Diabetes has become a very common disease among the world’s population. The management of diabetes is possible by bringing in some adept lifestyle changes that help maintain the blood-sugar levels. Maintaining blood-sugar level balance is not an easy task, and here in this blog we are discussing some of the lifestyle changes for managing diabetes.

Effective Lifestyle Changes for Managing Diabetes

We have listed a few lifestyle changes that can help control your diabetes symptoms. Take a look at the effective lifestyle changes for managing diabetes 

1. Diet

Food has an important role in a healthy diet, irrespective of whether the person has diabetes or not. Consumption of a balanced diet and avoiding foods that can trigger blood sugar levels are the best ways to keep blood sugar levels in check.

Here are some pointers that will help you make lifestyle changes for managing diabetes with your diet:

• Learn about carbohydrates counting and keep note of the portion sizes. The reason why a diabetes patient should be mindful of carbohydrates is because carbs can spike the blood sugar levels. It is necessary to use measuring cups and scales which ensure that you are taking in the right amount of carbohydrates and also the other food groups like protein, vegetables, fiber, etc. 
• Make every intake balanced: Every meal of the day should be planned beforehand to make sure that it will have a good mix of starches, fruits, vegetables, protein, etc. But make sure that you take the opinion of a good dietician to understand which carbohydrate has to be included in the diet. 
• Coordinate the meals and medications: The intake of medicines and food should be done after taking right advice from the medical practitioner. The reason for the same being if being a diabetes patient you are having too little food and having medicines along, you might come to the situation of developing hypoglycemia and if you are having way too much food, you might develop the condition of hyperglycemia.
• Avoid sugar sweetened beverages: Aerated drinks and packed juices all have high calories and lower nutritional value. Therefore, it is ideal not to consume these at large and in case of a low sugar situation, it is good to have a candy in handy to give that needed spike in blood sugar levels. 

You may also like to read, Diet, Nutrition, And Disease Management

2. Exercise

Physical activity, just like food, should be an important part of your lifestyle. Especially for people with diabetes, having an ample amount of physical activity is required to burn the glucose in the body. The more time one spends in physical activity, the greater the amount of energy expended. Lighter household work like gardening and housework can have positive effects on the energy levels of a diabetes patient. The regular use of insulin in the body is possible only through such a physical regime. 

Before getting yourself into an exercise routine, consider these steps:

• Talk to your physician about the kind of activity that you plan to pursue in order to burn the glucose in the body in the best possible way. An adult should at least have a minimum activity of 30 minutes a day of moderate activity. If you weren’t ever active and flexible with physical activity, you may want to run a few mobility tests with respect to knee and joint flexibility. 
• Keep an exercise schedule: When you are doing exercise, it is important to be consistent and you require to fix up a schedule. The schedule should be in line with the medications and your meal routine.
• Having a good look on your expected blood sugar levels and checking them often is a good practice to check whether you are over doing with your physical activity. Keep watch on the signals that the body is giving if its low blood sugar levels like shaking, dizziness, confusion, etc.
• It is necessary to be hydrated while doing your exercise. 
• Monitor the dosage of your insulin before and after the exercise regime. Exercising for prolonged hours can actually leave you exhausted. Therefore, adjust the medication before your exercise routine after having a proper consultation with your medical practitioner.

You may also like to read, Tips To Lose Weight Without Dieting

3. Medication

Diabetes cannot be managed with diet and physical exercise alone; a good set of medications needs to be by your side to keep the ball rolling. The medicines need to be consumed and stored correctly to derive the maximum benefit. Here’s an insight on how to go about medications in the right way:

• Insulin which is one of the main medications for diabetes needs to be properly stored. Improper storage and expiration of the medicines makes it not viable for usage. 
• If the existing medications are not helping with lowering your blood sugar levels or helping it to rise depending on the situation, then you need to consult your doctor to change or increase the dosage of your medications.
• Be cautious with the newly introduced medicines and keep track of any particular discomforts that may have risen after their consumption. Any kind of difficulties need to be communicated with the doctor as soon as possible. 

You may also like to read, Things To Take Care For Diabetes Patients

4. Other illnesses

Diabetes can be accompanied by an unlimited amount of stress, and even stress can contribute to the increase in blood sugar. Talking to your practitioner about your illness and making sure that you check up on your blood sugar levels and adjust your medication does not interfere with your current diabetes medication. Continue with your diabetes medication, and if you feel nauseous or not well, then you need to talk to your doctor and make necessary arrangements.

5. Alcohol

The liver is entrusted with countering falling blood sugar levels. If the liver is engaged in breaking down alcohol, then it doesn’t have enough time to manage the falling blood sugar levels, resulting in lower blood sugar once you have alcohol.

• Alcohol can plan an important role in diabetes management and can even aggravate complications related to eye damage. But, if your doctor nods and your diabetes is under control, you can take little of the alcohol consumption. 
• Do not have alcohol in an empty stomach. Also, you should keep in mind not to have alcohol while you are taking medications. 
• The alcohol calories do count so definitely add it in your daily calorie calculation.

You may also like to read, Unexpected Side Effects And Complications Of Diabetes

6. Stress

Stress is definitely a bad influence on blood sugar, and it can actually make it rise, which is not a good idea. Log your stress level before having the diabetes medication and track the pattern. Once you know how stress levels are affecting blood sugar levels, you can adapt relaxation and meditation techniques to bring down the stress levels. Get help from clinical psychologists to manage the stress level and learn much better coping skills. 

Managing blood sugar is easy when you have an in-depth understanding of the different factors that trigger and spike the levels. When you can anticipate the changes that can come over your levels, it becomes easier to handle them. 

You may also like to read, Natural Ways To Prevent Diabetes Before It Starts

Consider obtaining advice and treatment from our doctors at Bethaniya Clinic to keep the blood-sugar levels in check and prevent the disease from worsening. By following the directions given by the specialists, you can prevent the side effects and entanglements of diabetes to a greater extent.

There are several treatments for diabetes, including: medications, lifestyle changes, insulin therapy, continuous glucose monitoring, and bariatric medical procedures. Likewise, there are several alternative treatment for diabetes that certain individuals may choose to use in conjunction with their regular treatment or as an alternative to it for prevention as well as treatment of Diabetic complications.

To know more, you may contact us today.