Diabetes is a severe disease, but still, you can live healthy along with it. Wondering how? You can manage your diabetic condition with specific changes and adaptations. Although it may feel tough sometimes to stick to complex management, there is no other option.
Tips for a healthier future with Type 2 Diabetes depends on how well you are motivated to defeat this illness. It’s an ongoing illness and requires a lot of time to get reversed, so you must be patient for the outcomes.
No one wants to live a compromised future life, so you, right? Managing your diabetes today with little care ensures a safe and free future. Specific lifestyle changes mean a lot in regulating blood sugar for the long term.
How to Have a Healthy Future with Type 2 Diabetes; 10 Tips to Remember
1- Take Care of Diabetes Soon After Diagnosis
Type 2 diabetes is not a life-threatening condition as long as you are keen to manage it. When people know they have diabetes, they get worried about a sick life full of health problems. But this is true only when they can’t manage the condition well due to a careless attitude.
Ignoring diabetes initially may not develop any consequences but could be a disaster in the future. Continuously elevated blood sugar damages the nervous system, cardiovascular system, and other vital organs of the body. Complications occur but only due to mismanagement in the beginning.
How can I take care of my diabetes soon after the diagnosis?
Lifestyle changes for type 2 diabetes help a lot in managing it. To avoid worsening the situation, you can lower the risk factors like obesity, cholesterol, blood pressure, etc.
Test diabetes at home with your glucometer by pricking the finger with the provided lancet. Keep a good record of your blood sugar patterns from day 1; it will help manage a lot.
2- Follow Dietary Recommendations
Everyone loves to eat spicy fast foods with sugar added extra sweetened beverages, but for people with diabetes, these are poison. Diet is crucial for diabetes, as it directly affects the blood glucose within a few minutes.
Lifestyle changes to prevent diabetic complications involve strictly following the recommended diet without any cheat. Avoid starches, unhealthy carbs, and those foods with extra calories.
Try to fulfill your protein requirement from plant-based protein like soy, legumes, and beans. Dairy products, eggs, and fishes are excellent protein sources; fish also provide omega-three fatty acids, beneficial for diabetes. Consider the following dietary points for diabetes management:
- Choose those carbs having a less glycemic index.
- Stay away from regular soda and other sugary beverages.
- Understand portion control and implement it in your diet.
- Avoid fast foods and prefer natural fruits and vegetables.
- Add up coconut and almond flour in recipes; they have healthier fat and fiber with an almost negligible effect on blood sugar.
Nuts could be an excellent addition to a diabetic diet, but how much can you consume nuts? At least five servings of nuts in a week help lower the diabetic risk factors and better manage the condition.
Try to avoid the packaged processed foods, but if necessary, buy them after thoroughly studying the carb and sugar content provided on the label. Besides sugar, carbohydrates are essential to consider as they also break down into glucose before reaching the bloodstream.
3- Exercise Regularly; It’s a Free Treatment!
Don’t you want yourself fit and disease-free? Well, exercise and physical activity have a primary role in diabetes management and controlling the risk factors. Regular exercise lowers your blood glucose naturally, enhances insulin efficacy, and reduces bad cholesterol.
If you are not active, start any activity now, as it’s the best tip to manage type 2 diabetes. You should have moderate-intensity physical activity for about 150 minutes per week. And for two or more days per week, perform strength training involving all the major body muscles.
Exercises help to control type 2 diabetes weight gain and keeps you fit and healthier in the future. Moderate-intensity physical activity includes walking, dancing, swimming, bicycling, doing housework and gardening, etc. all of these are easy to perform and keep you active.
4- Accept that Type 2 Diabetes is Not a Personal Failure
Ever felt that you are responsible for your diabetes? Well, diabetes is no doubt a severe condition and develops due to an unhealthy lifestyle, but it’s not true in all cases. You can have diabetes even if you are active and physiologically fit.
Being overweight is the leading factor for diabetes development, but not all overweight are diabetics. And diabetes also affects the perfectly weighted person too. The point is you should know the underlying pathological cause of diabetes before blaming yourself.
Although lifestyle like food, smoking, weight, stress, sleep has a role in developing and worsening diabetes, you still can’t deny the genetic factor of diabetes. Before blaming yourself, consider the factors that develop diabetes.
- If diabetes resides in your genetic makeup, it’s certainly not your fault for being diabetic. You can get your genetic testing done to know if it’s genetic or not.
- Your beta cells are producing adequate insulin, but body cells are not responding to the insulin. This condition is called insulin resistance.
- Another condition in which beta cells produce too little insulin than the required amount results in blood sugar spikes.
However, if diabetes develops, you can still manage it and live a healthy future. Here are few tips for type 2 diabetes management:
- Proper diabetic medication
- Regular physical activity
- Adequate diet etc.
5- Keep Your Oral Health Intact
According to the American Academy of Periodontology, people with diabetes have more chances to develop periodontal disease. Hyperglycemia and infected gums both support each other in complicating diabetes. Hyperglycemia worsens the gum infection, and in turn, gum infection spikes the blood sugar levels. So oral health is vital for managing diabetes in the long term and preventing complications.
How can you ensure good oral hygiene? Check your teeth and mouth daily for any suspected infection. Brush your teeth regularly twice a day for a minimum of three minutes with fluoride for dental health.
Before concerning about dental health, you should know the symptoms of dental problems:
- Swollen or sore gums
- Receding gums
- Bleeding gums
- Bad breath
- Loose teeth
Visit your dentists twice per year to diagnose any oral problem and treat it timely without further complications. Maintaining oral hygiene is a mandatory tip for managing diabetes in the long term future.
