From everydayhealth.com
Adding medication to your treatment plan can help lower your blood sugar levels, but you may need to change some daily lifestyle habits, too
If you have type 2 diabetes, you probably already work with a doctor and diabetes care team to keep your blood sugar levels under control. Your treatment plan may include medication, blood sugar monitoring, dietary changes, and more. But type 2 diabetes is a progressive condition, which means that as time goes on, the treatment methods that initially worked can stop being as effective as they once were, according to the American Diabetes Association.
“The mechanics behind what causes the progression of diabetes is complex, but one key factor is insulin resistance,” says Omar El Kawkgi, MD, an endocrinologist with Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. With diabetes, he explains, “The body builds a tolerance to [the hormone] insulin, making it less effective at reducing blood sugar; when this happens, more insulin is needed to control blood sugar.”
This means people with diabetes may find it harder to control their condition over time and need to take more medications as it progresses.
That’s where healthy lifestyle habits come in, Dr. El Kawkgi says. By keeping your weight in a healthy range, eating a good diet, and exercising regularly, for instance, it’s sometimes possible to keep diabetes from progressing. Here are a few lifestyle changes to make.
Lifestyle Habits to Adopt When Stepping Up Diabetes Treatment
“Diabetes is not a ‘set it and forget it’ condition,” explains Eugene Arnold, CDCES, a clinical dietitian specialist and certified diabetes educator as well as the program manager for the self-management training program at Johns Hopkins Comprehensive Diabetes Center in Baltimore.
To manage type 2 diabetes in the long run, you need to do three things, says El Kawkgi:
- Eat a healthy diet.
- Exercise regularly.
- Manage your stress levels.
Exercising regularly and eating healthy, for instance, helps ward off obesity, which increases insulin resistance, according to a review published in December 2018 in the journal Comprehensive Physiology. “Extra fat tissue causes inflammation and other stresses on the body that changes the way that cells respond to insulin, making it harder for insulin to work,” Arnold says.
You don’t need to make all these changes at once, he says. Instead, focus on meeting one goal at a time. Here are four steps to start implementing in your day-to-day routine. They can help you step up your type 2 diabetes treatment if your current plan is no longer working.
Focus on your food choices. There is no single "diabetes diet" that fits all needs, so it’s important to work directly with a dietitian and doctor to individualize your diet, according to El Kawkgi.
“One way to focus on eating healthy is to turn your attention on making healthy food choices and controlling portion size,” he notes. Generally speaking, diets high in the following can help control blood sugar and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, which is higher among people with diabetes:
- Nutrient-rich, non-starchy vegetables, such as asparagus, broccoli, carrots, celery, green beans, mushrooms, and tomatoes
- Lean proteins, such as chicken, turkey, and fish
- Plant-based proteins, such as tofu, lentils, and hummus
- Fibre-rich carbohydrates, such as whole grains
Amp up your exercise. If you’re not moving your body on a regular basis, El Kawkgi says it’s time to find a form of exercise you can feel good about doing. “In terms of physical activity, the American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity or 75 minutes per week of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity,” he says.
Getting active is one of the best tools for fighting insulin resistance. “Exercising uses our muscles to absorb sugar from the bloodstream, helping blood sugar come down without having to rely on insulin,” El Kawkgi explains. “Weight loss can also slow down insulin resistance, making the cells more sensitive once again to insulin.”
Rein in your stress. If you’ve been grappling with increased stress, it could be affecting your diabetes management. That’s because stress can not only spike your blood sugar levels, but also increase your blood pressure and speed up your heart rate, according to Cleveland Clinic.
Stress management is important. “Stress plays a large role in our ability to manage chronic conditions, as it impacts our emotional well-being, interrupts our sleep, and can be a trigger for various unhealthy habits,” El Kawkgi says.
Know what to ask your doctor. This isn’t a lifestyle habit, per se, but it’s important to establish good communication with your doctor and other members of your type 2 diabetes care team about your treatment plan. “You should discuss how to safely begin a treatment plan that includes a healthy lifestyle focused on medications when necessary, eating healthy, physical activity, and stress management,” El Kawkgi says. Some key questions he encourages patients to bring up at their appointment include:
- What medications are best for me?
- What can I eat as part of a healthy diet? Are there any other foods I should avoid?
- What are your recommendations on an exercise plan for me?
- What strategies can help me cope with stress?
Arnold also suggests that you talk to your healthcare provider about glucose monitoring options. “Many insurance plans will cover less invasive glucose monitoring devices (continuous glucose monitors) that can provide valuable, real-time feedback on glucose readings,” he says. “These are very helpful when it comes to learning how meals and snacks impact blood glucose. It is extremely difficult to maintain lifestyle changes without knowing if your strategy is working.”
https://www.everydayhealth.com/type-2-diabetes/stepping-up-lifestyle-changes/
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