Oct 25, 2019
If you're struggling to manage your blood sugar levels, you’re not alone. With the latest tools and strategies, you can take the right steps to manage your blood sugar, prevent serious complications, and feel your best while living with diabetes. Joining us in the studios is Brenda Conch, RN, MSN, director of Education at UHC.
1). There are many variables when it comes to controlling your diabetes, what are some that most encountered variables that a diabetic experiences?
There are 42 variables when it comes to controlling your diabetes; however, controlling all 42 variables at the same time is impossible. It is doable to focus on a handful of variables that have a disproportionately large impact for virtually everyone with diabetes. These would include the following:
- Carbohydrate quantity –reducing carbs takes out one of the largest variables in diabetes, this keeps you much safer when dosing medication, cuts your stress and worry, and lets you put diabetes in the background.
- Carbohydrate type—What can I put on auto-pilot to drive more predictability? If you can add more predictability to your diabetes routine, you can reduce the number of variables in play, and therefore, sources of error and frustration.
- Medication dose and Medication timing—Medication dose and timing are variables within my control and make a big difference on daily blood sugars. WHEN I take my medicine can matter just as much as WHAT and HOW MUCH is taken. For instance, taking mealtime insulin 20 minutes or more before eating can make a big difference on post-meal blood sugars, especially at breakfast or when eating more than 30 grams of carbs at once.
- Frequency of glucose checks—Glucose monitoring is the best way to learn what works and to guide safer diabetes driving, especially with paired checks.
2). If you are experiencing low blood sugar or hypoglycemia what can you do to regulate your blood sugar?
A good rule of thumb is the 15-15 rule—have 15 grams of carbohydrate to raise your blood sugar and check it after 15 minutes. If it’s still below 70 mg/dL, have another serving.
Repeat these steps until your blood sugar is at least 70 mg/dL. Once your blood sugar is back to normal, eat a meal or snack to make sure it doesn’t lower again. This may be:
- Glucose tablets
- Gel tube
- 4 ounces (1/2 cup) of juice or regular soda
- 1 tablespoon of sugar, honey, or corn syrup
- Hard candies, jellybeans, or gumdrops—see food label for how many to consume
Make a note about any episodes of low blood sugar and talk with your health care team about why it happened. They can suggest ways to avoid low blood sugar in the future.
Many people tend to want to eat as much as they can until they feel better. This can cause blood sugar levels to shoot way up. Using the step-wise approach of the "15-15 Rule" can help you avoid this, preventing high blood sugar levels.
3). Conversely, what can make your blood sugar rise?
An increase in blood sugar or hyperglycemia can be a result of:
- Too much food, like a meal or snack with more carbohydrates than usual
- Not being active
- Not enough insulin or oral diabetes medications
- Side effects from other medications, such as steroids, anti-psychotic medications
- Illness – your body releases hormones to fight the illness, and those hormones raise blood sugar levels
- Stress, which can produce hormones that raise blood sugar levels
- Short- or long-term pain, like pain from a sunburn – your body releases hormones that raise sugar levels
- Menstrual periods, which cause changes in hormone levels
- Dehydration
This content was originally posted on the WDTV News website here.
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