3 Reasons Controlling Your Diabetes Is So Important

Diabetes is an incredibly common condition that happens when your blood sugar levels are too high. It’s able to develop when your pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin or when your body doesn’t respond to insulin like it should. 

Diabetes is typically a lifelong — or chronic — condition that affects about 11% of the United States population. There are several types of diabetes, with the most common being type 1 and type 2 diabetes. 

At HealthStone Primary Care Partners located in Hollywood, Florida, our team specializes in the management of long-term health conditions like diabetes. We want to discuss why controlling your diabetes is so important for you and review a few ways you can manage your diabetes.

Complications of diabetes

If your diabetes is left unmanaged for too long, your blood sugar levels will be too high. When this happens, it can cause damage to your body’s tissues and organs due to the fact that your blood vessels and nerves have been damaged. 

It’s important to control your diabetes in order to keep the following three complications from arising:

1. Cardiovascular issues such as heart attack and stroke
2. Nerve problems that cause numbness and pain
3. Kidney disease

Having diabetes can also put you at a higher risk for developing mental health conditions such as depression or anxiety.

How to manage your diabetes effectively

Because having diabetes can lead to other health complications, it’s important to find ways to keep it under control. Here are some great ways you can work on to manage your diabetes:

Exercise regularly

Exercise is a part of any healthy lifestyle. As an added bonus, for those living with diabetes, exercise can help your body use insulin more effectively. 

You should aim to exercise for about 30-minute increments anywhere from four to seven times a week. If you don’t lead an active lifestyle, you can start slow. Take the stairs rather than the elevator or try to walk over your lunch break. These are all great ways to stay active and improve your health.

Eat a well-balanced diet

Having diabetes doesn’t mean you can’t eat a large variety of foods. Try to eat a lot of non-starchy vegetables, beans, berries, nuts, and lean protein. You’ll want to also stick to foods that aren’t processed and are made from whole grains.

Reduce stress

Studies have shown that when you’re stressed, you’re less likely to exercise and eat a healthy diet. High stress levels can also raise your blood sugar levels and make you more resistant to insulin. You can try managing stress by practicing meditation or replacing negative thoughts with positive ones. 

Because diabetes puts you at such a high risk for cardiovascular issues, it’s also important to manage your weight, cholesterol, and blood pressure and keep them at a healthy level.

If you’d like to schedule an appointment with our team in order to have help with managing your diabetes, don’t hesitate to contact us. You can do this by calling our friendly staff at 954-466-0850 or by using our online booking tool today.