Diabetes occurs when the body is unable to produce or properly use insulin, which results in high blood glucose, or sugar levels. Furthermore, high blood sugar levels can lead to a number of conditions and complications, including heart disease, blindness, and the amputation of limbs.Maintaining healthy and stable blood glucose levels is a key step to effectively managing diabetes, lowering the risk of diabetes complications. As a result, with these five tips, you can easily manage your blood sugar from home.
1. Eat a Healthy Diet
A balanced diet containing the right amount of calories, carbohydrates, fiber, and fats helps stabilize blood sugar levels. Limiting sugar and empty calories, such as high-carb food with little nutritional value, has also proven useful. Before changing your diet, consult with a registered dietitian or diabetes educator to create a healthy eating plan to address your health and nutritional needs.
2. Use Portion Control
Portion control helps regulate calorie intake and maintain a healthy weight by managing your blood sugar. It includes measuring or weighing food portions, using smaller plates, following the recommended serving size, and eating slowly. Creating regularly scheduled mealtimes, avoiding large meals, and not skipping meals have also been beneficial for patients with diabetes.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends the plate method: fill half your plate with non-starchy vegetables, a quarter with lean protein, and a quarter with a grain or starchy food.
3. Exercise Regularly
Regular exercise has proven benefits and is shown to improve the health outcomes of patients with diabetes by helping to control blood sugar and reducing blood pressure and cholesterol. It is recommended that you engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise a week. There are several options, depending on your ability, such as swimming, gardening, and running. Work with your health care providers to develop an exercise and lifestyle plan that works for you.
4. Manage Your Stress
Stress, physical or emotional, can cause blood glucose levels to increase. Long-term exposure to stress has been shown to increase the risk of hypertension and other diabetes complications. However, identifying your stressors and developing a plan to manage them can help you better regulate your blood glucose levels. There are a variety of stress reducers you can use, including yoga, meditation, and reading.
5. Effective ways to Monitor Your Blood Glucose Levels
The most effective way to manage your diabetes is to monitor your blood glucose levels daily. Glucose levels provide valuable information about the effects of your diet, physical activity, and medication on your blood sugar levels.
You can monitor your glucose levels continuously in real-time using a continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system like the Eversense® 90-Day CGM System. It uses a sensor implanted completely under the skin and the transmitter is worn on the skin over the sensor and held in place by a gentle adhesive that is changed daily. It measures your glucose every 5 minutes and provides automatic alerts and notifications.
Using these tips along with a treatment plan that works for you, you can easily manage your blood sugar levels at home. Consult your doctor to find the right treatment plan for you.
For an overview of Eversense® Continuous Glucose Monitoring system safety information, please visit www.ascensiadiabetes.com/Eversense/safety-info/. Please visit www.ascensiadiabetes.com/Eversense for limitations, restrictions, references and copyright information.
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