If you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes, there are certain things you can do to keep your blood sugar stable. Eating a low-carb diet can help with this, as avoiding artificial sweeteners and drinking sugar-sweetened beverages. Exercise is also key. A drop in blood sugar is also considered to be a life-threatening circumstance. Therefore you should know about these unusual symptoms to keep yourself and your loved ones safe.
Eat a low-carb diet.
One of the best ways to stabilize blood sugar as a person with diabetes is to eat a low-carb diet. Low-carb diets are very different from high-carb diets. Low-carb diets are high in protein and fat, while high-carb diets are usually higher in grains and sugars. A low-carb diet can help you lose weight and improve your heart health, which can also help make diabetes less dangerous for you over time.
Don’t drink sugar-sweetened beverages.
Sugar-sweetened beverages are one of the primary sources of added sugar in our diets. A recent study showed that people who consumed one sugary beverage a day were 27% more likely to be overweight or obese than those who did not consume any. In addition, people consuming sugary drinks were also 20% more likely to have a high blood pressure than those who didn’t drink them.
It’s also important to note that sugar-sweetened beverages are linked directly to type 2 diabetes. This is because they cause spikes in your blood sugar levels and insulin production, which can lead you to develop prediabetes or type 2 diabetes if left unchecked.
Minimize coffee consumption.
Your body’s ability to regulate blood sugar levels diminishes if you consume too much caffeine. Since coffee is one of the most common sources of caffeine, it can impact your blood sugar levels. How much coffee is too much? You should be careful if you frequently drink more than four or five cups per day.
For those who don’t like to give up their morning cup of Joe, there are ways to cut down without sacrificing your daily dose of caffeine. If a regular cup isn’t enough for you to feel awake in the morning, but the thought of going cold turkey makes your heart race with fear, try brewing decaffeinated coffee instead! Or try switching things up by making tea your go-to morning beverage instead; green tea has less caffeine than black or oolong teas and comes with other health benefits, as well as being delicious!
Avoid alcohol and cigarettes.
Alcohol, when consumed regularly, can cause blood sugar levels to spike. Likewise, cigarettes contain nicotine which can cause your blood sugar level to drop within minutes of smoking one cigarette. Cigarette smoke also contains additives that are known to contribute to inflammation—a major factor in diabetes and other chronic diseases like heart disease, stroke, cancer and autoimmune disorders like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis.
Get regular exercise.
Exercise is an important part of a diabetes management plan. It helps you maintain your body weight and lower blood sugar levels but can also reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and depression.
Experts from Tandem Diabetes say, “Always pay attention to your symptoms, actively monitor your glucose levels, and treat according to your healthcare provider’s recommendations.
In general, people with type 2 diabetes should be physically active for at least 150 minutes per week. For someone who has been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, physical activity is important for reducing blood sugar levels after eating as well as helping to control any complications with their eyesight or kidneys that may come up over time.
