Diabetes is a difficult illness to live with because of the various ways it can affect your health. Not only that, managing diabetes requires patients to make significant lifestyle and dietary changes to manage. And what’s more? Failure to follow the guidelines diligently increases your risk of diabetes complications, which can even be fatal, if not detected early. So, to help you manage your diabetes and avoid health complications that surround it, here are the top 10 diabetes care tips that will help you manage diabetes.

Top 10 Diabetes Management Tips To Help You Avoid Complications

Stop smoking

Smoking is injurious to your health, that’s not exactly news. However, when you have diabetes, smoking increases your risk for a number of diabetes complications. And over time, if you don’t stop smoking, it can be lethal for your health. Some of the most common complications caused in diabetes patients due to smoking are mentioned below.

• Nerve damage: When you have diabetes, nerve damage is one of the complications that can arise from it. And smoking increases your risk of diabetes related nerve damage known as diabetic neuropathy.
• Heart damage: Your cardiovascular system is seriously under risk when you have diabetes and smoke on top of that. The possibility of you getting heart attacks or strokes increases significantly, unless you stop smoking and get your diabetes under control.

Lower your alcohol intake

Alcohol, similar to smoking, damages your health significantly more when you have diabetes already. It is recommended that to manage your diabetes, you should try and quit drinking to the best of your abilities. However, if you want to have an occasional drink, here are some pointers you should follow.

• Always have some food with your drink or drink with your meals.
• Limit yourself to 1 drink a day for women and 2 drinks a day for men at the most.
• Remember to calculate the calorie count of your alcohol into your daily calorie intake.

Avoid fried food as much as possible

Everyone likes the occasional fried snack and some more than others. However, if you have diabetes, fried food will not be in the list of best food for diabetes control. This is mainly because fried food causes an increase in your cholesterol levels, which puts your heart at risk. 

High cholesterol levels cause cholesterol build up in your blood vessels, which can block the blood supply to different parts of your body. Additionally, fried food is high in calories and provides limited nutritional benefits for your health. So, cutting down on it is best for your health when you have diabetes.

Get regular eye checkups

Diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma are two eye conditions that can be directly caused by uncontrolled diabetes. They are incredibly dangerous for your central vision and can even lead to complete blindness if left untreated. 

Glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy are the leading causes of blindness among adults in most parts of the world. Given it is a difficult disease to diagnose early, you need to be extra vigilant with your eye health to make sure you are not affected by these conditions.

Keep your stress levels in check

Stress can have a number of negative effects on your health, but none more so than pushing up your blood pressure levels. High blood pressure levels are bad for your health as is, but when you have diabetes, the damage from hypertension can be much more serious and quick. 

This skyrockets your risk for heart attacks or strokes, which can be fatal. So, managing your stress and trying anything that helps you be calmer and less anxious is crucial for you to be healthy with diabetes.

Take care of your lower extremities

Diabetes increases your risk of infections in the body and it can also lower the blood flow to your legs, especially your feet. Continued limited blood flow can cause nerve damage in your feet, which causes you to lose sensation in your feet. When you get cuts or nicks in your feet, it can lead to serious infections that will be harder to treat due to the diabetes. Here are some ways you can best take care of your feet.

• Maintain excellent foot hygiene which includes washing your feet every day with lukewarm water.
• Clean in between your toes and remember to dry your feet gently. Drying your feet too hard can cause dry skin, which can lead to infections.
• Moisturize your feet daily with petroleum jelly or cream, but don’t moisturize between your toes.

Focus on an active lifestyle

An active lifestyle is crucial in avoiding diabetes complications. Exercising regularly can help you keep your cardiovascular health in check. It has other benefits too like 

• Helping lower your stress levels
• Helping maintain your blood pressure
• Improving blood flow across the body
• Making you feel happier in general

Do note that exercising doesn’t necessarily mean you have to hit the gym, you can just go for a walk daily or do freehand exercises or yoga at home. These small steps are also enough to help you be active.

Brush twice a day

The daily routine for diabetic patients should include brushing twice a day. This is mainly because diabetes makes you more likely to get gum infections, which will be harder to treat. To protect yourself against this damage, try using a fluoride-rich toothpaste and flossing regularly.

Keep your weight in check

A healthy body weight is crucial to keep yourself safe from diabetes complications. Being obese or overweight increases your risk for diabetic complications significantly. Diabetes also causes obesity and it can negatively affect your health. The key is to exercise regularly and maintain a healthy weight as directed by your doctor based on your age, sex, and height.

Be committed to the routine

Diabetes is unfortunately a lifelong battle. To live healthily with this condition, patients need to take action themselves and follow all the steps mentioned above to live healthily. So, committing to the routine is crucial to maintaining your health. 

Changing your life and making changes suddenly can take a toll on your mental health. So, if at any point you are feeling overwhelmed, feel free to seek help. It will help you cope with your problems and remain committed to the routine.

Conclusion

Make sure you follow these 10 tips to keep your diabetes under control and avoid any health complications. As mentioned previously, if at any point you feel overwhelmed, don’t forget to seek help. We at MASSH are always just one click away from helping you with any health condition. Our specialised treatment process will help you heal quicker and even prevent further complications. Check out our website to learn more about our treatments or book an appointment today. Remember, you are not alone in this journey, we are there, right beside you.