Diabetes Management (Tips on How to Manage Your Diabetes)

Diabetes mellitus often referred to simply as sugar diabetes is a condition in which the body does not produce enough, or properly respond to, insulin, a hormone produced in the pancreas. Insulin enables cells to absorb glucose in order to turn it into energy. People with diabetes have to control their insulin levels to maintain a healthy body and lifestyle. There are many factors to controlling ones insulin levels the main being diet and exercise. I have listed a few guiding factors that have helped me help friends and family that have diabetes or have border line diabetes they truly make a difference in controlling insulin levels and can be used by non diabetics also.

Things diabetic patients should have should do and should avoid:

   1. They should have meals on time to avoid hunger pains and cravings.
   2. They should take time to enjoy their meal, don’t eat in a hurry.
   3. They should have plenty green salad and fruit to help with the digestion of food.
   4. They should plan their meals so that they know their calorie intake.
   5. Moderate your carbohydrates intake.
   6. Exercise daily by walking or jogging best done early morning.
   7. They should get enough sleep to keep their energy levels stable.
   8. Try to avoid injuries, if injured treat all wounds carefully with antiseptic and protect with plaster or bandage against bacteria.
   9. Avoid skin scratching which could lead to wounding. An itch sometimes is a sign of high sugar levels in diabetics especially if the itch is in the eye, one should be aware of their sugar levels and the signs of high or low sugar. Itching is also related to stress; stress causes the sugar level to increase which then can lead to the diabetic feeling itchy.
  10. Diabetic patients should drink a lot of water so that they don’t get dehydrated.
  11. Eat a snack before sleeping time to keep blood sugar levels balanced.
  12. If over weight or are suffering with obesity one should lose weight to increase their energy levels and gain a healthier body and lifestyle.
  13. Avoid excess amount of alcohol.

Facts about a life threatening diabetes complication:

A diabetic coma is a life-threatening diabetes complication. An estimated 2 to 15% of diabetics will suffer from at least one episode of a diabetic coma in their lifetime. Diabetic comas are severe and potentially life threatening. Diabetic coma is a condition related to a person with diabetes being in a coma due to having extremely high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) or extremely low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). The prospect of a diabetic coma is scary, but the good news is that you can prevent it. Your body gives you warning signs when leading to a diabetic coma you just have to know the signs and the ways to treat the problem before it leads to a bigger problem. Symptoms of diabetic coma in patient with high blood sugar may are dehydration, dryness of mouth, frequent vomiting and/or urination, and deep breathing.  Diabetic coma is a state of unconsciousness that can put a patient at risk of brain damage or even death and is easily mistaken for alcohol intoxication. The best treatment for a diabetic coma is to avoid it.

Top five tips to avoiding a diabetic coma:

   1. Maintaining proper blood glucose levels and taking medication are the two easiest ways to prevent a diabetic coma.
   2. Don’t skip meals; skipping meals can lead to unpleasant symptoms such as low blood sugar which could lead to a diabetic coma.
   3. Avoid salt or sweet foods, they can decrease or increase sugar levels at a rapid pace.
   4. Be able to recognize the signs of high and low blood sugar and ways to treat the problem when it arises.
   5. Wear a medical id bracelet that details your condition to inform medical personal so that they can be able to administer treatment more quickly therefore it can be more effective to you.

Most people never plan to fail but often fail to plan; it is of the utmost importance that you acquire the knowledge that you need and that you use that knowledge to prevent your diabetes from becoming uncontrollable. Diabetes for the most part is a disease with which some of us have to contend with but it is a very controllable disease if we take the right precautions to ensure a healthy and balanced lifestyle.