Balance of Food, Exercise and Medicines
What is the balance among food, exercise and medicines?
Keeping balance is key to managing your blood sugar levels. Blood sugar
levels are affected by the food we eat, the exercise we do and the activity of
the insulin in our blood. In people who do not have diabetes the body will
control this balance on its own.
When people have diabetes, their blood sugar levels rise faster, go higher
and come down slower. This happens because of a combination of not enough
insulin and the insulin is not as effective. People with diabetes have to
do the controlling work that their body used to do for them. By carefully
balancing their food, activity and medicine they can keep their blood sugar in
the normal range.
How does food affect my blood sugar?
All food will cause your blood sugar to go up. Some foods, like juice,
fruit or potatoes, will cause your blood sugar to go up quickly. Others,
like ground beef or chicken, will cause it to rise more slowly. A meal
plan with a variety of foods will keep the blood sugar level more even.
You can discover for yourself how different foods affect your blood sugar by
checking your blood sugar after eating. You will notice that sweet foods
cause your blood sugar to go higher.
How does physical activity affect my blood sugar?
Exercise usually causes blood sugar to go down. If you usually exercise
every day, but one day you do not, you will find your blood sugar higher that
day. If you usually are not very active and one day you do a lot of
exercise, you will find your blood sugar is lower. Extra activities that
you do once in a while (like raking leaves, vacuuming or mowing the lawn) will
cause your blood sugar to be lower that day.
How does diabetes medicine affect my blood sugar?
Diabetes pills and insulin shots work to lower your blood sugar. If
your dose of diabetes pills or insulin is too high, your blood sugar may go too
low. If you forget to take your diabetes medicine one day your blood sugar
will be higher.
Can other medicines affect my blood sugar, too?
Yes, some other medicines will affect your blood sugar. Be careful with
other medicines like over the counted cough syrup or cold medicines. Avoid
using medicine with sugar or alcohol listed on the label.
What else can affect the balance?
Many other things can affect your blood sugar. For example
- Loosing weight will lower your blood sugar.
- Emotional stress can cause blood sugar to go up or down.
- Illness or infection can cause blood sugar to go up.
- Changing the time you eat, exercise or take your medication will make
your sugar level change.
Why is it important to keep these things in balance?
As you may have discovered, most people feel better when their blood sugar is
stable and near the normal range. Many people say they have more energy,
can cope with stress better and feel more positive about life. Also,
people with uncontrolled diabetes are more problems with heart disease, heart
attacks, kidney failure, eye problems and blindness. If you keep your
blood sugar closer to the normal your risk of having these problems will go
down.
How can I balance all of these things?
You are in charge. You did not choose to have diabetes, but every day
you will make choices that will affect your sugar level. You will make a
choice about testing your blood sugar, the amount and kinds of food you eat, the
type of activities you do and the medications you take. The first tool you
can use to stay in balance it to plan ahead. Don't get caught off guard by
being away from home without your blood sugar test meter or your medicine.
The second tool you can use to be sure everything is in balance it to keep
good records. With a record of your blood sugar levels with a log of your
activity and food you can see how your body works. You may discover that
some certain stress at work causes you to eat some foods that send your blood
sugar up. Or you may see that walking soon after lunch will help your
blood sugar get back in range. You may find, if you are honest in
recording your feelings and thoughts, that in fact it is true that you feel
better with well controlled sugar levels.
You know it isn't easy to keep everything in balance. If you get off
track one day, review your record and learn what happened and start fresh the
next day.