This is Part 3 of 7 Tips to Reverse Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes, tips 6 and 7.
We have the final 2 tips on how to reverse prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes, below. Number 6 may not affect you if you are not a smoker. BUT Tip number 7 affects every one of us!!! Keep reading so you know how to help yourself and your family members.
Reverse Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes, Tips 6 and 7
Tip #6: Stop Smoking
We now know that smoking is one cause of type 2 diabetes. If you smoke cigarettes, you are about 35% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than people who don’t smoke.
If you smoke and also have diabetes, you are more likely to have issues managing the disease than those who smoke and do not have diabetes. (see Footnotes 1 and 2)
Your risk for Type 2 diabetes increases as you smoke more cigarettes. (See footnotes 1 and 2)
Smoking makes Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes harder to control. You are more likely to have the following devastating issues if you smoke, and have Prediabetes or Type 2 Diabetes:
- Heart disease
- Kidney disease
- Restricted blood flow in the extremities – this means your legs and feet. This is why people with advanced diabetes get infections, and ulcers, which can lead to amputation. This is what happened to 2 of my family members. My uncle-in-law is in a rehab facility for an ulcer that will not heal because he smoked and had Type 2 Diabetes. Don’t be like them, please!
- Blindness – this happened to several of my relatives, including my skinny cousin who had out-of-control blood sugar before they realized he was losing his eyesight.
- Peripheral neuropathy – this is when you lose the feeling in your feet. This is why people with advanced diabetes are told to buy special socks and shoes. But what if you could never get to this point?
If you have diabetes and you smoke, please work on quitting. This will benefit your diabetes, starting immediately. People who have diabetes and quit smoking can better manage their blood sugar levels. They also reduce their risk of developing other serious health problems, such as heart disease. Stopping smoking is the single most important step a person with diabetes can take to improve their overall health and quality of life.
Many people we know who are smokers are also smoking in order to keep their weight down. Read more here about skinny people getting Type 2 Diabetes too.
Tip #7: Get Better Sleep –
Sleep disturbances show a link to an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes. The serious impact of this is often under-recognized.
Sleep disturbances are becoming more and more common in modern society. Sleep disorders are being diagnosed at a rapid rate. This is due to the increased prevalence of sleep disorders and their disruptive nature. It is also due to factors that can lead to sleep disturbances. These factors include poor quality of sleep, not enough sleep, and even electronic use before bed.
The most common sleep issue is not getting enough sleep. People are not in bed long enough to get the required hours they need.
About 16% of Americans have irregular sleep patterns. This can have negative consequences on productivity, mood, and alertness. It also has a direct effect on insulin resistance which leads to Type 2 Diabetes.
Various studies show that sleep problems are closely linked with insulin resistance, pre-diabetes, and diabetes. Sleep issues are also linked to an individual’s ability to maintain glucose tolerance. This means that a person who is experiencing a sleep disorder may be at an increased risk of developing these conditions.
For example, one experimental study found that when healthy volunteers were placed on a sleep schedule that did not include consistent sleep at night, their glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity decreased by a significant margin. What does this mean? It is not good. It means they became MORE insulin resistant. This leads to Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes.
You have to work on getting enough sleep. There are sleep-tracking devices that can tell you how much sleep you are getting.
Click here to read Part 1 of 7 Tips to Reverse Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes
Click here to read Part 2 of 7 Tips to Reverse Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes
Her tragic family history of Type 2 Diabetes, and her own diagnosis of prediabetes in 2021 caused her to research more deeply, leading to a passion in educating people on how to hopefully put this disease into remission.
