How to manage diabetes

Recently, Manulife Canada has published alarming results about situation with diabetes in Canada.

Up until the early 20th century, diabetes was a fatal disease. Canada was the country where insulin was developed. A treatment was discovered in 1921, when a Canadian team of researchers – Frederick Banting, Charles Herbert Best, John J.R. Macleod, and James Bertram Collip succeeded in isolating and purifying insulin.

Diabetes is on the rise in Canada

Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases affecting people living in Canada, and continues to be on the rise. Today, 100 years after, Canada is among worst countries in the world for diabetes cases per capita. 11 million Canadians – nearly 1 in 3 – live with pre-diabetes or diabetes, a figure that has doubled since 2000. And the number of young Canadian workers aged 18-34 suffering with mental illness and diabetes has increased by 13-27% for the last year or two.

How daily routine affects blood sugar

Diabetes management requires awareness: you have to know what makes your blood sugar level rise and fall and how to control these day-to-day factors. There are small steps you can take to help better manage the condition. Some key areas to focus on are nutrition, exercise, and monitoring.

Nutrition

 Decrease the size of your meals

When people are diagnosed with diabetes, first things they jump to are what type of foods they should start or stop eating. However, diabetes is not only about what you eat but mostly about how much you eat. A simple first step you can take is decreasing the size of your meals.

Eating smaller and more frequent meals throughout the day will help prevent peaks and lows in blood sugar. You’ll have an easier time maintaining both weight and blood sugar with smaller meals.

Be considerate with what you eat

Getting personal advice from a healthcare professional is best, but here are some general food recommendations to help your diabetes management.

Choose whole grains where possible because they have more fibre and take longer to digest in your body. This reduces the number of blood sugar peaks and crashes you might experience.

You should also choose low-calorie produce. Not all produce is created equal. Look for bright and deep-coloured fruits and vegetables. These produce options tend to be fewer calories with higher nutrition:

• spinach
• green or red lettuce
• tomatoes
• carrots
• broccoli
• squash
• sweet potatoes

Think about what you drink

You should be mindful of what you’re drinking and how it may impact your blood sugar. Try to avoid sugary soft drinks and juices. Instead, drink water or unsweetened coffee or tea rather than beverages containing corn syrup and high sugar content.

Exercise

Exercise is another essential component of diabetes management. It can seem overwhelming to figure out where to start or how to get to your fitness goals. Start small. Do not overexert yourself. The recommended amount is to start with 20 minutes of exercise about three times a week. If you push yourself too hard, you’ll burn out on your exercise routines. It is essential to start small and create manageable consistency. Small increases in physical activity are all it takes. Over time you can try for the Health Canada recommendation of 2.5 hours of activity every week

Know your numbers

Monitoring your blood glucose levels is an essential component of diabetes management. Understanding your blood sugar level, and how your body reacts, is vital. It can empower you to better manage your diabetes.

Your blood sugar should ideally be between two points, a high (often 10 mmol/L) and a low (often 4 mmol/L).

Many blood sugar readings will give you a snapshot at a specific time, but it’s also important to know how you’re doing over the long term. Your lab blood test for HbA1c level will provide a broader view on how your managed your blood sugar over the past three months. Reducing these levels (HbA1c) by just 1% can reduce the risk of diabetes-related stroke, heart attack, and death.

Low blood sugar

Low blood sugar can cause these symptoms:

• Fast heartbeat
• Shaking
• Sweating
• Nervousness or anxiety
• Irritability or confusion
• Dizziness
• Hunger

Be aware of these signs and take steps accordingly when your blood sugar drops. Keep sugar tablets or high sugar juices readily available when you get signs of low blood sugar. Wait about 15 minutes and check your blood sugar again to see if you have come back into range.

Higher levels of blood sugar

Higher levels of blood sugar may not have as clear physical signs. But keep an eye out for these symptoms:

• Tiredness
• Increased thirst and a dry mouth
• Needing to pee frequently
• Blurred vision
• Unintentional weight loss
• Recurrent infections include thrush, bladder infections (cystitis) and skin infections

If you notice these symptoms, you should monitor your blood sugar more frequently. This can help you understand the situations or circumstances when your blood sugar spikes high.

These small considerations for nutrition, exercise and monitoring can make a big difference in managing your diabetes.