About 40 million Americans have diabetes, including more than 36 million with type 2 diabetes — the type that typically develops as a result of a metabolic disorder that leads to insulin resistance. While medical therapy, including insulin, helps manage diabetes, your lifestyle habits play a big role in managing symptoms and avoiding complications, too.
As a leading primary care provider in Greensboro, North Carolina, Triad Primary Care is committed to helping our patients play proactive roles in managing their diabetes symptoms and progression. In this post, our team reviews four key lifestyle changes you should consider making if you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes.
Most people know that managing diabetes involves watching what you eat. But keeping your blood sugar (glucose) levels under control and managing your nutritional needs are about a lot more than simply avoiding sugary foods.
Ideally, your eating plan should focus on avoiding prepackaged convenience foods and incorporating more lean proteins, non-starchy vegetables, and whole grains to ensure you’re managing your blood sugar while receiving the nutrients you need to promote optimal wellness.
Following a healthy eating plan is also important for managing your weight. People who are overweight or obese are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes and have complications from their disease. Losing weight isn’t easy, but our team can help with a medical weight-loss plan tailored to your needs and preferences.
Being more active also helps you manage your weight to reduce your diabetes-related risks, but that’s just one of its benefits.
Regular physical activity can actually help reduce your glucose levels, making it easier to stay within a healthy range. It also helps reduce insulin resistance, making it harder for your body to use insulin to manage glucose levels.
In addition to glucose and insulin management, regular exercise helps reduce your risks of complications from diabetes, including your risk of cardiovascular disease. In fact, data show regular exercise reduces the risks of heart disease and related deaths by as much as 40% in some people with diabetes.
Stress can have a direct impact on your blood sugar levels, causing spikes as well as persistent elevations when stress is chronic. Managing stress also promotes better eating habits, avoiding bingeing and “stress eating” that leads to unhealthy food choices.
Fortunately, managing stress isn’t as difficult as it can often seem. Set aside an hour or so each day to practice stress management activities. Yoga and meditation are good, but so are tai chi, breathing exercises, and quiet hobbies, like reading or listening to music.
Research shows managing stress on a regular basis also leads to better self-care, meaning you’re more likely to take additional steps to manage diabetes and promote your health in other key areas.
Sleep is important for everyone’s overall health, but it’s especially important if you have diabetes. That’s because quality sleep helps regulate glucose levels effectively, and it also helps manage other hormones that can lead to metabolic disorders like type 2 diabetes.
In addition, sleep helps manage glucose and prevent diabetes complications by helping manage stress levels and maintain a healthy weight.
When it comes to diabetes, how well you sleep, how much you sleep, and how your sleep cycle plays out all matter. Of course, getting good sleep isn’t always easy — the CDC offers this list of tips that can help.
Diabetes requires ongoing management, accompanied by adjustments in your treatment and your routine. If you have diabetes, we have an on-site lab facility and offer telehealth appointments that can make long-term management a lot more convenient.
To learn how we can help and what else you can do to manage your diabetes (and overall wellness), request an appointment online or over the phone with Triad Primary Care in Greensboro, North Carolina, today.
