15 Popular Diabetes Myths That Might Affect Your Health Too (Part. I)
Myth #3: People with diabetes can’t exercise
Fact: Exercising is highly recommended to people with diabetes since physical activity can reduce blood sugar levels while improving the overall health.
Managing diabetes may come with a series of restrictions in terms of your diet and lifestyle choices, but physical activity is actually highly encouraged by specialists.
If you’re not used to exercising, Dr. Nosova says the best approach is to create a realistic workout schedule and increase its duration gradually. Since blood levels can fluctuate a lot during physical activity, it’s best to ask for professional advice from your doctor or a diabetes educator on when and how you should check your blood sugar according to your workout routine.
Lastly, note that your diabetes medication can also change due to working out. This is why you should let your doctor know about any modification in your routine.
Not sure where to start? Our Ultimate Beginner’s Workout Guide may offer some useful tips to make your first workout sessions more fun and useful.
RELATED: 7 Essential Breakfast Rules for People with Diabetes
Myth #4: Diabetes doesn’t cause any symptoms
Truth: There are certain early symptoms caused by type 2 diabetes, but they may be so subtle that most people just don’t recognize them.
Diabetes can be very easily detected with a blood test, so if you have any suspicions regarding this illness, make sure to contact your doctor as soon as possible (better safe than sorry, right?). But how can you know when you may be dealing with this health problem?
Most people know about the telltale signs such as feeling thirstier than usual or having more bathroom trips.
However, there are also a few less popular signs that may be caused by type 2 diabetes:
- Blurry vision
- Unexplained fatigue
- Restless sleep
To read the full list of less-known diabetes symptoms, check out our article right here.
Myth #5: You can always tell how your blood sugar level is
Fact: Usually, people feel when their blood sugar levels become dangerously low or high. However, those who have had diabetes for a while can develop a secondary condition called ‘hypoglycemia unawareness’ – or the inability to feel low blood sugar symptoms.
The most common signs of low blood sugar levels are sweating and sudden shakiness; those symptoms usually appear while you’re taking insulin or other type of medication meant to lower your blood sugar.
Deena Adimoolam, MD, New York-based assistant professor in the department of endocrinology at Mount Sinai, explains that some diabetes patients may develop hypoglycemia unawareness after a longer time of having diabetes. However, your doctor can always recommend how often you should check your blood sugar levels to make sure you’re within a normal range.
ATTENTION! If you ever experience confusion, sudden sleepiness, vomiting or blurred vision, call your doctor immediately as you may need medical assistance to manage your condition.
