Lifestyle changes to help you keep a check on your glucose levels
I am a caregiver to my husband & my parents who are living with diabetes for quite some time now. One thing that I have heard time and again from our doctors is that It is super essential to keep the glucose levels in the optimum range as much as possible.
This helps in preventing long-term and potentially serious health-related consequences and health problems related to diabetes such as heart disease, vision problems, kidney issues etc.
Not only this, I have seen for myself how staying in the target glucose levels range tremendously improves the energy of the person making them fit for their day to day activities.
In this blogpost, I’ll be sharing with you all some important changes that we made as a family over the years that help my parents and husband in maintaining optimum glucose levels.
Make it a LIFESTYLE:
Diabetes is a lifelong condition that can be handled effectively only by making lifestyle changes and not by temporary solutions like following a certain diet for a limited time.
The four lifestyle changes that worked wonders for us are
1)Eating Mindfully
Every single thing we consume has an effect on our glucose levels. It will either increase or decrease it. Therefore, eating mindfully is the key.
Following a healthy diet with high fiber foods, such as lettuce, cucumbers, peas and beans, along with green vegetables and fruits like oranges, raspberries, plums, apples, which are not very high in sugars, is very helpful.
It is a good idea to cut on salt and also follow a diabetic plate method ( link previous article) to help you achieve this goal.
2) Regular exercising
Exercising or working out regularly is also very crucial as it directly affects the insulin levels.
Both my parents are now 60+ and heavy exercises are not their cup of tea, but going for regular walks at a set time, completing their daily steps goals, light yogic flows and pranayama are a few things that really help them in maintaining optimum glucose levels.
3) Staying Hydrated
When my mother was first diagnosed with diabetes she used to feel thirsty all the time. Our doctor explained that she should have an adequate intake of water to alleviate the dehydration that comes with excess urination.
Drinking more water helps your kidneys flush out any excess sugar through urine.
4) Continuous Glucose Monitoring
In order to keep the glucose levels under control in the target range, it is essential to keep monitoring them.
Initially both my parents and my husband used the traditional glucometer that involved a finger prick to take the blood sample.
Last year, when I learnt about Continuous Glucose Monitoring, I introduced my family to FreeStyle Libre. I think it’s a revolutionary device and really helpful if you are someone living with diabetes.
Freestyle libre is a continuous glucose monitoring system that comes with a sensor and a reader. Know more on, https://westgateresources.com/melbet-internet-kazino-obzor-live-kazino-v-4/
The sensor can be worn on the upper arm. It works by sensing & measuring the glucose levels in the interstitial fluid that is above the blood vessels
Know More About FreeStyle Libre
Then the reader is used to scan, read and display the glucose levels.
It not only shows the current glucose levels but also gives us the data of previous days. It also shows the glucose trends with the help of indicating arrows.
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This really helps in better meal and day planning.
And all this data can also be directly shared with our doctor.
Freestyle libre has given my family freedom from the daily pricks and living fully with diabetes has become much more comfortable and easier .
This is one of the best lifestyle changes that we made in the last year and my family is really happy about it.
I hope you found this post valuable and my experience as a caregiver will help someone with diabetes.
To know more about Continuous Glucose Monitoring, visit this website.
You can buy Freestyle Libre here.
The information mentioned in this document is only suggestive/for patient education and shall not be considered as a substitute for doctor’s advice or recommendations from Abbott. Please consult your doctor for more information
Any photos displayed are for illustrative purposes only. Any person depicted in such photos is a model.
This article provides valuable insights into managing glucose levels through lifestyle changes. The tips and suggestions are practical and easy to incorporate into daily routines. Well done on offering helpful guidance for maintaining a healthy lifestyle!
Diabetes is not a disease, rather it is a condition that needs to be managed. The right lifestyle changes go a long way here. Diet and exercise are of course key. Sandy N Vyjay
As a caregiver, I so much agree with you and the tips you shared. Freestyle Libre is something that helps us a lot.
With India being nicknamed as the ‘diabetic capital’ of the world, it is essential to keep up with health and beat the disease as well as possible. I will share these tips with my father.
Diabetes can be controlled if you take your health seriously and maintain a good lifestyle. Along with it continuous glucose monitoring is a great help as well.
All the 4 points you have mentioned is essential for lifestyle change.
Continuous glucose monitoring will help to know the blood glucose level & manage accordingly.
I totally agree with you. FreeStyle Libre is a boon for caregivers. It helps them live life peacefully. If all other points mentuoned by you are taken care of then FreeStyle Libre does it’s perfectly.
I could resonate with this blog as my MiL had sugar and now my husband too has. So we keep a tab on everything from his eating to sleeping and daily monitoring of his glucose levels.
Keeping glucose levels on check is so important for a diabetic or a pre diabetic. Your post simplifies the nuances of a diabetic caregiver. Very helpful.
Monitoring glucose levels at regular intervals is a good way to take care of oneself. This device looks revolutionized thag helps to solve many health related issues.