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CDC is not responsible for Section compliance accessibility on other federal or private website. This term refers to the unique challenges and emotions that people with diabetes may experience, from the rigorous treatment regimen, to dealing with a complex medical system, to the daunting financial burden.

Feelings of isolation, frustration, discouragement, anxiety, burnout, and anger are all common manifestations of diabetes distress, Diana Licalzi, RD , a certified diabetes educator and the cofounder of Reversing T2D , tells SELF.

Diabetes distress may negatively impact your blood sugar levels, too, because it makes it harder to take good care of yourself, according to Stephanie L. Leung, PhD , the director of psychology at the Fleischer Institute for Diabetes and Metabolism at Montefiore Einstein and an assistant professor of endocrinology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City.

This can become a vicious cycle: Less-balanced blood sugars leave you feeling crappy, and ultimately even less able to engage in the self-care that supports your diabetes and overall well-being.

You can turn that vicious cycle into a virtuous one by practicing genuine self-care, and witnessing the positive downstream effects on your physical and mental well-being. Leung explains. Here are seven ways to get started.

Leung recommends. What does feeling energized and being in a good mood allow you to do? We all know regular exercise is an excellent form of self-care—and it provides even more bang for your buck when you have diabetes. Find something you enjoy— dancing , biking , yoga —and do a little bit of it as regularly as you can.

By Ayana Underwood. By Tiffany Ayuda. By Korin Miller. It might be something you traditionally associate with stress reduction, like meditation, yoga, or soothing breathwork exercises. It could also be something creative, like playing music or painting.

Whatever helps you chill out, treat it like an important lifestyle habit—meaning it deserves just as much dedication as eating a balanced breakfast. Leung advises starting small. One of the kindest things you can do for your mind and body is to set yourself up for success the next day by putting sleep first.

Cochrane Database Syst Rev , 2: CD Herschbach P, Duran G, Waadt S, Zettler A, Amch C: Psychometric properties of the questionnaire on stress in patients with diabetes-revised QSD-R.

Health Psychol , 16 2 — J Assoc Physicians India , 47 12 — Poulsen P, Kyvik OK, Vag A, Nielsen-Beck H: Heritability of type II diabetes mellitus and abnormal glucose tolerance — a population-based twin study.

Diabetologia , 42 2 — American college of endocrinology: The American association of clinical endocrinologist guidelines for the management of diabetes mellitus: the AACE system of diabetes self-management.

Endocr Pract , 8: SS Hendra JT, Sinclair AJ: Improving the care of elderly diabetic patients: the final report of the St. Vincent joint task force. Age and Aging , 26 1 :3—6. Article CAS Google Scholar. Mensing C, Boucher J, Cypress M, Weinger K, Mulcahy K, Barta P: National standards for diabetes self-management education.

Diabetes Care , 29 Suppl 1 :SS Williams GC, Freedman ZR, Deci EL: Supporting autonomy to motivate patients with diabetes for glucose control. Diabetes Care , 21 10 — Norris SL, Lau J, Smith SJ, Schmid CH, Engelgau MM: Self-management education for adults with type-2 diabetes: a meta-analysis of the effect on glycemic control.

Diabetes Care , 25 7 — Glasgow RE, Strycker LA: Preventive care practices for diabetes management in two primary care samples. Am J Prev Med , 19 1 :9— Walker E: Characteristics of the adult learner.

Diabetes Educ , 25 6 Suppl — American Diabetes Association: Standards of medical care in diabetes - Diabetes Care , 34 Suppl 1 :SS Colberg SR, Sigal RJ, Fernhall B, Regensteiner JG, Blissmer BJ, Rubin RR: Exercise and type-2 diabetes.

Diabetes Care , 33 12 — Mora S, Lee IM, Buring JE, Ridker PM: Association of physical activity and body mass index with novel and traditional cardiovascular biomarkers in women. JAMA , 12 — Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee: Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee Report, Washington, DC, USA: US Department of Health and Human Services; United States Department of Health and Human Services : Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans; Haskell WL, Lee IM, Pate RR, Powell KE, Blair SN, Franklin BA: Physical activity and public health: updated recommendation for adults from the American college of sports medicine and the American heart association.

Med Sci Sports Exerc , 39 8 — Goodall TA, Halford WK: Self-management of diabetes mellitus: a critical review. Health Psychol , 10 1 :1—8. Marrero DG, Kako KS, Mayfield J, Wheeler ML, Fineberg N: Nutrition management of type-2 diabetes by primary care physicians.

J Gen Intern Med , 15 11 — Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar. Kotwani A, Ewen M, Dey D, Iyer S, Lakshmi PK, Patel A: Prices and availability of common medicines at six sites in India using a standard methodology. Indian J Med Res , 25 5 — Toljamo M, Hentinen M: Adherence to self-care and glycemic control among people with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

J Adv Nurs , 34 6 — Wing RR, Goldstein MG, Kelly JA, Birch LL, Jakic JM, Sallis JF: Behavioral science research in diabetes.

Chronic Illn , 4 1 — Ramachandran A, Ramachandran S, Snehalatha C, Augustine C, Murugesan N, Viswanathan V: Increasing expenditure on health care incurred by diabetic subjects in a developing country: A study from India.

Diabetes Care , 30 2 — Debussche X, Debussche BM, Besançon S, Traore AS: Challenges to diabetes self-management in developing countries. Diabetes Voice , 12— Ciechanowski PS, Katon WJ, Russo JE, Walker EA: The patient-provider relationship: attachment theory and adherence to treatment in diabetes.

