We all need to have a proper sleeping routine. But sleep routines are especially important for women and men with diabetes.
Why? Because these people have a bigger chance of having sleep apnea and the complications that are related to this condition.
They should know that good management of the disease depends on the routine they have throughout the day and before bedtime. In the case of type II diabetes, they need to keep their blood sugar levels stable.
They need a suitable routine that is going to be easy for them. With a consistent sleep routine, their body will get the rest it needs.
They need to try and decide which nighttime routines are a good choice for them and which will at the same time support their wellness and overall health and help manage their blood sugar levels.
An American athlete, Jim Ryun says that he started with motivation, but what keeps him going is the habit. So the thing here is to make a healthy habit.
The key is to find out what each person likes, and that will keep them going strong.
11 Ideas for Nighttime Routines for Healthy Blood Glucose Levels
1. Use lotion
We can apply lotion every night before we go to bed. We need to keep the skin moisturized, simply because some of the symptoms can be sores, cracking, and peeling of the skin.
2. Check the Blood Sugar
If we include this in our usual routine, it can help to manage diabetes better. By checking our blood sugar levels, we are going to be aware of what we do for our condition and how we manage it.
Because once we check it before going to bed, we are going to get an idea of what happened during the entire day.
3. Stretch and Massage the Feet
To relax our body and prepare it for sleep, we can do some stretching. It doesn’t have to take long just from 2 to 3 minutes. Another alternative is to massage our feet, which also can help improve our sleep.
4. Go to Bed Early
To make sure that we are going to have adequate sleep we need to go to sleep early. According to researchers in case we have prediabetes, the hours we sleep may significantly influence the likelihood of developing diabetes type 2.
However, for those that have type 1 or maybe type 2, not sleeping enough will lead to the same consequences as for everyone else.
It will be harder for us to go through the day, it can influence our overall health, and also it will be more difficult for us to make decisions. That is not something that we need if we already have to deal with fluctuations in our blood sugar.
5. Prepare Food for the Next Day
Every person with blood sugar issues knows that keeping track of the type of food they consume is essential. We do not have to be morning people to always have made healthy food for us.
If we are someone who packs food for school or work, we can do that the night before and be relaxed in the morning. We need to create a routine for preparing food and do that each night and that is how we can manage our condition.
While preparing food, we can watch our favorite TV show or listen to the radio or some music and we won’t even notice what we are doing because we shall enjoy it.
That energy we spend to make food will certainly pay off the next day when we are going to sit at lunchtime and know that what we eat is healthy and good for us.
6. Brush and Floss
Most people are annoyed by the fact that they need to floss and they avoid doing that. However, once this becomes a habit we will not notice it, the first couple of times might be hard for us.
But, the first step is always the hardest, right? We just need to do it. People who have this chronic condition are usually at a bigger risk of developing gum disease.
This is enough reason to start flossing, just start and for sure it will become a lifelong habit.
7. Avoid Screens Before Going to Sleep
We live in a time where the majority of people are addicted to their cell phones, laptops, etc. Most people go to bed and before they fall asleep they do is take their phone and scroll through the news feed on social media.
But how good is that for our bodies? This might be a habit that we need to get rid of, simply because it is not good for our body and we do not get the rest we need.
When we look at screens before going to sleep, we disturb our bodies, and in that way, we will take longer to fall asleep.
If we want to use a screen before we fall asleep, then at least we can use a filtering mode with a blue light that is probably available on the device we choose to use. Another alternative is to use filtering glasses with blue light that can help us fall asleep quickly.
8. Consume Fluids 2 Hours Before Bedtime
If we are one of the many people who get up to urinate in the middle of the night, we can try to control that and hydrate at least 2 hours before we go to bed. We can drink tea or water, but not right before we go to bed.
If we hydrate ourselves previously, we will not interrupt our sleep to urinate in the middle of the night, and we won’t feel thirsty once we get up in the morning.
9. Avoid Snacks Before Bedtime
Everybody knows that eating before bedtime is not good for us; this also includes snacks. If we need to eat snacks, we should eat something that will not cause us damage, and that we will be able to manage our blood sugar levels.
Also, we may choose something that won’t interrupt our sleep with low or high blood sugar. To be sure what is suitable for us, we need to test different snack ideas. This sounds fun, right?
Once we test some snack ideas, we should stick only to those that are good for us and those that after we consume them, we will wake up with blood sugar levels that are in range.
10. Make a To-do List For the Next Day
We need to plan what we are going to do the next day. This won’t take long; only a few minutes are enough for us to make a to-do list for the next day. We should write down from 3 to 4 the most important things that we need to do the following day.
This is helpful for some people regarding their sleep. How? They sleep better knowing that they know what are their tasks tomorrow and are free from the pressure that they are going to forget something.
11. Exercise
Before we go to sleep, we can exercise. We can either go to the gym or do some exercise at home. We should choose to do what we feel most comfortable about and not something that we have no interest in.
It is our choice how much time we will exercise. This can help prevent weight gain. After we are done, we can take a shower, and we are ready for bed. It is said that people who exercise not only are fit and healthy, but they sleep better.
Minimize Risks
People with this chronic illness are actually at an increased risk regarding different conditions. That is why it is important to work and obtain healthy habits in their nighttime routines.
Making healthy night habits can help them keep their sleep robust and fit while at the same time, it will help boost their overall health and maintain healthy blood sugar levels.
If someone does not have a bedtime routine, now is the time to start trying some. They just need to decide what is right for them. Only they have the power to change their life, and they have the power to make better choices.
Start tonight, include some routine and with time enjoy the benefits.
Source Diabetes Daily | Everyday Health
