When you first get diagnosed with diabetes, your doctor is going to provide a lot of
information about managing your disease. This includes treatment options from
monitoring your blood sugar and taking medication, to changing your lifestyle. Here are
some treatment options available for your diabetes.
Medical Treatments
The first set of treatment options to know about if you are a woman with diabetes
includes the medical treatments. While you will also be given lifestyle treatments like
exercising more and watching your diet, it is not always enough. Depending on the
severity of your diabetes, you may also need to monitor your blood sugar and take
medications.
With monitoring your blood sugar, this often includes checking your blood sugar with a
glucose meter. These are provided by your doctor, or you can get one at a local
pharmacy. You will need to use the tool that pricks your finger, then place the dot of
blood on the machine where it indicates to do so, which will then give you a reading.
Some people also need to take insulin on a daily basis for either type 1 or type 2
diabetes
If you have type 2 diabetes, this might also include taking medications that help to
control the sugar in your blood. Metformin is one of the more common medications,
which also happens to help with other conditions related to diabetes, including PCOS.
Lifestyle Remedies
In addition to these medical treatments, your doctor will likely also recommend some
lifestyle remedies. These are very simply changes to make to your daily lifestyle to
become healthier and help with diabetes at the same time.
This of course starts with changing your diet. Stick to a healthier diet with lower fat,
lower carbs, higher fiber, and more nutrients in general. You want to get rid of the
processed, packaged, and sugary foods, so reduce your cereal, baked goods,
packaged snacks, and frozen meals. Replace them with as many whole and fresh foods
as you can get. This means plenty of fruits and veggies, nuts and seeds, whole grains,
lean protein, and healthy fats. Pay attention to the glycemic index (GI) of everything you
eat, as this will help you decide what is good to eat while on a diabetic-friendly diet.
After changing your diet, you will also need to get more exercise. This is important if you
have type 2 diabetes or gestational diabetes. You need a good amount of aerobic
exercise in particular, such as using a treadmill or elliptical, going for a walk, hiking, or
even swimming. This si also going to help you with weight loss and can improve your
sleep at the same time.