Diabetes is a difficult health condition when you do not understand how to properly manage the disease. Fortunately, there are many simple lifestyle changes that can help; continue reading for easy tips that can make your life with diabetes more healthy and enjoyable.
Try to keep the amount of daily stress in your life to a minimum. In small amounts, stress keeps us motivated. However, when stress becomes too much or is chronic, it depletes your body of essential nutrients and makes it harder to stabilize your blood sugar. You may be stuck in a stressful occupation, and a diabetes diagnosis is scary. However, it may be exactly what you need to force you to find a better job that has less stress and a more healthy environment. Ask your family to help you find ways to keep stress levels down at home. Your blood sugar will stay lower and easier to control, and your blood pressure will stay at a healthier level as well. Practice breathing techniques, meditation, guided visualization and other relaxation methods that can help you feel more in control and less stressed.
Has your doctor told you to lose some weight? Carrying excess weight puts additional strain on every person’s body, but keeping weight down is especially important for people with diabetes. Ask your doctor to help you formulate a healthy plan for eating that is easy to prepare. If you can, add some exercise into your daily routine, and you should see your weight dropping in fairly short order.
If your doctor has given you a prescription for medication to control your diabetes, it is critical that you take the medication as directed. If your doctor instructs you to take your medication 20 minutes after meals, for example, set up your routine so that this is always possible. You will find it easier to remember your medication if you take it each day at the same time. If remembering to take pills is difficult for you, purchase a pill box. They come in a variety of styles, so that you can have daily compartments, and up to four sections for each day. Every weekend, fill up your pill box for the coming week, so that you can easily know every day whether you have already taken your pills.
Become a food and drink label reader. Soft drinks, fast-food items and many packaged items contain surprising amounts of sugar. For example, the next time you go to a local coffee shop, make sure to ask the barista if your mocha latte contains sugar. Many times, a dry mix is used to flavor the drinks, and it typically contains some sugar. Sugar is hiding in many convenience foods, so it helps to be extra aware whenever you consume foods or beverages that you have not prepared yourself.
The above tips can help you get a good start at keeping your diabetes well under control. Diabetes can become a terrible disease if left untreated or poorly managed. You do not have to worry; by reading this article, you have already taken the first steps to better manage your condition and keep your health in tip-top shape for many years to come.