely with your healthcare provider, you can determine the best course of action for your unique needs. It’s important to take your medication as prescribed and to keep a record of blood sugar levels to monitor how the medication is affecting your body. By staying on top of your medication regimen, you can take control of your diabetes and have a better chance of staying healthy for the long-term.

Diabetes Management with Medication

What You Can Do:

  • Store Insulin Correctly: Insulin that’s improperly stored or expired may lose its effectiveness. Keep it away from extreme temperatures, and avoid storing it in the freezer or direct sunlight.
  • Communicate with Your Healthcare Provider: If you experience issues like low blood sugar from your diabetes medication, it might be necessary to adjust the dose or timing. Your healthcare provider can make these adjustments if your blood sugar remains too high.
  • Be Careful with New Medications: Before trying any new medications—whether over-the-counter or prescribed for other conditions—consult with your healthcare team or pharmacist. Discuss how the new medication could impact your blood sugar levels and interact with your diabetes treatments. Sometimes, an alternative medication may be recommended to avoid harmful side effects or interactions.

Periods and Menopause with Diabetes

For those with diabetes, both periods and menopause can significantly impact blood sugar levels due to hormonal fluctuations.

Here’s what you can do to manage these changes:

  • Identify Patterns: Keep a detailed record of your blood sugar readings throughout the month. This can help you anticipate changes linked to your menstrual cycle.
  • Adjust Your Treatment Plan: Consult with your healthcare provider about adjusting your meal plan, activity level, or diabetes medications to compensate for blood sugar variations.
  • Monitor Blood Sugar Frequently: If you’re approaching menopause or are already menopausal, discuss with your healthcare provider whether it’s necessary to monitor your blood sugar more often. Be mindful that menopause and low blood sugar share symptoms such as sweating and mood swings. Always check your blood sugar before addressing these symptoms to confirm if they are related to low blood sugar.
  • Birth Control Considerations: Most birth control methods are safe for individuals with diabetes. However, some may experience an increase in blood sugar levels with combination birth control pills. Always consult your healthcare professional for personalized advice.

Managing Stress with Diabetes

Dealing with stress is crucial when managing diabetes. The stress hormones your body produces can increase your blood sugar levels. Plus, stress can make it more challenging to stick to your diabetes care routine.

Here’s what you can do:

  • Take Control: Once you understand how stress impacts your blood sugar, make healthy changes. Try relaxation techniques, prioritize tasks, and set limits. Avoid stressors whenever possible. Regular exercise can also help reduce stress and lower blood sugar.
  • Seek Help: Consider working with a psychologist or clinical social worker. They can assist you in identifying stressors, solving stressful issues, and developing coping strategies.

Stay Informed: The more you know about what influences your blood sugar, the better you can manage your diabetes. If you struggle to maintain your blood sugar levels within your target range, seek guidance from your diabetes healthcare team.