6- Get Your Eyes Checked Annually
People with diabetes are more exposed to developing eye infections due to high blood sugar levels. As a person with diabetes, do you want to avoid optical problems in the future? Well, you can prevent such issues by visiting a doctor annually for a detailed check-up of your eyes.
Diabetic retinopathy is a common eye disorder affecting diabetes and usually develops without clear signs in the beginning. A regular doctor visit helps diagnose this condition at the initial stages and get it treated without complications.
According to research, it is estimated that 40% of people with diabetes above 40 years of age develop diabetic retinopathy. And out of these, 20% are exposed to visionary threats, which is an alarming situation.
7- Vaccinate yourself Against Illnesses
People with diabetes have a weak immune system which makes them more exposed to certain diseases and infections. Elevated blood sugar levels make it difficult to fight the conditions once they develop.
The only acceptable way here is to prevent the disease well before its occurrence, but how? Vaccination is the way to develop immunity against certain diseases before their prevalence. You should check your health score and vaccinate yourself against these diseases:
Pneumonia:
Vaccinate yourself against pneumonia to have a healthy future life. Usually, pneumonia requires a single vaccine shot, but you need a booster dose if you have diabetes and are 65+ years of age.
Flu:
Flu vaccination helps you to stay healthy during flu season and also later on. It helps to prevent flu complications that may worsen diabetes.
Hepatitis B:
Hepatitis B vaccination is vital for adult diabetics less than 60 years of age who have not received the vaccine before. However, if you have diabetes and are above 60 years of age, then consult your doctor.
Other Vaccines:
Consult your doctor for a full-fledged vaccination chart. Get your tetanus vaccine shot every ten years, and the doctor may recommend some other essential vaccines.
8- Observe your Feet Daily Before BedTime
As a person with diabetes, You might wonder about the sudden appearance of the big wound on your feet. Well, it’s not a big wound initially; it usually begins with a minor cut and progresses slowly without being noticed. Careful observance of the feet is a valuable tip for type 2 diabetes management.
One of the diabetes’s serious complications includes Diabetic Neuropathy, its nervous damage affecting feet and other body parts. Reduce sensation due to nerve damage makes it difficult to feel any wound, cut, blister, or injury over feet.
You can’t even walk in the future with an affected foot, so there is a need to think about foot health today. Even little efforts matter a lot in identifying the problem. Just spare a few minutes before going to bed and thoroughly observe your feet. Look for cracks, blisters, or any minor injury to avoid complications later on.
9- Take Recommended Sleep
A good night’s sleep is essential for a healthy living body; it relaxes the body and keeps you calm. No doubt everyone is busy and surrounded by tensions, but at least you should not compromise on your sleep.
According to the American Association Of Sleep Medicine, an adult should have at least 7 hours of sleep at night. If you are getting less than 7 hours of sleep, you invite diabetes and its risk factors.
Diabetes and sleep have a powerful bond, which needs to be considered seriously. Not having recommended rest can affect diabetes management, and you will suffer in the future. If you are having too little sleep, then you may experience the following effects according to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions:
- Insulin resistance included
- Disturb your eating cycle
- It makes it difficult to lose weight
- Increases blood pressure and heart disease risk
- Compromise your immune system
- More chances of developing stress and anxiety
10- Other Effective Ways
Diabetes management tips comprise a long list, and you can’t cover all of them suddenly. But at least you can begin to adopt the recommended changes slowly and implement them completely with time. Here is a quick review about some other necessary tips which are not discussed above;
- Commit to manage your diabetic condition with time and ensure your healthy future—one cant defeat diabetes without management and commitments.
- Why are you smoking knowing that it can risk your life? Quit smoking right now as it has a terrible impact on the overall body, especially diabetes.
- High cholesterol and blood pressure are considerable hurdles in managing diabetes; you must take necessary actions to avoid them.
- Alcohol is also a risk if consumed inappropriately. It can lower or raise blood sugar depending on the consumed amount. Men’s recommended amount of alcohol is one drink per day above 65 years of age and two drinks a day if less than 65 years of age.
- Don’t stress yourself and try to attain mental peace. Stress is not suitable for diabetes and affects the healthy future.
FAQs: Healthier Future With Type 2 Diabetes
1- How can I make my diabetes type 2 better?
Make diabetes type 2 better with efficient management, lifestyle changes, and timely medications.
2- What are three things we can do to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes?
There is a long list of to-dos to prevent diabetes; here are the three essential tips.
- Cut your sugar and refined carb, avoid such foods loaded with added sugars and calories.
- Lose weight if you are overweight.
- Be more physically active.
3- How can I get rid of diabetes permanently?
There is no permanent cure for diabetes, although you can reverse the diabetes condition. Through proper diet changes and lifestyle management, one can easily manage blood sugar levels.
4- What are the long-term consequences of diabetes type 2?
Diabetes consequences in the long term include:
- Stroke
- Foot problems
- Eye problems
- Gastroparesis
- Kidney problems
- Mental health affected
5- Can diabetes type 2 go away?
This type of diabetes can’t be cured, but efficient management can return the serum glucose levels to non-diabetes ones.
6- Can you live a healthy life with diabetes type 2?
Yes, you can enjoy an everyday healthy life with diabetes, but this depends on your efficient management strategies to overcome the blood sugar spikes.
7- Is diabetes type 2 a lifestyle disease?
To some extent, it relates to an unhealthy lifestyle. And the reversing of this condition also depends on adapting to a healthy lifestyle.
Conclusion
Diabetes can’t reverse overnight, and maybe you have to live with it throughout life. But it’s better to live a healthy diabetic life at home rather than suffering complications in hospitals. Little care and management can save you in the future. You should get your genetic testing done well in time for appropriate treatment and management of diabetes.
