Managing Blood glucose
Measures taken to control blood glucose vary from person to person. There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach. However, there are a variety of options available and a person with
diabetes can get the best possible combination by working closely with their diabetologist and the rest of the team. Previously, if one medication did not work well insulin was used. Now a days, doctors have the option to mix and match different medicines to help control blood glucose levels.
The first step in managing Type 2 diabetes is by eating the right food, losing weight, and exercising.
Exercise. Type 2
diabetes responds to regular exercise . Exercise makes the insulin work better. It also helps to lose weight, thereby lowering blood sugar.
A brisk walk for 30 minutes a day or any other moderate exercise is very important. In addition to exercise, physical activity at home or at work is required because a sedentary lifestyle does not help blood glucose control.
Consult your doctor about how you can exercise safely and be aware of the precautions you need to take to adjust medication for exercise.
Eat right. A healthy diet keeps your blood sugar in good control. The basics of a healthy diet include eating less saturated fat, salt, and sugar and at least 5 portions of fruit and veggie a day. Your dietitian or
diabetes educator will explain how food affects your blood sugar and will help you to plan meals according to your customs and lifestyle.
Ease stress. Stress prevents the release of insulin. As a result, glucose begins to pile up in your blood and long term stress raises sugar levels. Identify the cause of stress and work towards overcoming it.
Regular exercise and relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation, tai chi, and breathing exercises can help reduce stress.
Lose weight. Overweight and obesity interfere with good control of blood glucose. Consult your doctor or certified dietitian about how you can lose weight in a healthy manner.
Sometimes, these measures are not enough to lower blood glucose levels to the normal range. The next step is taking medicines that lower blood glucose levels.
- Oral medications can control blood sugar. They work in different ways by
- Decreasing the amount of glucose released from the liver,
- Stimulating the pancreas to release more insulin right after a meal,
- Making the body more sensitive to the effects of insulin ,
- Slowing the absorption of carbohydrate into blood stream after eating, or
- Providing a feeling of fullness after a meal.
It has been observed that some oral medications work well in the beginning but slowly lose their efficiency over a period of time. This is when insulin is introduced into the treatment plan. Nowadays, there are a lot of new combinations of medicines to choose from.
If the insulin you take isn't enough to lower high blood sugar, your doctor may suggest some changes such as
- Increasing your insulin dose.
- Using fast-acting insulin before meals to help with post prandial blood sugar.
- Using a long acting insulin once or twice a day to help control blood glucose
- Using an insulin pump to make it easier to control glucose levels.
Sometimes high blood glucose can be due to other reasons such as insulin resistance. This happens when your body doesn't respond as well as it should to the insulin it makes, or if you are using a drug for another health problem that interferes with insulin action, or by injecting insulin into the same place every time which can affect how well the hormone is absorbed.
Whatever the cause of your high blood sugar, consult your diabetologist and the diabetes team to find what suits you the best.
