National Diabetes Month is an annual event each November to boost awareness about the risk factors, symptoms, and types of diabetes. If you have been recently diagnosed with Type 1 or Type 2 or are considered prediabetic, National Diabetes Month is the perfect opportunity to learn more about this disease and what you should do next.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 1 in 3 adults in the United States has prediabetes – a condition that increases one’s risk for developing Type 2 diabetes. The CDC also estimates that 96 million American adults have prediabetes. If left untreated, both conditions can lead to serious health problems, including heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, blindness, and amputation.
This month is about educating people about how diabetes affects the body and what we can do to prevent it from getting worse, treating it when it does get worse, and steps we can take towards living healthier lives now before things get out of hand later down the road.
This year’s focus is on managing diabetes by building your healthcare team.
Diabetes is a disease that occurs when your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is too high. It affects about 37 million Americans, including adults and youth. Diabetes can damage the eyes, kidneys, nerves, and heart and is linked to some types of cancer.
Working with healthcare professionals who can offer you the personal care you need may help improve your health. And while it takes a team to manage diabetes, remember that you are the most crucial participant in your diabetes care.
Here are some tips to help you manage diabetes and build your healthcare team from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases:
Learn as much as you can about your disease and talk with your primary care provider about how you can get the support you need to meet your goals.
Take steps to improve your health. Talk with your primary care provider about how to manage your diabetes, follow the ABCs, and create a diabetes care plan. Research has shown that taking action soon after diagnosis can help prevent diabetes-related health problems such as kidney disease, vision loss, heart disease, and stroke. If your child has diabetes, be supportive and positive. Please work with your child’s primary care provider to set specific goals to improve your overall health and well-being.
A team of health care professionals can tailor your care for your specific needs. Besides a primary care provider, your health care team may include a nutritionist and a certified diabetes educator. Ask your primary care provider if you should talk with other health care professionals about your diabetes.
Set a goal and try to be active most days of the week, and follow a diabetes meal plan. Choose fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, tofu, beans, seeds, and non-fat or low-fat milk and cheese. Consider joining a support group that teaches techniques for managing stress and ask for help if you feel down, sad, or overwhelmed. Sleeping for 7 to 8 hours each night can help improve your mood and energy.
Do you want to live healthier? If so, here are some tips on how to do just that.
First, review your habits. Are you getting enough sleep? Fatigue can cause a resistance to the insulin your body needs — and daytime tiredness can stop you from getting some life-saving exercise. Drink more water because dehydration keeps your body from functioning well. Be adventurous and add some new veggies and fruits to your diet to help keep those hunger pangs at bay.
Next, get a checkup at least once every year — whether it's with your primary care physician or endocrinologist. This will help ensure that any problems with your diabetes are caught early on before they become unmanageable.
Drink more water because dehydration keeps your body from functioning well. If you are dehydrated, then your metabolism will slow down because you will be trying hard to conserve water to keep going. Dehydration also causes constipation which leads to further problems with digestion and absorption of nutrients from food.
Knowing your diabetes ABCs will help you manage your blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol. Stopping smoking if you smoke will also help you manage your diabetes. Working toward your ABC goals can help lower your chances of having a heart attack, stroke, or other diabetes problems.
The A1C test shows your average blood glucose level over the past 3 months. The A1C goal for many people with diabetes is below 7 percent. Ask your health care team what your goal should be.
The blood pressure goal for most people with diabetes is below 140/90 mm Hg. Ask what your goal should be.
You have two kinds of cholesterol in your blood: LDL and HDL. LDL or “bad” cholesterol can build up and clog your blood vessels. Too much bad cholesterol can cause a heart attack or stroke. HDL or “good” cholesterol helps remove the “bad” cholesterol from your blood vessels.
Ask your health care team what your cholesterol numbers should be. If you are over 40 years of age, you may need to take a statin drug for heart health.
Not smoking is especially important for people with diabetes because both smoking and diabetes narrow blood vessels. Blood vessel narrowing makes your heart work harder. E-cigarettes aren’t a safe option either.
If you quit smoking:
If you smoke or use other tobacco products, stop. Ask for help so you don’t have to do it alone. You can start by calling the national quitline at 1-800-QUITNOW or 1-800-784-8669. For tips on quitting, go to SmokeFree.gov.
Keeping your A1C, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels close to your goals and stopping smoking may help prevent the long-term harmful effects of diabetes. These health problems include heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, nerve damage, and eye disease. You can keep track of your ABCs with a diabetes care record (PDF, 568 KB) . Take it with you on your healthcare visits. Talk about your goals and how you are doing, and whether you need to make any changes in your diabetes care plan.