Win the Fight Against Diabetes with These Lifestyle Hacks

Living with diabetes is challenging. Whether you’ve just been diagnosed, have been managing it for a while, or are supporting someone with it, understanding the ins and outs of diabetes is essential. This chronic condition demands diet control, regular exercise, and many more lifestyle changes.

But did you know that diabetes can affect your immune system health? Now, you might have many questions about how diabetes and the immune system are connected and how you can boost your immunity if you have diabetes. Read on to find out.

Key Points

Diabetes weakens your immune system, increasing the risk of falling sick and delaying recovery.
Don’t let diabetes define your life. With proactive measures and strategies, you can keep your diabetes in check and take charge of your immunity and health.
Think you can’t exercise if you have diabetes? That’s a myth! Exercising regularly helps you better manage your diabetes by increasing your insulin sensitivity and reducing the risk of chronic complications.
Got just 15 minutes a day? Exercise with Oxygen Therapy or simply the Exercise-Oxygen duo can do wonders in your diabetes management journey.

Diabetes and Immune System: Understanding the Connection

First, let’s start with knowing more about diabetes. The National Institute of Health defines diabetes as a “disease that occurs when your blood glucose (also known as blood sugar) is too high.” As we all know, glucose is our primary source of energy. Your pancreas releases insulin, a hormone that helps convert glucose into energy by allowing it to enter your cells.

If you have diabetes, either the pancreas can’t make sufficient insulin, or your body can’t utilize the insulin properly. What happens to the glucose, then? It accumulates in your blood and won’t reach your cells, which is why your blood glucose levels are high.

Image credit: https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/what-is-diabetes

You’ve probably heard of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, but do you know the differences between them? If not, don’t worry–I’ve got you covered. Let’s break it down:


Details	Type 1	Type 2
Cause	Autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas	Your body can synthesize insulin but is unable to utilize it effectively
Risk Factors	Less clear Here are the two known risk factors: Family history: Having a parent or a sibling with type 1 diabetes Age: Generally develops in children, teenagers, and young adults but can be diagnosed at any age.	Age (45 or older) Family history Obesity/overweight Being physically inactive History of gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy) Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
Symptoms	Develops in a few weeks or months and can be severe	Takes years to develop Can also be asymptomatic
Treatment	By taking insulin Regular monitoring of blood sugar Counting carbohydrates in foods and drinks Managing blood pressure and cholesterol Healthy eating habits Regular exercise	Oral diabetes medications (some people may need insulin) Maintaining a healthy weight, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels. Regular monitoring of blood sugar Diet Regular exercise Stress management
Prevention & Cure	There is no known cure/preventive measure	Most cases can be prevented

Now, we understand that diabetes, whether type-1 or type-2, simply means high glucose levels in the blood. Next, let’s take a look at how diabetes affects and weakens the immune system:

Compromised Immune System Function: Diabetes, especially Type-2 Diabetes, impairs every step of the immune response by disrupting the function of the immune cells (particularly macrophages and phagocytes). These immune cells help your body detect and fight off pathogens. Consequently, the immune system of diabetes patients cannot function in the desired way, making them more vulnerable to infections and illnesses.
Favorable Environment for Pathogens: Diabetes, if not controlled, can create a favorable environment for harmful bacteria to grow and thrive. The high glucose levels in the blood serve as an energy source for these invaders, which in turn increases the susceptibility to infections. Studies suggest that diabetics are at a higher risk of experiencing respiratory tract infections, flu, pneumonia, Urinary Tract Infections, and skin infections.
Impaired White Blood Cell Function: If your body is unable to synthesize adequate insulin, it cannot utilize glucose as its source of energy. Instead, your body will start using glucose to produce cytokines (inflammatory chemicals) and trigger other WBCs to increase their cytokine synthesis. This can cause your pathogen-fighting WBCs to be less effective in combating infections, putting you at a higher risk of infections.
Increased Inflammation: Inflammation is a natural immune system response. When your body is injured or has encountered a threat or a toxin, inflammatory cells (cytokines) rush to the infection site to kickstart the healing process and tissue repair. But when you have diabetes, your body synthesizes a surplus of cytokines. This can force your immune system to constantly work harder to defend the body despite no active infection, resulting in systemic inflammation.
Delay in Wound Healing: Do you know why wounds linger if you have diabetes? Studies have shown a strong link between diabetes and delayed wound healing. As you already know, diabetes can impair the function of your White Blood Cells, which are responsible for fighting infections. This weakens your body’s ability to combat infections and heal wounds. Diabetes, if left unmanaged, can also slow down your blood circulation, disrupting the delivery of nutrients to the affected areas. This can cause your wounds to heal very slowly or, in some cases, not heal at all.
Reduced Natural Killer Cell Activity: Natural Killer (NK) cells (NK cells) are fighter White Blood Cells (WBCs) responsible for killing infected cells and tumor cells. High blood glucose levels inhibit the activity of NK cells, leaving you more susceptible to infections.

Hence, diabetes can hamper your immune system function in multiple ways.

