Slow or Prevent Diabetes

Pre-Diabetes

Pre-diabetes is a serious medical condition that can be treated. The good news is that the recently completed
Diabetes Prevention Program study conclusively showed that people with pre-diabetes can prevent the development
of Type 2 diabetes by making changes in their life style through diet and increasing their level of physical activity. They
may even be able to return their blood glucose levels to the normal range. In order to prevent the development of diabetes,
if you are at risk you have to know the causes behind it first.

Causes

Type 2 diabetes causes involve smoking, high blood pressure, diet, being overweight or obese, and physical inactivity. All of
these bad habits are inter-related. Each one done separately in moderation in most cases won't do much damage to your
body or your health. If you add these activities all together with excessive amounts it will severely increases your chances for
developing type 2 diabetes and it will be very hard to change your life style because several habits are harder to break than
just one. Rock for Diabetes will provide resources that will enable you to maintain a health and happy lifestyle. Remember a
change of diet and added physical activity, that's done everyday won't be a change anymore, it becomes your life style.

Stress

Stress is a common fact of everyday life and so stress affects every aspect in your life and your body. With that said, stress that goes unmanaged could lead to more life
threatening complications.

The reason why stress occurs is simple, you are living. Your going through your day where there are many things happening and you have to make mental and physical
changes to adjust to your surroundings. These things that make you stressed are called stressors and the best way to lower stress is to recognize these stressors are to
either avoid them or learn how to deal with them in a healthy way. Lowering stress has been found to improve lung function, insulin sensitivity, and glucose tolerance.

If you have diabetes in which you are already at a higher risk of suffering from heart disease, by adding stress into the mix it puts you at even a greater risk to getting
heart disease. So it is important to reduce stress in your life. Simple mental and physical exercises like relaxing can be done at the very least just to not increase your
odds of getting heart disease are worth it.

Find your escape for no less than ten minutes a day. Think about things or do things that will calm you down during your day, if you feel stressed or not. Doing exercises
like this even if you are not stressed will prepare to handle stress better when it comes on. Ever heard the saying “don’t sweat the small stuff”, this may be easier said
than done but maintain a positive attitude

Signs of Stress

Physical signs - Dizziness, general aches and pains, grinding teeth, clenched jaws, headaches, indigestion, muscle tension, difficulty sleeping, racing heart, ringing in
the ears, stooped posture, sweaty palms, tiredness, exhaustion, trembling, weight gain or loss, upset stomach.

Mental signs - Constant worry, difficulty making decisions, forgetfulness, inability to concentrate, lack of creativity, loss of sense of humor, poor memory.

Emotional signs - Anger, anxiety, crying, depression, feeling powerless, frequent mood swings, irritability, loneliness, negative thinking, nervousness, sadness.

Behavioral signs - Bossiness, compulsive eating, critical attitude of others, explosive actions, frequent job changes, impulsive actions, increased use of alcohol or
drugs, withdrawal from relationships or social situations.

http://www.rockfordiabetes.com/2008/09/stress-and-diabetes.html

Lack of Sleep

Along with stress and diabetes, sleep plays a large role in your overall wellness. Bottom line, you will lose sleep over stress. Increased levels in stress will not only
decrease your sleep quantity but it will also lower your sleep quality as well. Quality of sleep is more important than the quantity of sleep you are getting. Staying in bed
for 8 hours but waking up every hour is not good sleep. Good quality sleep will lower stress level, blood pressure, hypertension, and blood sugar.

Think about it, if you're sleeping well your stress level is low because you body has a chance to recover and on the reverse if you under a lot of stress you can’t sleep
and become cranky, right? If you are pre-diabetic, lack of quality sleep will increase your chances of getting the disease. Studies have demonstrated that not getting
enough hours of sleep affects the body's ability to manage blood sugar levels and appetite, increasing the risk of obesity and diabetes.

Studies have demonstrated that not getting enough hours of sleep affects the body's ability to manage blood sugar levels and appetite, increasing the risk of obesity
and diabetes. This current study provides the first evidence linking poor sleep quality -- specifically the loss of deep or slow-wave sleep -- to increased diabetes risk,
said the University of Chicago Medical Center research team. Failing to sleep deeply for just three nights running has the same negative effect on the body's ability to
manage insulin as gaining 20 to 30 pounds.

http://www.rockfordiabetes.com/2010/06/one-sleepless-night-can-result-in.html

http://www.rockfordiabetes.com/2009/05/short-sleepers-increase-risk-of.html

Preventions

Rock for Diabetes is here to help you understand the diabetes disease. Type 2 diabetes is preventable and in some case reversible. Below are some suggestions to
help you or someone you many know to help you with diabetes or at risk of developing diabetes.

Provided from the US Dept of Health and Human Service's National Diabetes Education Program is a brochure; More than 50 ways to prevent diabetes. To help you in
the fight against diabetes.

More than 50 ways to prevent diabetes

Weight Loss

Body Mass Index (BMI) is a good determinate to find out if you are overweight. If you are overweight, the Diabetes Prevention Program has found that loosing just 5-10%
of your body weight will drastically reduce your risk of developing diabetes. The American Diabetes Association provides many tools to help you prevent developing
diabetes. In recent posts we have given you ideas on how to loose weight and count calories but in this post you can determine how much weight you will need to loose
to maintain a health weight.

http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/prevention/checkup-america/overweight.html

Quit Smoking

Smoking is bad for you, its a simple as that. But how does it effect diabetes? Some smoking side effects coincide with diabetes complications. For example, if you smoke
you have a increased risk of heart attacks, if you have diabetes this risk is also increased. Now imagine if you are a diabetic smoker.

Some Smoking Facts -

• Smoking ONE cigarette reduces the body's ability to use insulin by 15%.

• Smoking increases your cholesterol levels and the levels of other fats in your blood. This increases your risk of having a heart attack.

• Smoking cuts the amount of oxygen reaching tissues. This can lead to a heart attack or stroke. Pregnant women who smoke are more likely to have a
miscarriage or stillbirth.

• People with diabetes who smoke are twice as likely to have circulation and wound healing problems. These can lead to leg and foot infections, sometimes
requiring amputation.

• Smokers with diabetes are more likely to develop nerve damage (neuropathy) and kidney disease (nephropathy).

• Smoking increases your chances of permanent vision loss or blindness.

http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/prevention/checkup-america/smoking.html

Physical Activity

Not only does physical activity have a wide range of benefits other than keeping your heart and body healthy and relieving stress, diabetes and physical activity go hand
and hand. If you have diabetes you better be working out, and if you don't have diabetes than you better be working out!

http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/prevention/checkup-america/activity.html

Diabetes PHD

Personal Health Decisions are the most important decisions that you can make. Only you know what goes into your body and ultimately it is up to you to make the right
decisions and put the right things into you body. But how do you know what are the right decisions? How do you the level of risk? Take some time and get your Diabetes
PHD.

http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/prevention/checkup-america/small-steps.html

"Awareness, Support, Education, Cure"

Will you join us in the fight for a good cause?

40%
of all the
children born
after 2005 in
the United
States will
develop
Diabetes
sometime in
their life.

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