6 Diabetes Self-Care Tips That Control Your Blood Sugar and Ward off Complications
Turns out you don't need to give up carbs—you just need to choose the right ones
If you’ve been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, creating a solid diabetes self-care plan is essential for managing blood sugar and preventing complications. While medication plays a role, lifestyle habits like diet, exercise and stress management are just as important. According to the Journal of Public Health Research, self-care strategies like glucose monitoring and dietary adjustments significantly reduce long-term risks. We asked three experts to share their best diabetes self-care strategies.
6 diabetes self-care tips
At-home health care is important for keeping type 2 diabetes (T2D) under control. These smart tips help do just that:
1. Monitor your blood glucose at consistent times
Woman's World Answers
Checking your blood sugar regularly is a key component of diabetes self-care. If you’re using a glucose meter, you’ll do this by pricking your fingertip and using a test strip to measure the glucose in your blood. This should be done at consistent times throughout the day, which may include:
- When you wake up
- Two hours after a meal
- Before you go to sleep
- If you experience symptoms of high or low blood sugar
“Common blood glucose monitoring mistakes are testing at random times or too infrequently,” says Raj Dasgupta, MD, a quadruple board-certified internal medicine physician and chief medical advisor for Fortune Recommends Health. This can make it harder to get an accurate picture of your glucose levels day to day, which may lead to complications.
An alternative is to use a continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) device, which tracks glucose levels 24/7 through a small sensor under the skin. The results are saved to an app on your cell phone, so you can see how your blood glucose levels change throughout the day.
2. Don’t swear off all carbs
“The biggest mistake I see with people who are newly diagnosed is that they eliminate all sugar and carbohydrates,” says Michaela Robbins, DNP, a hormone expert and health tech advisor at East x West Med. “In reality, we want them to have a steady state of glucose.”
While added sugars and refined carbs can spike your blood sugar, healthier carbohydrates like fresh fruits, veggies and whole grains play an important role in maintaining blood sugar levels. The key is to balance complex carbs with protein or healthy fats, Robbins says, such as an apple with almond butter, carrots with hummus or frozen strawberries in yogurt.
3. Add dark leafy greens to your next meal
This is an easy way to add fiber to your diet without loading up on excess carbs. “Leafy greens are great because they’re high in fiber and nutrients that can help control blood sugar,” Dr. Dasgupta says. “Fiber can help improve blood sugar levels in people with diabetes by slowing the absorption of sugar.” If you’re meal planning, make sure to incorporate a serving of leafy greens like spinach, kale, arugula or collard greens. (Discover more benefits of dark leafy greens.)
4. Take 5 minutes to de-stress
It’s no secret that managing diabetes can be stressful. “People with diabetes have many more tasks required to maintain their health than those without diabetes,” says Lisal J. Folsom, MD, medical director of the adult endocrinology division of the Wendy Novak Diabetes Institute in Louisville, KY. According to a survey conducted by the American Diabetes Association, an adult with type 2 diabetes spends an average of 234 minutes per day (almost four hours!) tackling all the components of proper diabetes management.
That can take a toll on mental health and your quality of life, Dr. Folsom adds, so make sure stress relief is part of your daily routine. “One of the techniques I use to reduce stress in my life is to take five minutes after coming home from work to do something I enjoy, like yoga, stretching, breathing, playing music, petting my dog or just sitting quietly,” she says. “This transition point allows me to reset and enjoy my time at home.”
5. Stroll around the block
Exercise is considered a first-line treatment for type 2 diabetes. According to a review of research in the American Journal of Medicine, regular exercise can help prevent or even reverse type 2 diabetes.
Physical activity helps the muscles learn to take in glucose more efficiently, Robbins says, and that can lower blood glucose levels and improve insulin sensitivity. Consistent exercise can also help with weight loss efforts, improve sleep quality and relieve stress—all of which can help with diabetes management.
Dr. Folsom recommends following the American Diabetes Association’s guideline of getting 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week, or roughly 22 minutes a day. (At that intensity, you should be able to have a conversation but not sing a song.) You can break up those minutes in whatever way fits your schedule, she adds:
- 50 minutes, 3 days per week
- 30 minutes, 5 days per week
- 22 minutes, 7 days per week
- 5-minute movement breaks every hour on workdays
You may have heard that certain exercises are particularly beneficial for managing blood sugar. For example, a study published in the Journal of Sports Science & Medicine found that walking uphill was more effective than walking downhill for improving glucose tolerance. But all three experts we spoke to agreed that it’s most important to be consistent, so choose whatever activities you’ll stick with.
“It’s easiest to maintain a regular activity schedule when we’re doing something we enjoy,” Dr. Folsom says. That can be walking your dog around your neighborhood, playing pickle ball with friends or simply having a dance break in your kitchen.
6. Make foot care a priority
Type 2 diabetes can cause a wide range of foot problems. So when it comes to your diabetes self-care routine, don’t overlook your feet.
Over time, high blood sugar can cause nerve damage in the feet, which can lead to a painful condition called diabetic neuropathy. Some people may also experience numbness in the feet, which can lead to cuts or blisters going unnoticed. (Around 15 percent of people with diabetes experience open sores or ulcers on the feet.) Diabetes also affects circulation, which can make any wounds on the feet slow to heal.
Taking care of your feet can help you sidestep (no pun intended) some of the most common foot problems. “Comfortable, supportive shoes, gentle foot stretches and checking your feet daily can help a lot,” Dr. Dasgupta says. “If the pain is tough to manage, it’s worth talking to a doctor about other ways to get relief.”
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