It is important to keep your blood sugar levels in your target range as much as possible to help prevent or delay long-term, serious health problems, such as heart disease, vision loss, and kidney disease. It begins with awareness.
Blood glucose (sugar) is the amount of glucose in your blood at a given time.
It comes from the food you eat, and is your body’s main source of energy. Your blood carries glucose to all of your body’s cells to use for energy. It is important that it is normal because once it is too low or too high, you’ll become sick.
Diabetes is a disease in which your blood sugar levels are too high.
You can know what your sugar level is only when you get tested.
Why should you check your blood sugar levels?
Checking your blood sugar levels will provide a quick measurement of your blood sugar level at a given time. It will determine if you have a high or low blood sugar level at a given time. It will show you how your lifestyle and medication affect your blood sugar levels, and help you and your diabetes healthcare team to make lifestyle and medication changes that will improve your blood sugar levels.
So, what do you do when you have diabetes (high blood sugar)?
Not to worry, it is not a death sentence, however, you should not throw caution to the wind. You need to Manage your blood sugar.
Mind your food:
Healthy eating is a cornerstone of healthy living — with or without diabetes. But if you have diabetes, you need to know how foods affect your blood sugar levels. It’s not only the type of food you eat but also how much you eat and the combinations of food types you eat.
For people taking mealtime insulin, it’s important to know the number of carbohydrates in your food, so you get the proper insulin dose.
Coordinate your meals and medications by speaking to your diabetes healthcare team about how to best coordinate meal and medication schedules.
Make exercise part of your routine:
Being active makes your body more sensitive to insulin. That helps your blood sugar stay steady. Once your doctor gives you the OK, try an aerobic workout that gets your heart pumping, like walking, dancing, swimming, or biking. Your goal should be 30 minutes, five days a week. But even five minutes is a good start. Your activities should be at least “moderately intense,” which means that you’re able to talk but not sing while you do it.
Keep water handy as well, and don’t forget to drink it. Water can make you feel full and has zero calories.
Listen to your body as you may start to notice other patterns that can help you control your blood sugar better. Also, get self-testing kits to help you monitor your glucose level as often as possible.
Check-in with your doctor with any questions before engaging in any form of workout, diet, or medication.
Do you have any question or comment? Do share with us in the comment section.
