Being
around other people can help you deal with the stress of managing diabetes. Check
to see if your local library or recreation center has a book club, game
night or other activities.
6 Tips for Managing Diabetes
Stress
Whether you’re working or going to school, taking care of family, spending
time with friends, or participating in community or religious activities, most
people lead busy lives. If you have diabetes, your to-do list may be even
longer, so it’s not surprising if you feel overwhelmed.
If worry, frustration, anger and burnout make it hard for you to keep up
with the daily demands of diabetes, you may have “diabetes distress.” Our
diabetes experts have these stress management tips:
- Tackle one thing
at a time. Sometimes, your diabetes
management routine may seem overwhelming. Make a list of the tasks you must do
to manage your disease each day (check your blood sugar, plan healthy meals,
take medicines, get physical activity). Work on one task at a time.
- Start with small
goals. Daily physical activity is important—but you don’t have to do it all at
once. Your goal may be to walk for 30 minutes every day. Start by walking 10
minutes once a day and gradually increase to 10 minutes three time a day.
- Don’t withdraw
from life. Don’t let your diabetes keep you from enjoying holidays, family
gatherings or parties. Talk to a diabetes educator or health care provider
about how to incorporate desserts into your meal plan without derailing
diabetes self-management goals. You can participate in activities that involve
food by counting carbohydrates. (See the link below.)
- Find others with
diabetes. Many people with diabetes have dealt with similar stress. Asking them
for tips can help you learn how to cope and feel less overwhelmed or alone.
Your health care provider may be able to tell you about diabetes support groups
in your area.
- Ask about
financial assistance. Diabetes management and care is expensive and is a source of worry for
many people. Talk to your pharmacist, diabetes educator, health care provider or drug manufacturer
to find out if financial assistance is available. Visit the link at the bottom
of this page.
- Try
something new. New adventures await! Join a book club, learn to knit or crochet,
or host a “game night” with board or card games. Many communities offer
inexpensive classes through the public library, recreation center, meetup
groups and other community gathering spots.
A Word About
Depression
Almost everyone feels stressed from time to time, but having a chronic
condition or disease increases your risk for anxiety and depression. If
feelings of sadness, worry, frustration, anger or burnout last for longer than
two weeks, talk to your health care provider.
There
is effective treatment for depression and anxiety, and it can help you enjoy your life
again.
Related Content
from the Texas Department of State Health Services
Enjoy Easter, Passover Food Despite Diabetes—by Counting Carbs!
10 tips for Thanksgiving Travel if You Have Diabetes
5 Tips for Adapting Your Diabetes Meal Plan During the Holidays
Stress-Busting Program
For More Information
MentalHealthTX
Financial Help for Diabetes Care
Chronic Illness and Emotional Distress
10 Tips for Coping with Diabetes Distress
Don’t deprive yourself! You can enjoy holiday feasts and manage your blood sugar.
Enjoy Holiday Foods Despite Diabetes—by Counting Carbs!
Whether
it’s chocolate bunnies or sponge cake, potato kugel or baked ham, everyone
wants to enjoy traditional Easter and Passover foods. If you have diabetes,
learn to “count carbs” and you can enjoy the feast and manage your blood sugar.
What is carbohydrate counting?
Since carbohydrates
affect your blood sugar more than nutrients in your food, tracking the amount
of carbs you eat helps control your blood sugar. Carbohydrate (or carb)
counting is simply keeping track of your carbs as a way of managing your
diabetes, and it allows you to occasionally eat higher carb foods.
To count the carbs in your food, you’ll need to:
- know which foods contain carbohydrates
- know/estimate the number of grams of carbohydrate
in the foods you eat
- add the grams of carbohydrate from each food you
eat to get your daily total
Canned and
packaged foods have nutritional values (including carbohydrates) and calories
on their labels. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s MyPlate online tool can also help you manage your diet, and
there are cell phone apps that can track your carbohydrate intake.
What are
carbohydrates?
Carbohydrates, proteins and fats are the main nutrients in
food and drinks. Carbohydrates include sugars, starches, and fiber.
Healthy carbohydrates, such as whole grains, fruits, and
vegetables, provide energy, vitamins, minerals and fiber. Unhealthy
carbohydrates are food and drinks that often have added sugars; they have
little to no nutrients.
Carbohydrates include:
- grains,
such as bread, noodles, pasta, crackers, cereals, and rice
- fruits,
such as apples, bananas, berries, mangoes, melons, and oranges
- dairy
products, such as milk and yogurt
- legumes,
including dried beans, lentils, and peas
- snack
foods and sweets, such as cakes, cookies, candy, and other desserts
- juices,
soft drinks, fruit drinks, sports drinks, and energy drinks that contain
sugars
- vegetables,
especially “starchy” vegetables, such as potatoes, corn, and peas
Starchy vegetables are high in starch and have more
carbohydrates per serving than nonstarchy vegetables. Nonstarchy vegetables include
asparagus, broccoli, carrots, celery, green beans, lettuce and other salad
greens, peppers, spinach, tomatoes and zucchini.
Foods that do not contain carbohydrates include meat, fish
and poultry; most types of cheese; nuts; and oils and other fats.
How many carbohydrates
should you eat?
According to
the National Institutes of Health, carbohydrates should account for about 45
percent of your daily calories from carbohydrates. Since one gram of
carbohydrate equals about 4 calories, so you’ll have to divide the number of
calories you want to get from carbohydrates by 4 to get the number of grams.
