Everything you need to know about diabetes management is in this section. Together with your health care team and information found here you’ll have the tools to maintain your health. You will also find information here about diabetes complications.
Managing type 1 diabetes:
Type 1 diabetes is a life-long condition that requires proper management, including diet, medications, lifestyle choices, doctor visits, and monitoring the disease for complications. As such, managing type 1 diabetes can be challenging to both those who have it and the people who care for them.
Type 1 diabetes is managed with:
- Insulin replacement through lifelong injections or use of an insulin pump
- Regular monitoring of blood glucose levels and a good understanding of the what the values means
- Learning the symptoms of high and low blood sugar and how to manage both
- Following a healthy diet and eating plan
- Engaging in regular physical activity
- Keeping blood glucose levels as close to target range as possible
- Effective communication and follow-ups with your diabetes healthcare team
Learn more about managing type 1 diabetes here.
Managing type 2 diabetes:
The aim of management of type 2 diabetes is to keep blood sugar levels as close to the target range as possible, to prevent both short and long-term complications. While much of the day-to-day work comes from you, your healthcare team (doctor, specialists, dietitian, and pharmacist) are essential in proper management of your diabetes.
Tips to help manage type 2 diabetes include:
- Take your medications as prescribed
- Maintain a healthy and balanced diet, including non-starchy vegetables, fruits, whole-grains, and lean proteins. Avoid unhealthy fats, sugars, processed foods and simple carbohydrates.
- Achieve and maintain a healthy weight
- Engage in exercise daily
- Monitor your blood sugar and/or blood pressure at home, as indicated by your doctor
- Understand the potential complications from diabetes, and how to prevent and manage them
- Gain support from your family, friends, or community/online support groups
Learn more about managing type 2 diabetes here.
Managing blood sugar:
A main priority for people living with diabetes is managing blood sugar. It is important to ensure your blood sugar levels are within target, and to avoid both hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia.
It is important to check your blood sugar level, because it will:
- Determine if you have high or low blood sugar at a given time
- Show you how lifestyle, foods, exercise and medication affect your sugars
- Help you and your healthcare team make lifestyle and medication changes
Learn more about managing blood sugar here.
Managing complications:
It takes work to get your diabetes under control, but it is definitely worth it. If diabetes is left untreated or improperly managed, diabetes can lead to several different complications.
Diabetes can affect nearly every organ in your body, including the:
Learn more about managing and preventing complications here.
Diabetes Management Articles
7 ways to help avoid diabetes complicationsIf you have diabetes, there are a number of strategies you can use to stay healthy and help prevent or delay complications. Read on to learn 7 ways you may be able to avoid diabetes complications, along with some strategies you can use to meet with success!
Are you following your “ABCDE’S” to prevent a heart attack or stroke?People with diabetes are two to four times more likely to have a vascular “event,” such as a heart attack or stroke. What can you do to prevent this?
Menopause and diabetesDid you know that a woman spends 30% of her life in menopause and that a third to a half of all women alive today in Canada are in menopause or peri-menopause?
Tips to manage high blood pressureMany people with type 2 diabetes have high blood pressure also called hypertension. We give you the facts about what it is and why it matters, together with tips to manage high blood pressure. All the information you need is right here!
5 ways to tailor your medication regimen that benefit youAs we age, it is common to be treated for more than one medical condition at a time, for example, diabetes, high blood pressure and arthritis. To manage these conditions, patients are often prescribed more than one medication to be taken each day. However, taking multiple medications can be challenging to work into your daily routine.
Losing it and not finding it again...achieving sustainable weight lossLosing a modest amount of weight – such as 5% to 10 % of total body weight – can improve the body’s ability to lower blood glucose levels and reduce heart disease risk factors.
Managing high blood sugar levelsHigh blood sugar levels, officially known as hyperglycemia, occur when the body has too little insulin or can’t use the insulin that it makes properly.
What your blood sugars can and can’t tell youYour blood glucose meter is an important tool in your diabetes management. Its main purpose is to record your blood sugar at a particular time – whether you’re in a fasting state (before a meal), after a meal or during the night.
The impact of food choices on blood sugar levelsUnderstanding how food choices affect your blood sugar is a valuable skill to have, because it reduces your risk of developing long-term complications of diabetes.
Get motivated to manage type 2 diabetes!A diagnosis of diabetes doesn’t mean that you can’t live life to your fullest, so take charge, fight back and manage your diabetes.
