7 lifestyle changes to help manage Type 1 diabetes

Technology and medical advancements have made managing diabetes easier now than ever before. If you have Type 1 diabetes, here's some tips that can make this disease easier to manage.

• To deal with this chronic, potentially damaging disease, you'll need to be under the long-term care of a specialized medical team.
• They'll help you learn day-to-day management techniques to keep your blood sugar levels in normal ranges, including how to give yourself daily insulin injections.

• To determine how much insulin you need, you'll have to test your blood sugar levels several times a day.
• If levels are too high, you inject insulin. If they're too low (a condition called hypoglycemia), you eat a food with sugar, like orange juice or candy.
• Stick to a strict timetable for injections, glucose testing, meals and exercise. A chart or small portable journal can be very helpful.

• Wise diet choices will make a huge difference in how you feel.
• Some people with Type 1 diabetes gain some weight when they start insulin because their cells have been "starved" for sugar.
• Unlike Type 2 diabetes, actual obesity is rare.

• The best way to control your weight is through exercise, which may even lessen your insulin needs.
• When your body is active, its demand for glucose increases — and the glucose in your bloodstream is used up first.
• Time your injections to avoid working out when insulin is peaking. If you don't, you risk a dangerous drop in blood sugar.
• Avoid exercise if your glucose is above 16 millimoles per litre or under 5.5 millimoles per litre.
• Inject in sites distant from the muscles you exercise most intensely.
• Eat a snack 30 minutes before you work out.

• The injection location will affect your blood glucose levels.
• Insulin enters the bloodstream fastest when you inject it into the abdomen.
• It takes a little longer if you inject it into the upper arm, and even more time when injected in the thigh and buttocks.
• Shift your exact injection site regularly to avoid developing hard lumps or extra fatty deposits at that spot.

• When you lack the insulin needed to process glucose, your whole metabolism shifts as your body turns to fat stores for energy. This is called diabetic ketoacidosis.
• The metabolism shift creates waste prod­­­­­ucts called ketones that, when excessive, can lead to coma or even death.
• Get help immediately if you feel mentally clouded or have a dry mouth, extreme thirst or nausea and vomiting.

• An herb from India, known as Gymnema sylvestre, may reduce the need for insulin by improving blood sugar control.
• Be sure to tell your doctor about this or any other dietary supplement you want to take. You may need to adjust your insulin dose.
• You may also want to ask about taking B vitamins to prevent nerve damage, or the mineral chromium to lower blood sugar and cholesterol.

Ultimately, a balanced diet and regular exercise will go a long way towards regulating your diabetes. There’s no cure, but monitoring your blood sugar levels and maintaining control can dramatically reduce your risk for complications.