Diabetes Management: Simple Lifestyle Changes That Work
Why diabetes management is important?
Diabetes is a condition in which person have very high sugar (glucose) level in blood.
People of all ages are affected by diabetes. A blood sugar level that is too high can cause major health issues.
Reason behind diabetes is
1. When your body is not responding properly to insulin,
2. When your pancreas produces insufficient or no insulin at all.
Individuals who have diabetes may be at risk, as it can have significant long-term effects on their health.
Diabetes can be managed and identified early, which can be very helpful. diabetes can be controlled with medicine and/or lifestyle modifications; however, the majority are chronic (lifelong).
Management of diabetes is particularly important, because if diabetes is untreated, it can slowly damage multiple organs. Here’s why it’s important to manage:
Maintain blood sugar-
It’s essential to maintain your blood sugar levels within the range advised by your physician.
Management of blood sugar level prevents lots of other complication.
These complications are hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, headaches, urinary issues and other symptoms.
Maintain other complications–
Severe problems like kidney disease, nerve damage, and visual loss are less likely to occur when diabetes is effectively managed.
Controlling diabetes reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, which are common among diabetics.
Improve Quality of Life-
Active involvement in everyday activities can be made possible by better energy levels and overall health achieved by good control.
Improve mental health–
Diabetes leads to different other complications like kidney disease, nerve damage, vision loss. Stress and anxiety associated with diabetes and other health issues might be decreased by managing diabetes.
Managing Diabetes Through Lifestyle Changes
Diabetes can be managed by maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Plan healthy meals and snacks, do some physical activity, get adequate sleep, and give up smoking or tobacco products right once to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar level can all be maintained by leading a healthy lifestyle.
Healthy lifestyle protect the person from adverse complications like kidney damage, impaired vision, nerve damage etc.
Balanced diet-
The key component of managing diabetes is eating a balanced diet. Making right meal choices can help maintain a healthy weight, minimize complications, and keep blood sugar levels stable.
A diabetes-friendly diet is about balance, portion control, and selecting healthier options; it doesn’t mean giving up everything you enjoy.
Whole grains: Whole wheat, quinoa, brown rice, and oats all provide energy slowly to minimize blood sugar spikes.
Foods high in fiber, such as vegetables, fruits (in moderation), beans, and lentils, help to balance blood sugar levels and promote digestion.
Lean proteins: such as fish, skinless chicken, eggs, tofu, and legumes—help maintain muscle health and keep you feeling full.
Healthy fats: Avocados, nuts, seeds, and olive oil all enhance insulin sensitivity and protect the heart.
Portion control: Eating smaller, more frequent meals prevents blood glucose levels from rising or falling too quickly.
Eat less processed meals and refined sugars because they raise blood sugar levels quickly and are difficult to regulate.
Regular physical activity-
One of the best strategies to treat diabetes is to engage in regular physical activity. Exercise decreases blood sugar, improves insulin utilization, and minimizes the risk of problems.
Physical activity manages blood sugar level, regulate weight, strengthens heart, boost energy and improve sleep quality.
Aerobic exercise, brisk walking, strength training, flexibility and balanced exercise are the most effective way to manage diabetes.
Manage healthy weight-
One of the most important parts of managing diabetes is maintaining a healthy weight.
Having too much body fat, particularly around the belly, raises insulin resistance and makes blood sugar regulation more difficult.
Maintaining a healthy weight reduces the risk of health issues and improves blood glucose level.
Proper health sleep-
Blood glucose, energy, and mood can all be enhanced by getting enough sleep. Seven to eight hours a night is healthy sleep for healthy person.
What happens in the body during diabetes (blood sugar imbalance).
The body finds it difficult to control blood glucose levels in people with diabetes, which can result in either hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia, which are persistent low blood sugar levels.
Low blood sugar develops when there is insufficient glucose for the body and brain to operate, while high blood sugar comes when there is insufficient insulin to enable glucose enter cells, causing it to accumulate in the blood.
Hypoglycemia (Low Blood Sugar)-
Hypoglycemia occurs when blood glucose levels drop below 70 mg/dL. It happens if person skip meal, eat very little proportion, without any food adjustment doing heavy exercise.
Hypoglycemia symptoms-
Shakiness, sweating, fast heartbeat, Dizziness, irritability, confusion, Blurred vision, hunger. In severe cases Low Blood Sugar leads to seizures, unconsciousness, coma.
Hyperglycemia (High Blood Sugar)
It occurs when blood glucose level rise to above 180 mg/dL after meals and above 126 mg/dL in fasting state.
Symptoms
Excessive thirst (polydipsia), frequent urination (polyuria), fatigue, blurred vision, headache, slow wound healing.
In severe case hyperglycemia leads to ketoacidosis (especially in type 1 diabetes) or long-term organ damage.
How the body manages to keep the ideal levels of blood sugar ?
1. Glucose is produced by the digestive system from carbs after a meal and enters the bloodstream.
2. In order to help the body’s cells in absorbing glucose for energy, the pancreas releases insulin.
3. The pancreas releases glucagon in response to a decline in blood sugar levels between meals, warning the liver to release glucose that has been stored in the body into the bloodstream.
Difference between Type 1, Type 2 and gestational diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is insulin- dependent autoimmune disease
It is chronic condition in which body immune cell attacks and destroy it own beta cell in pancreas. Pancreas responsible for the production of insulin.
As a result, body not able to make insulin. In the absence of insulin, glucose, or sugar, cannot enter cells to be used as fuel and instead accumulates in the blood, leading to hyperglycemia.
Symptoms
Type 1 diabetes symptoms can appear suddenly and may include:
- Feeling more thirsty than usual
- Urinating a lot
- Bed-wetting in children who have never wet the bed during the night
- Feeling very hungry
- Losing weight without trying
- Feeling irritable or having other mood changes
- Feeling tired and weak
- Having blurry vision
Type 1 diabetes treatment
- Insulin therapy (injections or insulin pump)
- Healthy, balanced diet with carbohydrate monitoring
- Regular exercise
- Frequent blood sugar monitoring
Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disorder
In type 2 diabetes, the pancreas either produces insufficient insulin to maintain normal blood glucose levels or the body becomes resistant to insulin. In contrast to type 1, insulin is still produced by the pancreas but is not efficiently used by the body’s cells.
Symptoms
Often mild and gradual in onset:
- Increased thirst (polydipsia)
- Frequent urination (polyuria)
- Increased hunger (polyphagia)
- Fatigue and irritability
- Blurred vision
- Slow wound healing, frequent infections
- Numbness or tingling in hands/feet (neuropathy)
Treatment
- Lifestyle changes: Healthy, balanced diet (low refined carbs, high fiber), Regular physical activity, Weight management.
- Oral medications if lifestyle alone is not enough.
- Insulin therapy in advanced diabetes cases.
- Regular blood glucose monitoring.
Gestational diabetes develops during pregnancy-
A form of diabetes known as gestational diabetes arises when the body is unable to create enough insulin to fulfill the increasing demands of pregnancy, usually in the second or third trimester.
This results in hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar levels, which may affect both the mother and the baby.
Symptoms
Often mild or absent, but may include:
- Increased thirst
- Frequent urination
- Fatigue
- Blurred vision
- Sugar detected in urine during routine tests
(Many women may not notice symptoms, which is why screening is important during pregnancy.)
Treatment
- Lifestyle management: Healthy diet and regular physical activity.
- Blood sugar monitoring during pregnancy.
- Insulin therapy if blood sugar cannot be controlled with lifestyle changes (oral diabetes medicines are usually avoided in pregnancy).
- Careful monitoring of baby’s growth and mother’s health.
