8 Important Lifestyle Modifications When Starting Insulin Therapy
Insulin therapy can be an effective treatment for type 2 diabetes, but don't except it to do all the work for you. Making healthy lifestyle changes is a key part of the treatment.
your well-being often take a backseat to your hectic lifestyle? Know this: When
you're on insulin therapy for type 2 diabetes, it’s crucial that your overall
treatment plan includes some healthy lifestyle modifications.
is an imperative component for people with diabetes,” says Gregory Dodell, MD,
an endocrinologist in private practice in New York City and an attending
physician in the Mount Sinai Health System. “Getting a diagnosis of diabetes is
like accepting a new full-time job,” he says. To make your diabetes treatment
regimen successful, be sure to follow these important steps:
Test your blood sugar regularly. Monitoring your blood sugar is
critical to ensuring that your levels are in your target range, a calculation
that’s typically based on your age, type of diabetes, other medical conditions,
and even the time of day. Testing your blood sugar helps you to determine the
right amount of insulin to take as well as to understand how diet, exercise,
stress, illness, and other factors affect your blood sugar. Work with your doctor
to determine your best testing schedule and review your blood sugar and food
logs together for his or her insight and recommendations.
Educate yourself about insulin
insulin is absorbed at different speeds depending on the area of injection, it’s
important to use the same body part for daily injections, but to rotate sites
on that body part,” says David Bradley, MD, assistant professor in the division
of endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism at the Ohio State University Wexner
Medical Center in Columbus. “In general, insulin can be injected in the upper
arms, upper thighs, abdomen, and buttocks, with absorption being fastest in the
abdomen, then the arms, thighs, and buttocks.” But be sure to choose an injection
site at least a finger’s width away from the last one to avoid creating lumps
or fat deposits.
Eat a diabetes-friendly diet. Not only is a variety of nutritious
food necessary for good health, but it can also assist in managing type 2
diabetes. What you eat, especially when it comes to carbohydrates, can
significantly affect your blood sugar levels. Carbs break down into sugars, so
spread out your intake throughout the day and balance each meal with lean protein
and fresh vegetables.
whole grains instead of refined grains, and pick sweet potatoes over white
potatoes. Watch out for unexpected sugar sources, such as high fructose corn
syrup, by reading food labels carefully. Finally, be mindful of portion control
and serving sizes. A diabetes educator or nutritionist can help.
Stick to your insulin schedule. “If you skip an insulin dose or
take it later than scheduled, your blood sugar may be too high. If you take
your insulin doses too close together, it
may be too low,” says Maire Robacker, RN, CDE, a diabetes clinical specialist
at the Scripps Whittier Diabetes Institute in San Diego. It’s also important
to eat regular meals because some insulin and oral medications are specifically
timed to work with food.
Stay hydrated. Getting enough liquids is
important to prevent fatigue as well as the confusion that can lead your body
to think it’s hungry and encourage unnecessary eating. Elevated blood sugar can
also lead to sugar being excreted in your urine and cause dehydration.
Exercise. Think of exercise as free
medicine, says Joanne Rinker, RD, CDE, a registered dietitian and certified
diabetes educator with the Center for Healthy North Carolina. “It helps
decrease insulin resistance, allowing sugar in the bloodstream to be pulled
into the cells where it can be used for fuel rather than excreted through the
kidneys,” she says. “A single bout of moderate-intensity exercise can increase
glucose uptake by at least 40 percent.” And you don’t need to run a marathon to
reap the benefits — low-impact aerobic exercises, such as brisk
walking, and strength training are good places to start. What’s more: Exercise
also benefits the cardiovascular system, helps with weight loss and
maintenance, and promotes better sleep and mood.
Be prepared. Dr. Dodell recommends that
everyone with type 2 diabetes know the symptoms of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)
— which include sweating, confusion, and hunger — and carry
some sort of sugar in case your blood sugar drops. However, if this occurs, eat
just a small amount of something sweet, such as a glucose tablet or a quarter
glass of fruit juice, so you don't overdo it and raise your blood sugar for the
rest of the day.
Keep in touch with your doctor. The American Association of
Diabetes Educators reports that about one-third of people with diabetes fail to
take their insulin as prescribed, which can lead to long-term complications
such as heart attack, stroke, and nerve damage. “Stay in regular contact with
your doctor, especially if you’re new to taking insulin, to help keep him or
her aware of any changes to your health or necessary adjustments to your medication,
and to help ensure that the insulin delivery method is being done correctly,”
Starting insulin therapy for type 2 diabetes and having to adopt
lifestyle modifications all at once can seem overwhelming at first. But with
the right education and amount of patience, it can soon become second nature to
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