Planning meals, snacks and activities is critical to maintaining your target blood sugar range. But sometimes things don't go as planned and an unexpected curve ball can wind up sending your blood sugar in the wrong direction. At times like these, you'll have to problem solve and then learn from the experience to prevent something similar from happening in the future.
When you have diabetes, your body doesn't properly manage blood sugar (glucose), its main source of fuel. To keep your blood sugar level on target and avoid problems with your eyes, kidneys, heart and feet, you may need to take medication. But you also need to monitor your blood sugar to see if it's too high or too low, so that you can get it back on track and prevent long-term health problems.
Life is filled with stress from traffic jams to more serious issues such as divorce or money problems. Add in the challenges of managing diabetes, and stress sometimes can feel overwhelming. It's important to find healthy ways to cope because having a lot of stress can increase your blood sugar levels. There are many healthy ways to cope with stress so you don't turn to harmful habits such as smoking, overeating, drinking alcohol or being less active.
