Monday, August 31, 2009

Insufficient sleep contributes to diabetes

Sleeping and diabetes are related. Short sleep is known to contribute to the development of insulin resistance and reduced glucose tolerance. This has been established by a new study, which has been published in The Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

The researchers subjected a group of healthy middle-aged men and women to two 14-day period of controlled living with free access to food and 5.5 or 8.5 hour of sleep.

It was seen that when the sleeping hours was reduced from 8.5 hours to 5.5 hours, they showed changes in their response to two common sugar tests, which were seen to be similar to those seen in those with an increased risk of developing diabetes.

Plamen Penev of the University of Chicago and a senior author of the study has said that the westernised style combined with reduced sleep might contribute to the increased risk of many overweight and sedentary individuals developing diabetes.

He says it is not just a healthy life style and healthy eating habit that is needed to control diabetes, but one should also have good sleep.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

If diabetic, have proper eye care

Diabetes, the killer disease, is known to affect many parts of the body. Diabetes can affect the eye, heart, nervous system and kidney. It is better that a diabetic person is always under the watch of a doctor.

A diabetic person is at more risk of vision problems than others. It has been said that a diabetic person has more than 40 per cent of chance to get glaucoma. If one is diabetic for more years, then the risk is even higher.

People with diabetes are also at greater risk to get cataract at a young age. They can experience optic nerve problems and also temporary paralysis of muscles controlling movement of eyes.

Well, the most complicated one is diabetic retinopathy, which is caused because of the complications in the small vessels in the retina. Diabetic retinopathy is a burning issue now. Nonproliferative and Proliferative are the two types of diabetic retinopathy. Nonproliferative Retinopathy is a condition in which the blood vessels in the retina are damaged that leads to fluid leek or bleeding. Proliferative Retinopathy is an advanced stage of diabetic retinopathy. It is a condition in which the blood supply of retina is compromised.

If you are diabetic, it is better to keep the blood sugar levels under tight control so as to prevent eye problems. Try to bring high blood pressure under control as hypertension can worsen eye problems.

If you experience blurred vision, flashes of light and black spots, it is better to consult the doctor immediately. If you are diabetic, it is better to have some early planning and better eye care management to prevent from any vision complications and vision loss.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Diabetes; it is critically important to control this killer disease

Once you are diagnosed with diabetes, it is critically important to control diabetes. You should have to be very careful in dealing with diabetes as it can lead to many other complications. It is likely that diabetes can affect your eyes, kidney, heart, nervous system and brain.

It is critically important to control diabetes. Controlling diabetes means you have lesser risks of complications. Controlling diabetes means you are less likely to suffer from the complications arising out of diabetes. Controlling diabetes means lowering the risk of damage to the kidney, brain and eye.

Controlling diabetes means controlling the glucose level in the body. You have to maintain the right levels of your glucose, neither high nor low. Once you are found to be diabetic, you have to go for regular check ups, preferably once a week.

If you are traced with diabetes, it is better to be under the guidance of a physician as he may help you to maintain the right glucose levels. Do not try to treat diabetes on your own as it can only complicate matters.

An important aspect in controlling diabetes is to maintain proper diet. Always maintain a healthy eating habit, which helps in controlling diabetes. Do not go for heavy meals and instead cut short the meals into five or six smaller meals. Go for leafy vegetables and let your food be a balanced one with the right nutrients, vitamins and carbohydrates.

Along with a proper diet, exercise is also an important factor that helps in controlling diabetes. Exercise helps in the speedy dispose of excess glucose from the body.

Well, it is critically important to control diabetes. Once diagnosed as diabetic, you should have to critically control it or you are liable to come across many health complications.