How to Make Simple Changes to Your Life to Live Well with Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is a long-term health problem that arises when your blood sugar levels are consistently too high. Type 2 diabetes is caused by a number of things, such as being overweight, not being active enough, insulin resistance, and genetics. Adopting a healthy lifestyle can help people with diabetes be better managed. Additionally, it leads to better amounts of cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, and weight.

Signs of having Type 2 Diabetes

These are some of the signs that someone has type 2 diabetes:

Having more thirst and urination
Trouble seeing
Being tired
Sores that take a long time to heal
Loss of weight
Having tingling or numb feelings in your hands or feet
If you don’t treat your type 2 diabetes, you are more likely to get serious complications like diabetic neuropathy (damage to the nerves), diabetic retinopathy (eye disease), and diabetic nephropathy (kidney disease). A doctor may suggest that you get a blood test to find out if you have diabetes or prediabetes. This test checks your blood sugar levels when you wake up.

How to Get Ready for a Blood Sugar Test and Some General Tips

Your doctor or nurse will tell you to fast for 8 to 12 hours before the blood sugar test. If you want to do well on the test, you should only drink water and not eat or drink anything else. To get a blood sample, a medical tech will carefully put a needle into a vein in your arm. The lab will use this sample to check the amount of glucose in your blood. It is normal to feel some pain or discomfort where the needle was placed. However, this pain or discomfort usually goes away on its own after a while. After the test, you will be advised to have food, and then re-test after about 2 hours.

Interpretation of Fasting Blood Glucose Test Results

Results

Fasting blood sugar (mg/dl)

Blood sugar after a meal (mg/dl)

Normal

70-100

140 or less

Pre-diabetes

100 to 125

140–199

Diabetes

126 and above

200 and up

If your glucose levels are higher than usual, it could mean that you are more likely to get diabetes.

Your blood glucose levels may be lower than average if you have diabetes for a number of reasons, such as:

Eating insufficiently, particularly after taking diabetes medication
Working out more often than usual
Low blood sugar levels without diabetes may indicate:

Liver sickness
Kidney sickness
An underactive pituitary gland, adrenal gland, or thyroid
Addiction to alcohol
Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle with Diabetes

Dealing with weight

If you are overweight or obese, it may be challenging to handle type 2 diabetes successfully. It also makes you more likely to have high cholesterol and high blood pressure, both of which can lead to heart disease. Adopt healthier eating habits and do more physical exercise to help you control your weight.

Eating healthy

To keep a healthy weight and manage diabetes effectively, making informed food choices is important. This means watching how much you eat and reading food labels. It also means cutting back on drinks and foods that are high in salt, added sugars, and saturated fats. It can be hard to figure out which foods are the healthiest when there are so many to choose from. The most important parts of a healthy eating plan are:

Several kinds of veggies

Fresh fruits
Non-fat or low-fat dairy products
Foods made from whole grains
foods that are high in protein, like beans, fish, nuts, soy products, lean meats, and poultry
Several types of oils, such as veggie oils and oils found in foods like fish and nuts
Always keep a small snack or glucose pills close by. If your blood sugar drops suddenly, they can help you get it back up quickly.

If you have diabetes, it’s important to find the right mix between what you eat and how much medicine you take. Eating too little compared to your insulin can result in dangerously low blood sugar levels, while eating too much can cause your blood sugar to rise too high.

Getting regular exercise

To keep healthy, adults should get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity each week, or a mix of both. For example, you could walk quickly for 30 minutes on two days and jog for 20 minutes on two other days. A great example of moderate-intensity exercise is a fast walk that gets your heart rate up. During your workouts, make sure to drink a lot of water or other fluids because being dehydrated can affect your blood sugar.

Limiting booze use

When you drink booze, your blood sugar may drop right away and may stay low for hours afterward. While the liver typically releases stored sugar to help balance low blood sugar, it may not be able to do so effectively if it is processing alcohol.

Quitting smoking

Smokers who have diabetes are more likely to experience issues with insulin dosing and managing their health than non-smokers. If you have diabetes and smoke, you could be at an increased risk for major health problems, including kidney disease, heart disease, and reduced blood flow in your legs and feet, which can lead to infections, ulcers, and possibly amputation.

Taking the right medicines

In addition to following your diabetes care plan, you may need to take diabetes medicines, such as insulin shots or pills. How well these treatments work depends on when you take them and how much you take. It is important to note that other medications for different health issues can also affect your blood sugar.

Effectively handling stress

Prolonged stress can cause your body to make hormones that increase blood sugar levels, making it difficult to follow your diabetes management plan. To manage stress effectively, learn relaxation techniques, practice yoga, rank your tasks by importance, and set boundaries. Avoid situations that make you feel stressed as much as possible. Getting regular exercise can help you deal with stress and keep your blood sugar levels in a healthy range. It is also important to regularly monitor the sugar levels in your blood.

Early detection of diabetes plays a significant part in maintaining your overall health. Regular screenings, such as fasting blood sugar tests, can provide important information about your blood sugar levels. By detecting diabetes early, you can take proactive measures to manage your health, including making healthier food choices and incorporating regular exercise into your routine.