Diabetes is one of the fastest growing diseases in the world, affecting north of 350 million people. Are you one of them? If you are, it isn’t the end of the world. Yes, your life is going to change. But, that doesn’t mean that it has to change for the worse, or that your quality of life is going to decrease. Thanks to advances in medicine, you can live a long and happy life with all types of diabetes.
For that to happen, though, you need to take control of your life. If you don’t make the right choices, your diagnosis could define you as a person. To make sure that doesn’t happen, you need to take a look at the tips below. These will help you manage the disease and come out the other end.
Go To The Doctors
The first step is to figure out if you have diabetes. Although that may sound silly, there are people that don’t realize they have diabetes. The signs, however, are pretty concrete and easy to spot. The most conventional signs are going to the toilet and tiredness even if you get a good night’s sleep. If you experience any of these, you could be a carrier. Instead of worrying, book an appointment to see your doctor and ask for their advice. Once you know what you’re dealing with, you can fight it more effectively.
Get Informed
Don’t make the mistake that diabetes isn’t a serious illness because it is serious. Okay, it won’t kill you if you take the proper precautions. But, it does have the potential to do you a lot of harm. Bearing that in mind, you need to educate yourself on the subject. Then, you can fight back and take your life back into your hands. Your best option is to ask a lot of questions. You want to know how to treat it and how to manage it on a daily basis. You also want to know how it affects your diet – what can and can’t you eat? Talk to every contact that can enlighten you on the subject from a medical professional to a family member or a friend.
Find The Right Medication
Your medication is going to dictate how well you can battle your illness over the course of your life. If your medication is right, your body won’t feel the effects of diabetes as much. Hopefully, you won’t need any pills whatsoever because it can be that benign in some people. All you have to do in this case is consider your actions. But, you need to consult your doctor for your next steps if you need medication. They will tell you what you should and shouldn’t do and give you all the information you need.
Change Your Diet
Along with your medication, you can make changes to your diet to ensure that you don’t put unnecessary pressure on your body. In simple terms, you need to eat as healthily as possible and avoid certain foods. Sugary desserts are probably the best example of food that you should avoid at all costs. However, the good thing is that you don’t have to avoid all sugars and desserts – that is a myth. You can enjoy them as long as you plan in advance and study their ingredients. For more info on a ‘diabetes diet’, follow the link.
Lose Weight
The most effective way to control your diabetes is to lose weight. Extra weight puts more pressure on your vital organs, which makes it harder for your body to fight the illness. The trick is to lose the weight in the right areas for the best effect. People that have an ‘apple’ body tend to store weight around their abdomen. This is important to understand because not all fat is the same. Your body stores fat around the abdomen closer to your kidneys and liver. And, that is linked to insulin resistance. Although it’s hard, you need to try and lose weight because it’s causing your body harm. A good diet is the first step, along with plenty of exercise and good lifestyle choices.
Stop Drinking And Smoking
Talking about lifestyle choices, you need to cut down on the fags and the booze. Cigarettes are just plain bad for you because there are so many chemicals that affect the body. Alcohol, on the other hand, has a direct link to diabetes. Due to the fermentation process, there is quite a lot of sugar in alcohol. In fact, there is lots of it if you drink cider. Without high levels of insulin, your body struggles to cope with the extra sugar in your system. The side-effects can vary from fatigue to blackouts.
Try The Unconventional
There is a tendency to stick with what you know because they seem to work. Plus, you don’t want to put your health at risk. However, dismissing a treatment option isn’t always a good thing because could work. The key is to figure out the pros and cons and take them all on board. For example, studies show that there are benefits of apple cider vinegar for diabetes even though your doctor might not recommend it. At the end of the day, it’s your body and your decision. Just make sure that you have all the information to hand before you make that decision. Otherwise, the results could be disastrous.
Sleep Matters
Again, there are studies that show a link between a lack of sleep and type 2 diabetes. It seems that the amount and quality of sleep can affect diabetes in both a positive and negative way. If you get enough sleep, for instance, the odds of developing diabetes decrease. If you don’t get enough, they go the other way. A good night’s sleep could be the difference between a better quality of life.
Don’t panic if you do develop the illness because it’s treatable. But, you do need to make sure that you treat it with respect.
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Monday 21st of March 2016
As someone who has dealt with Type II diabetes for a while now, it's good to have these reminders. I go through periods I ignore the disease all together. I can't stress how detrimental this can be - if you stick to it, you can manage and even vanquish this disease, but it takes action every day.