Type 2 diabetes is a tough disease. It requires constant vigilance to keep your blood sugar level under control. It also requires avoiding some common mistakes, many of which are the product of long-held bad habits.
Here are six mistakes that you should learn to avoid and what to do differently.
1. Not Knowing Your Disease
You are your own doctor 99.9% of the time, meaning that you are the one watching your diet, making sure you exercise, and taking your medication on schedule. Understanding how diabetes works will help you make better decisions about how to monitor and manage it. Classes on coping with diabetes are an excellent but underused resource.
2. Expecting Too Much Too Soon
One of the biggest hurdles in controlling your blood sugar is sticking to the necessary adjustments you must make to your eating and exercise habits. Many patients become frustrated and give up because they don’t see results right away. Most people expect something dramatic is going to happen right away. But expecting too much change right away is a mistake. So is doing too much before you are ready, especially when it comes to exercise. Start off slowly and ease into the habit.
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Also, be sure to talk with your health-care provider before starting a new exercise program, especially if you aren’t already active. He or she can help plan a routine that’s safe and effective, as well as set realistic goals.
3. Going At It Alone
There are a lot of resources out there to help you manage your disease. Don’t ignore the fact that one of the most helpful might be right there at home. Spouses, partners, friends, and family members can all make…
… excellent exercise buddies. There are other advantages to the buddy system. Enlist your spouse or significant other in your efforts to stick your medication schedule and to maintain a healthy diet.
4. Neglecting Other Problems
A lot of patients with diabetes are dealing with more than just that. Depression and stress are common among people with the disease, and both can have a negative impact on blood sugar levels. Constant stress, for example, may produce hormones that hamper the ability of insulin to do its job. Stress should be considered as a significant contributor to glycemic variation by both patients and physicians. Anything to reduce stress will improve your blood sugar.
People with diabetes are twice as likely to be depressed, and an estimated one of every three people with diabetes have symptoms of depression. The lethargy common to depression can be so discouraging that you might give up your efforts to take care of your diabetes. Not only will that make your diabetes worse, it may also intensify your depression, creating a vicious cycle.
5. Misunderstanding and Misusing Medications
Many share a common misconception when it comes to the drugs used to control their disease. They often think that medications are more powerful than diet and exercise. That’s not necessarily true. In many cases, type 2 diabetes can be controlled by a combination of a healthy diet and regular exercise without the need for medication. That’s a quick way to wreck your blood sugar level, so it’s a problem that needs to be recognize and addressed.
Be honest with your health care provider that this is an issue. Often the solution is for your doctor to change your dosing schedule to one that better suits you.
6. Making Poor Food Choices
When it comes to food and blood sugar, the big mistake is not the single candy bar that you couldn’t resist. The bigger picture matters more; unhealthy eating habits, in the long term, will have a worse effect on your blood sugar.
You may think it’s a one-time diversion, but no, it’s a consistent problem that affects your test results. The two biggest hurdles, are calories and carbohydrates. You have to control both in order to keep your blood sugar level steady.
That means keeping a diet diary to keep track of what you are eating and reading nutrition labels so that you can calculate the proper amounts of the foods you choose to eat. Failing to eat on a regular schedule is another common mistake.
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