If you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes, it can completely change your whole world. It will flip your life upside down, but it doesn’t have to be that dramatic. The condition is going to impact every area of your life, but there are a few simple changes that you can make that can help you improve your health without having to completely overhaul your day-to-day life.
Your health should always be one of your main focuses. We all live busy lives. Trying to juggle work, kids, families, errands, and much more can cause us to shove our health to the back burner. If you have diabetics and don’t give your health the attention that it deserves, then you could be facing some serious health problems down the road.
There are a couple of keywords that you should take note of to ensure that you understand your condition and how it impacts your body. This article is going to look at some of the main components of diabetes.
Blood Glucose Levels
If you’re a person with diabetes or you know someone that has diabetes, then you probably already know this one. Blood glucose levels are one of the first terms that you’ll hear. Blood glucose level is the amount of glucose is in your blood, and it’s one of the most important numbers for determining how well your diabetes is being managed.
Pre-Diabetes
As you can imagine from the name, pre-diabetes is a condition for someone that has higher than normal glucose levels, but they aren’t high enough to be considered diabetic. Pre-diabetes is a warning sign to be type 2 diabetes. If nothing changes, then a person with pre-diabetes is going to be diagnosed with type 2 later.
Hyperglycemia
On a similar note, hyperglycemia is the term used if there is too much sugar in your blood. If your levels are too high, then you’ll be in a hyperglycemic state. Hyperglycemia is a very severe health problem, and if you don’t get the proper treatment, it can lead to severe problems, and possibly even death. Hyperglycemia is the cause of about 2,500 deaths every year.
Hypoglycemia
At the other end of the spectrum is hypoglycemia. While hyperglycemia is the condition when glucose levels are too high, hypoglycemia is when your levels are too low. While low blood sugars might sound like a good thing, it can also lead to some severe health complications.
Hypoglycemia can lead to dizziness, numbness, or passing out or a coma. It’s important that you regularly check your glucose levels and make any corrections if you need to. With hypoglycemia, you can take glucose tablets or have a small snack to get your levels back in the healthy range.
Carbs
The idea of carbs is something that everyone knows about. Carbohydrates have often been the center of diets and their impact on the body. If you are a person with diabetes, carbs are going to be something that you become very familiar with. It’s important that you understand the connection between diabetes, carbs, and how they impact your glucose levels.
Carb counting is the primary tool for people with diabetes, and it’s simply counting how many carbs that you eat every day. Carbs can be sugars, starches, and fiber, and if you aren’t careful, carbs can cause your glucose levels to go through the roof. There are healthy carbs, which you’ll find them in fruits, vegetables, and whole grain foods. On the other hand, you’re going to find the unhealthy carbs in sugar drinks and heavily processed foods.
Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA)
Diabetic ketoacidosis is a health problem that can occur when your body has too high levels of acids in your blood called ketones. If your body doesn’t produce enough insulin, your body can’t use sugar as a source of energy, and instead, it will start to break down fat to use as fuel. When this happens, acids start to build up.
Without treatment, DKA can lead to life-threating complications. The symptoms of DKA include:
- Blurred vision
- Frequent urination
- Thirstiness
- Confusion
- Vomiting
- Loss of appetite
- Sleepiness
It’s important that if you start to notice any of these symptoms, that you contact your doctor immediately.
Hemoglobin A1C
The hemoglobin A1c tests is one of the most critical tests for anyone that has been diagnosed with diabetes. The test looks at the average glucose levels for the past 90 days and gives a good idea of how well you’ve managed your condition and show any changes that you should make.
Life Insurance with Diabetes
At Insurance4Diabetics.com, it’s our mission to ensure that you’re getting the best life insurance plan possible. We know that shopping for insurance protection is never a fun task, but that’s why we are here to help. It’s our mission to ensure that you’re getting the best rates possible.
If you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes, then you might assume that you can’t get affordable life insurance protection. That couldn’t be further from the truth. There are several ways that you can get better rates or keep more money in your pockets. Making a few simple changes can save you thousands of dollars every year, even if you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes.
The first thing that you should do is cut out any tobacco that you currently use. If you’re a smoker, then you’re at a higher risk for complications like a heart attack or different kinds of cancers. That means that you pose a higher risk to the insurance company and they are going to offset that by charging you higher rates. As a person with diabetes, if you’re a smoker, there is a chance that you’ll get declined for coverage or that your rates are going to be through the roof expensive. Cutting out those cigarettes could save you thousands of dollars every year on your insurance coverage.
Another way to ensure that you’re getting the lowest rates is to control your glucose levels as much as possible. If your A1C levels are in healthy ranges, then you’re going to get much lower premiums. Having safe levels will show the insurance company that you’re focused on improving your health and following your doctor’s orders.
Another way to save money every month on your premiums is to improve your health. Before you can get coverage, you’ll be required to take a medical exam, and the results are going to play a major role in how much you pay. If you want to save money, then you need to get better results, it’s as simple as that. The two best ways that you can do that are to watch what you eat and get regular exercise. Both of these can help you manage blood sugar levels, lose weight, and reduce your risks of being diagnosed with any additional health problems.
Working with an Independent Insurance Agent
The best way to ensure that you’re getting the lowest rates is to compare dozens of quotes before you decide which one is best for you. Every company has different underwriting standard that they use, which means all of them are going to view diabetes differently. Some companies have more experience working with applicants with diabetes, which means that you’ll get better rates.
There are hundreds of companies on the market, which means that you could spend weeks of your precious time contacting different agents. Instead, let one of our independent brokers do all of the hard work for you. Unlike traditional agents, our independent agents work with dozens and dozens of highly rated companies across the nation. We can bring a personalized set of quotes directly to you.
You can’t predict the future, and you never know what life’s going to throw at you tomorrow, which means that you shouldn’t wait any longer to get the life insurance coverage that your family deserves. If something tragic were to happen to you, and you didn’t have insurance, your family wouldn’t be stuck with a massive amount of bills and other expenses. Losing someone that you love is never going to be easy, but being left with a massive amount of debt is going to make the whole situation that much worse.
If you have any questions about getting quality insurance as an applicant with diabetes, please contact one of our agents today. We would love to answer those questions and ensure that you’re getting the best plan possible. Our agents have years of experience working with all types of clients across the country, and we know which companies are going to give you the best insurance protection. We can help save you both time and money on your life insurance.