Type 1 diabetes has long been referred to as juvenile diabetes. It most often begins in childhood and requires that the person suffering from it pay constant attention to their blood sugar levels and be consistent with their intake of insulin to keep those levels at a good place. It is crucial that those who have type 1 know how to take care of themselves and cope with their diabetes. For people with type 1, it can be difficult to maintain a healthy weight. This is because they are not producing insulin and therefore the sugar in their blood is unable to enter into their cells where it is converted into the energy that helps breakdown food into the nutrients it needs. Yet, if correctly handled and dealt with the life expectancy of type 1 diabetics can increase by more than 15 years.
One way to deal with this particular type of diabetes is to make sure that you are consuming a balanced diet. Along with a balanced diet, a diabetic should always have a readily available source of sugar on them at all times. An example of that could be: hard candy, soda, or a fruit drink. This is a quick way to raise a person’s blood sugar levels if they get too low.
Candies, such as these, are easy ways to quickly raise a low blood sugar level.
How can you tell if they are too low? Generally, the symptoms are sweating, blurred vision, shakiness, hunger, or weakness. If a diabetic experiences any of these symptoms, they should immediately eat some sugar, if there is nothing else available, in order to manage their blood sugar and keep the levels from dropping too low.
Another major factor to consider is physical exertion. When a diabetic knows they are going to work out or are going to physically apply themselves to something, they must alter their insulin intake accordingly. Jane Brody, a leading journalist on health related topics, in her New York Times article entitled “More Ways to Cope With Type 1 Diabetes and Low Blood Sugar” cautions diabetics saying, “Overexertion without a compensatory reduction in insulin can result in potentially fatal insulin shock.”
The best way to keep track of blood sugar levels is to constantly check it using a blood sugar monitor. It is a simple device and is crucial to the well being of any diabetic. All it requires is a small prick of the finger, just enough to draw a drop of blood, and then The blood is then placed on a small test strip and is examined by a small monitor which gives the result of the test in a matter of seconds. Coping with type one diabetes may be hard at first, but once the necessary adjustments are made, it becomes much easier.
[...] are many different ways, as have been previously mentioned, to measure your blood sugar levels when you are diabetic. None of them are terribly pleasant, but they are [...]