A big part of care and treatment for diabetics is determined by the decisions they make as well as their financial situation. It gets challenging for some patients to navigate through these decisions especially if they do not know what to do or where to start.
The first thing is to understand what diabetes is. It is a disease that prevents the body from making and/or using insulin the way it is supposed to. Insulin is a hormone used by the body to convert food into the energy needed for our daily lives.
Research has indicated that in the United States alone, approximately 37 million people are affected by insulin. This number continues to rise every day. So, how can you use technology to manage diabetes for life? Here are things you need to do:
Monitor and Control Your Glucose
Monitoring and testing your blood sugar or glucose is an important aspect when it comes to the management of diabetes. This is because it plays a key role in your blood sugar levels and helps you understand the level of your diabetes.
However, most people are afraid of doing this while others think that it hurts to monitor their glucose levels. Well, technology has given birth to blood sugar machines, also known as glucometers, which have been very effective and are easy to use even at home.
These machines require small amounts of blood. You can use fine needles to get the blood. These needles hurt less and you should not be afraid of using them. However, consult a physician to understand the frequency at which you should check your glucose levels.
Get Life Insurance for Diabetics
Life insurance for diabetics is important especially when it comes to the financial side of managing your diabetes for life. But can you get life insurance if you have diabetes? Well, people with moderate or mild diabetes are eligible for permanent or term life insurance.
Using technology, diabetics can compare different options available from different insurance providers. Some websites allow you to compare these options as well as the cost of the insurance. You will be able to evaluate different providers are choose one that meets your requirements.
However, it might cost more or even be challenging for you to get life insurance because of your medical history or condition. You might even have to go through a medical exam or some form of underwriting several times in your life when getting life insurance.
That notwithstanding, the importance of life insurance for diabetes cannot be underwritten. It helps you financially and your loved ones can be assured of financial security in case of death.
Take Medications as Instructed
Most people think that taking medications is the easiest step in the management of diabetes. However, this is one of the things that people with diabetes overlook. For instance, a patient might argue that they do not have to take medication as long as they have controlled their sugars.
It is important to note that you also need the medications for glucose control. It is also important to note that diabetics take different types of medications with all of them working on different parts of their bodies.
For instance, you will have medication that is supposed to stimulate the pancreas to excrete a lot of insulin while other medications work on muscle cells and fat to ensure that they are sensitive to your insulin.
But how can technology help you with medication? Well, diabetics can use digitial tools and applications to monitor and alert them whenever their medication routine is not followed. They can even set up interactions with their doctors or nurses to ensure that they are notified whenever an action is taken or not taken. This can help them (the doctors/nurses) monitor the patients easily.
Monitor The Kind of Food You Take
As a diabetic, you need to make sure that you are taking the right foods and vitamins to stay in great health. This means that you need to monitor the food that you take, understanding what to limit and what more to take every day.
Unfortunately, most diabetics are often confused with the kind of diet they are advised to take. For instance, you might be told not to eat sugar, to limit bad fat while eating good fat, and so on.
However, you need to learn how different types of food affect your body and its blood sugar. To do this, you can consult a dietitian or a nutritionist to help with the planning of meals. This way, you will easily manage your diabetes for life.
Technology is doing very well when it comes to nutrition. Diabetics can use digital tools to measure the amount of nutrients that they take. For instance, if you are not supposed to take calories, then you can use an app to measure the amount of calories in the foods that you are taking. This shows how technology can help monitor the kind of food you take.
Exercise
Blood sugar (or glucose) is supposed to provide energy to your body. You require energy to exercise. This means that you will be using your glucose when exercising. Apart from lowering glucose, exercising is also important in aiding digestion, improving sleep, decreasing stress, improving circulation, and lowering blood pressure.
Most professionals recommend that you exercise for at least 150 minutes every week to maintain and promote a healthy weight. As you can see, this is not a lot of time since you need only 30 minutes every day for five days a week.
Using modern wearables interconnected with other devices, you can monitor yourself as you exercise. You can even install applications on your mobile devices that tell you how much you have exercised and how many calories, for instance, you have burned. This is made possible by advancements in technology.
Diabetes is a serious condition the world over. Fortunately, having diabetes does not mean that it is the end of life. With the steps discussed above, you can manage it for life.