A Diabetic’s Guide to Stronger Immunity

Did you know sugar and sickness go hand in hand? When you have diabetes, you need to keep your immune system stronger–now more than ever.

Now, you might be asking yourself, “How?”. The good news is, it’s easier than you think— just a few lifestyle changes can make all the difference and leave you feeling great.

1. Regular Exercise

Is diabetes holding you back from being active? Or are you struggling to get started? Let me help you! Exercise can be your best ally in managing diabetes, alongside medications and a healthy diet.

What happens when you’re active? Regular exercise increases your body’s insulin sensitivity (allowing your body to utilize blood glucose more effectively), lowers blood glucose levels, reduces the risk of cardiovascular risk, helps you shed excess pounds, and puts you in a feel-good mood.

According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), aerobic exercise can lower your blood glucose levels for up to 24 hours post-workout by increasing insulin sensitivity. Aerobic activity also makes your body better equipped to process glucose. Think you don’t know what aerobic exercise is? If you’ve ever walked on a treadmill or used a stationary bike, you’re more familiar with it than you realize! Simply put, aerobic exercise means oxygen reaches your working muscles (hence the term ‘aero’), and your body relies on fat and glucose for energy.

By now, you understand how much your muscles crave for oxygen. What if we supply an oxygen surge to your body? Yes, combining the power of oxygen and exercise can do wonders for your health. Hearing this concept for the first time?

No worries!

Exercise with Oxygen Therapy (EWOT) is the practice of inhaling higher concentrations of oxygen while exercising. If you’ve got just 15 minutes a day for EWOT, you can reap the benefits of a 90-minute aerobic exercise session.

However, if you are new to exercise, have been inactive for a long time, or are dealing with some diabetic complications (heart disease, high blood pressure, neuropathy, arthritis, etc), it’s important to start slowly and listen to your body’s signals.

Why wait? Tie your shoelaces and get moving!

2. Eat Healthy & Manage Your Weight

If you are someone dealing with both diabetes and excess weight, you know that losing those extra pounds is easier said than done. Still, the physical and emotional benefits far outweigh the challenges, helping you better control your diabetes.

No matter if you have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, a healthy diet is one of the most powerful tools you have in your armor. You might have come across countless diet plans for diabetics, but know that there’s no one-size-fits-all diet.

The American Diabetes Association recommends starting with a Diabetes Plate, a low-carbohydrate diet plan that can help you make informed food choices and support your diabetes management.

Image Credit: American Diabetes Association

Diabetes Plate is all about filling your 9-inch plate with:


Half with non-starchy vegetables	Broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, cucumber, mushrooms, onions, tomato and a lot more
One-quarter with lean protein	Fish, chicken, eggs, cheese, meat Plant-based options: beans, hummus, lentils, peas, soy nuts, etc.
One-quarter with quality carbohydrates	Starchy vegetables: Fruits: Apples, apricots, avocado, berries, kiwi, mangoes etc (Make sure you count the portion sizes) Whole grains Low-fat dairy Healthy fats: Olive oil, nuts, avocados etc.

3. Stress Management

When you’re under stress, your body goes into a fight-or-flight response mode and releases adrenaline and cortisol hormones into the bloodstream. This can increase the blood glucose levels in people with type-2 diabetes. If stress persists, it can keep your blood sugar levels high, and you’ll have a higher risk of diabetic complications.

What can you do to cope with stress? The most powerful stress coping tool is right under your nose– breathing. Research has shown that the brain links various emotional states with corresponding breathing patterns. So, if you’re under stress, try focusing on your breath. Any negative emotion you can breathe through eventually loses its grip on you.

Diaphragmatic breathing has been associated with positive effects on body mass index, waist-hip ratio, and post-meal glucose levels.

Moreover, diaphragmatic breathing serves as a valuable therapeutic tool in achieving an optimal balance between antioxidants and free radicals, thus combating oxidative stress—an important factor in glycemic variability.

4. Sleep

Are sleep and diabetes closely connected?

Yes, sleep and diabetes share a bi-directional relationship. Studies show that around 50% of people with type-2 diabetes struggle with sleep disturbances, often tied to unstable blood glucose levels and associated symptoms. Fluctuating blood sugar levels at nighttime, whether too high (hyperglycemia) or too low (hypoglycemia), can cause insomnia and daytime fatigue.

Just as diabetes induces sleep disturbances, poor sleep increases blood sugar levels in those who have type-2 diabetes. If you consistently lack good quality sleep, it is harder for your immune system to combat infections.

How can diabetes patients cope with sleep-related issues? Managing blood glucose levels is important for better sleep. Prioritizing good sleep hygiene—such as regular exercise, a consistent sleep schedule, and avoiding stimulants before bed—can make a significant difference.

The Takeaway

Diabetes is a national epidemic affecting around 38 million Americans, but don’t let it stand in the way of your goals. Let’s beat it with regular monitoring of blood sugar levels and a healthy lifestyle —staying active, eating healthy, managing stress, and getting quality sleep.