Unfortunately, diabetes is becoming a common disease in the United States and elsewhere. Some of that is genetic since you are at a higher risk if your parents had the disease, but an unhealthy lifestyle can contribute to it as well.
When you received your diagnosis of diabetes, you had to make some immediate changes to keep your blood sugar in check. Taking prescriptions and insulin will help, but there are some things you can do right at home to stay healthy and keep your glucose levels in the right zone. But do you know exactly why that’s so important?
What Uncontrolled Diabetes Can Do
How do you know if your diabetes isn’t under control? The best way is through your testing kit. That’s why you need to regularly test your blood glucose level. But Everyday Health lists some other signs of uncontrolled diabetes you should be on the lookout for:
- Increased thirst.
- Frequent urination.
- Blurred vision.
- Extreme fatigue.
- Sores or cuts that heal slowly.
- Unexplained weight loss.
Is having such high blood sugar that bad? You know that the long-term effects include vision loss and losing sensation in your feet, but those are so drastic that it can be hard to accept them as real. Here are some other problems that come from uncontrolled diabetes:
- Difficulty using your bladder and bowels.
- Hearing loss.
- Bleeding gums and gum disease.
- Blurry vision or seeing dark spots.
- Dry, itchy, or cracked skin.
- Pain in your extremities.
- Muscle aches and pain.
Simple Changes To Your Diet
With all that can go wrong with uncontrolled diabetes, it’s not hard to see why you need to work on keeping your blood sugar in check. Besides taking prescriptions as ordered, you can do this by making some changes to your diet.
One of the most obvious is lowering the number of carbs you eat. That can be hard, especially since sugar and carbohydrates are addictive. Healthline.com has a great list of ways you can reduce your carbohydrates at home:
- Stop drinking regular soda and other sweetened drinks. These are a major source of sugar, so eliminating these can really help your diabetes.
- Cut back on the amount of bread, pasta and rice that you eat.
- Give up fruit juices like orange juice or apple juice. Although they have good vitamins, they’re also full of sugar.
- When you snack, focus on protein and fiber.
But eating well means more than cutting back on carbs. Here are some other tips for a diabetic-friendly diet:
- Eat more non-starchy vegetables like broccoli or salad greens.
- Make alcohol a rare treat, as beer and wine have a lot of carbs in them.
- Add more lean protein on your plate, especially fish rich in Omega-3 fatty acids.
Exercising With A Home Gym
Besides eating better, you need to get some exercise. Not only will this help reduce your blood sugar levels, it can keep your body healthy — and diabetics need that more than others. But you don’t have to buy an expensive gym membership. In fact, you can create a gym in your own home. Redfin explains there are a few home gym essentials to focus on, including:
- Dumbbells and kettlebells: easy to use and very versatile
- Yoga or pilates mat: makes exercising more comfortable
- Resistance bands: inexpensive and provide a lot of exercise benefits
In addition, look into apps and devices like Fitbits to help keep you motivated by seeing the results of your efforts.
Get Diabetes Under Control
Having diabetes is annoying, but there are many ways you can keep your blood sugar under control. Know the signs of high blood sugar, and make some smart choices with your diet. Then start exercising at home. This way, you can stay healthy for many years to come even with diabetes.
