Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disease that occurs when your blood glucose levels are too high. If you are diagnosed with diabetes you need to follow a different lifestyle maintaining a proper diet and taking appropriate medicines. Patients should also make sure to maintain their blood sugar levels, lipid levels, and body weight, etc. If it is not treated properly it can lead to many other long-term health issues such as kidney damage, microvascular and macrovascular complications, diabetic neuropathy, etc.
If you are already following your routine that is recommended by your doctor properly then during this quarantine it might be hard to continue to follow the routine properly due to the sudden change in the situation. This can lead to both physical and mental problems, you might find it hard to adapt to the new environment following your routine. So here are some simple steps in Diabetes care that you can follow during this quarantine to avoid discomfort or problems.
Exercise Regularly:
This is one of the important steps in diabetes care. During the quarantine people with diabetes are encouraged to exercise regularly to control blood sugar levels and also to maintain their weight. Exercising helps in reducing blood glucose levels and increase insulin sensitivity. If your insulin sensitivity is increased then your cells can make better use of the available sugar in your blood. Exercising can also reduce the risk of any cardiovascular disease. You can also take up other physical activities like doing household chores such as gardening, cleaning, etc. If your muscles are involved in any physical activity it can use more glucose and the muscle movement can lead to lower blood sugar levels. The best time to exercise is 2 to 3 hours after eating. During the quarantine, you can follow at-home exercises like jogging, running, weight lifting, etc for at least 30 minutes per day. But do not forget to check your blood sugar levels before and after involving in any physical activities. This will help you can change the activities you are involving in according to how your blood sugar levels are reacting.
Proper Food:
Blood glucose is the main source of energy that comes from the food you take. The insulin hormone released by the pancreas helps to take the glucose from the food you eat and get into your cells and then convert them into energy. But if your body doesn’t produce enough insulin the blood sugar will remain in your blood and doesn’t reach your cells and eventually having too much blood sugar can cause health issues. So it always important to choose the right food to eat.
Anxiety and Stress Management:
This step of diabetes care doesn’t seem like a big issue but is very important. This quarantine can be very much stressful as you are locked down in a small place where you need to isolate yourself without going out and meeting your loved ones. This makes the situation worse and can cause anxiety to people, and if you have diabetes then it can make you exercise less, drink more, eat unhealthy food, not watch your diabetes closely, etc. This will increase your insulin sensitivity and can make the situation even worse. So it is your responsibility to take control of your daily activities. You can follow these things to manage your stress and anxiety:
- Practice mindfulness and meditate.
- Try breathing exercises.
- Spend time with your family.
- Have 8 hours of sleep and not more than that.
We have listed top 3 Diabetes care tips to follow during this quarantine but other than these there are some simple steps that can be followed to make a bigger change.
- You can take this time of quarantine to get rid of the smoking habit, it can help you control blood sugar levels better.
- Intake adequate water, it will increase the concentration of glucose in your blood.
- Make sure to have enough stock of your medicines.
- Make sure to track your weight and blood sugar levels closely.
