Managing diabetes at work is not easy, but no matter how hectic your job schedules are, you need to manage diabetes at work. The workplace throws a variety of challenges across your way and adding your diabetic condition that gives you all the more things to juggle with. The kind of obstacles you may face while managing diabetes at work depends on your health, work schedule, and kind of job profile you have.
Here’s a look at some effective measures everyone can take for successfully handling diabetes irrespective of the kind of work you do:
1. Pay attention to your eating habits
One of the key factors to look after for a diabetic is to have a conscious eating habit. It is important because what you eat reflects on your blood sugar. You must plan your food for the day in advance and take food along with you from home so that you can avoid binge eating unhealthy options from the office canteen. It is also important that you eat small meals at regular intervals instead of having one full meal as it shoots up your blood sugar levels. Some of the best food items that you can take to office are salads with grilled chicken, hummus, cheese sticks, nuts, fruits, yoghurt, and raw vegetables.
2. Let your employer and colleagues know about your condition
It has been observed that somehow people are not open about discussing their diabetic condition at work. But you should be open about it and let everyone around you know about the health condition so that they can help you in case of an emergency instead of being clueless as to what happened. If not, at least confide in one or two co-workers and let them know how they can help in case your sugar levels drop and where do you keep your medicines stacked. If you have frequent instances of low blood sugar, ask your supervisor to allow you to have your meal at the designated time every day.
3. Try to be active at the workplace
We all know how important it is for a diabetic person to remain active but our demanding work schedules lead to a sedentary lifestyle. Many companies are coming up with initiatives such as chair yoga or the lunchtime walking groups. Even if your company doesn’t have such initiatives you can propose the idea or take out some time to take a small walk. You can also take stairs instead of elevators as it helps in burning calories.
4. Check blood sugar and take medications on time
For diabetics, it is mandatory to take their medications on time other their sugar levels can shoot up or drop drastically which is not good for their health. You must also schedule reminders so that you don’t forget to pop your pill. Set a fixed time for taking medicines such as after the morning meeting or after your lunch so that it becomes a habit that you don’t forget. You can also do blood sugar checks in the office when you feel the need for one. Just keep the kit handy so that you don’t have to struggle to find it.
For more such health tips and suggestions, download the Healthsum Life app as it is one-stop-solution for your health needs. You can get healthy recipes from the app for managing diabetes at work. The app can also help you in scheduling check-ups at your nearby healthcare centre.