For example, if you want to eat 1,800 total calories per day and get 45 percent
of your calories from carbohydrates, you would aim for about 200 grams of
carbohydrate daily. You would calculate that amount as follows:
- 45 x 1,800
calories = 810 calories
- 810 ÷ 4 = 202.5
grams of carbohydrate
However, some
experts say carbs should make up fewer than 45 percent of your daily
carbohydrate intake.
Ideally, the
amount of carbs you eat should depend on how physically active you are and what medicines
you take to control your diabetes. Your health care provider, dietitian or
diabetes educator can help you create a personal eating plan based on
carbohydrate counting.
Texas Department of State Health Services’ Related Content
Managing Diabetes
Diabetes Prevention
and Control
Other Resources
Carbohydrate
Counting and Diabetes
Eat Well
How to Understand
and Use the Nutrition Facts Label
MyPlate
According to the Food and Drug Administration, smokers are 30 to
40 percent more likely to develop
diabetes than nonsmokers.
Stop Smoking,
Cut Your Risk for Type 2 Diabetes
Did you know you can eliminate
one of the top risk factors for Type 2 diabetes? You can—if you quit smoking. According
to the Food and Drug Administration, smokers are 30 to 40 percent more likely
to develop Type 2 diabetes than nonsmokers.
If you already have diabetes, you
could see improvements in your blood sugar levels within eight weeks of
quitting smoking. This is because your insulin becomes more efficient at lowering
blood sugar. You can also reduce your risk for heart attack and stroke.
How Smoking Affects Type 2 Diabetes
The 2014 Surgeon General’s Report
says the chemicals in cigarettes harm your body’s cells and can interfere with
their normal function. This can cause inflammation throughout the body, which
may decrease the effectiveness of insulin, the hormone that regulates blood
sugar.
In addition, when chemicals from
cigarette smoke meet oxygen in the body, cell damage can occur. Both the cell
damage and inflammation may be related to an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes.
Smoking
can also make managing the disease and regulating insulin levels more difficult.
High levels of nicotine can lessen the effectiveness of insulin, causing smokers
to need more insulin to regulate blood sugar levels. Without proper management,
diabetes can lead to health problems, including but not limited to:
- heart disease
- kidney failure
- nerve and blood
vessel damage to the feet and legs—this may lead to amputation in severe
cases
Reducing Your Diabetes Risk
Protect your health by stopping
smoking to reduce the risk of developing serious diseases like diabetes. If you
already have Type 2 diabetes, it’s never too late to stop smoking—and it may
help you manage diabetes.
It
may be challenging to stop smoking, but other people have done it and so can
you! The sooner you quit, the sooner your body can start to heal itself.
If
you want to improve blood glucose management, or you’re simply looking to quit,
talk to your healthcare provider about your options. You can also call a telephone
quit line
to get help from an expert, and online resources
are available to support you as you try to quit for good.
Texas Department of State Health Services’ Related Content
Recommit to Quit Smoking
Diabetes Prevention
and Control
Other Resources
Cigarette Smoking:
A Risk Factor for Type 2 Diabetes
Smokefree.gov
Figure 1: Blood and urine tests
will determine if you have kidney disease.
Could You Have Kidney Disease?
More than 30 million people in the U.S. have chronic kidney disease—and nine out of 10 don’t know they have it.
Kidney disease may have no symptoms in the early stages, but diabetes is a leading cause. If you have diabetes, get tested and celebrate National Kidney Month.
Who’s at risk?
People with chronic
kidney disease many not feel sick or notice any symptoms. Talk to your doctor
about being tested for chronic kidney disease if you have:
- Diabetes
(Type 1 or 2)
- High
blood pressure
- Heart
disease
- Family
history of chronic kidney disease
- Obesity
What is kidney disease?
Your kidneys—each one
about the size of your fist—are among the hardest working organs in your body.
Every 30 minutes, the two kidneys remove wastes, toxins and excess fluids from the
blood in your body. They also help
control your blood pressure and make hormones that your body needs to stay
healthy.
When your kidneys are
damaged, they can’t filter blood the way they should, which causes excess
fluids and wastes to build up in your body. According to the National
Institutes of Health, one in four adults with diabetes has kidney disease.
Kidney damage from diabetes happens when high blood sugar damages the blood
vessels in your kidneys. This usually occurs over a period of years.
Most people with kidney
disease do not have symptoms. The only way to find out is through blood and
urine tests performed by your doctor.
Chronic kidney disease
usually gets worse over time, but treatment can slow it down. If untreated, it
can progress to kidney failure and early cardiovascular disease. When the kidneys
stop working, patients must go on dialysis or have a kidney transplant. When
that happens, it’s called end-stage renal disease.
What can you do?
To help prevent chronic kidney disease and
lower your risk for kidney failure:
- Maintain
a healthy lifestyle
- See
your health care provider regularly
- Get
tested every year
- Take
medicine as prescribed by your health care provider
Ask your health care provider these questions:
- Have I been tested for kidney
disease, and how healthy are my kidneys?
- How often should my kidneys be
checked?
- What can I do to keep my kidneys
healthy?
Texas Department of State Health Services’ Related Content
Kidney Health Care
Diabetes Prevention and Control
Diabetes News You
Can Use
Other Resources
Diabetic Kidney
Disease
Chronic Kidney Disease
Preventing Kidney Disease
Chronic Kidney Disease Basics