Am J Psychiatry , 1 — Grant RW, Devita NG, Singer DE, Meigs JB: Poly-pharmacy and medication adherence in patients with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care , 26 5 — Chin MH, Cook S, Jin L, Drum ML, Harrison JF, Koppert J: Barriers to providing diabetes care in community health center. Diabetes Care , 24 2 — Nam S, Chesla C, Stotts NA, Kroon L, Janson SL: Barriers to diabetes management: patient and provider factors.

Diabetes Res Clin Pract , 93 1 :1—9. Preventative care practices among persons with diabetes - United States: — Morb Mortal Wkly Rep , 51 43 — Anderson RM: Patient empowerment and the traditional medical model: a case of irreconcilable differences?

Diabetes Care , 18 3 — Download references. You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar. Correspondence to Saurabh RamBihariLal Shrivastava.

SRS wrote the first draft of the article and performed intensive review of literature. PSS edited the article continuously. JR read and approved the final manuscript.

All authors read and approved the final manuscript. This article is published under license to BioMed Central Ltd. Reprints and permissions. Shrivastava, S. Role of self-care in management of diabetes mellitus.

J Diabetes Metab Disord 12 , 14 Download citation. Received : 22 January Accepted : 28 February Published : 05 March Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:.

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article. Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative. Download PDF. Abstract Diabetes mellitus DM is a chronic progressive metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia mainly due to absolute Type 1 DM or relative Type 2 DM deficiency of insulin hormone.

Self-Management in Diabetes Chapter © Healthy Lifestyles for the Self-Management of Type 2 Diabetes Chapter © Use our pre-submission checklist Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.

Introduction Diabetes mellitus DM is a chronic progressive metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia mainly due to absolute Type 1 DM or relative Type 2 DM deficiency of insulin hormone[ 1 ].

Addressing needs of diabetic patients One of the biggest challenges for health care providers today is addressing the continued needs and demands of individuals with chronic illnesses like diabetes[ 12 ].

Self-care in diabetes Self-care in diabetes has been defined as an evolutionary process of development of knowledge or awareness by learning to survive with the complex nature of the diabetes in a social context[ 20 , 21 ].

Diabetes self management education Though genetics play an important role in the development of diabetes, monozygotic twin studies have certainly shown the importance of environmental influences[ 34 ].

Diabetes self-care activities Diabetes education is important but it must be transferred to action or self-care activities to fully benefit the patient.

Compliance to self-care activities Treatment adherence in diabetes is an area of interest and concern to health professionals and clinical researchers even though a great deal of prior research has been done in the area.

Barriers to diabetes care The role of healthcare providers in care of diabetic patients has been well recognized. Recommendations for self-care activities Because diabetes self-care activities can have a dramatic impact on lowering glycosylated hemoglobin levels, healthcare providers and educators should evaluate perceived patient barriers to self-care behaviors and make recommendations with these in mind.

Self-monitoring provides information about current glycemic status, allowing for assessment of therapy and guiding adjustments in diet, exercise and medication in order to achieve optimal glycemic control.

Irrespective of weight loss, engaging in regular physical activity has been found to be associated with improved health outcomes among diabetics[ 42 — 45 ]. The National Institutes of Health[ 46 ] and the American College of Sports Medicine[ 47 ] recommend that all adults, including those with diabetes, should engage in regular physical activity.

Treatment adherence in diabetes is an area of interest and concern to health professionals and clinical researchers even though a great deal of prior research has been done in the area. In diabetes, patients are expected to follow a complex set of behavioral actions to care for their diabetes on a daily basis.

These actions involve engaging in positive lifestyle behaviors, including following a meal plan and engaging in appropriate physical activity; taking medications insulin or an oral hypoglycemic agent when indicated; monitoring blood glucose levels; responding to and self-treating diabetes- related symptoms; following foot-care guidelines; and seeking individually appropriate medical care for diabetes or other health-related problems[ 48 ].

The majority of patients with diabetes can significantly reduce the chances of developing long-term complications by improving self-care activities. In the process of delivering adequate support healthcare providers should not blame the patients even when their compliance is poor[ 49 ].

One of the realities about type-2 diabetes is that only being compliant to self-care activities will not lead to good metabolic control. Research work across the globe has documented that metabolic control is a combination of many variables, not just patient compliance[ 51 , 52 ].

In an American trial, it was found that participants were more likely to make changes when each change was implemented individually. Success, therefore, may vary depending on how the changes are implemented, simultaneously or individually[ 53 ].

Some of the researchers have even suggested that health professionals should tailor their patient self-care support based on the degree of personal responsibility the patient is willing to assume towards their diabetes self-care management[ 54 ].

The role of healthcare providers in care of diabetic patients has been well recognized. Socio-demographic and cultural barriers such as poor access to drugs, high cost, patient satisfaction with their medical care, patient provider relationship, degree of symptoms, unequal distribution of health providers between urban and rural areas have restricted self-care activities in developing countries[ 39 , 55 — 58 ].

Another study stressed on both patient factors adherence, attitude, beliefs, knowledge about diabetes, culture and language capabilities, health literacy, financial resources, co-morbidities and social support and clinician related factors attitude, beliefs and knowledge about diabetes, effective communication [ 60 ].

Because diabetes self-care activities can have a dramatic impact on lowering glycosylated hemoglobin levels, healthcare providers and educators should evaluate perceived patient barriers to self-care behaviors and make recommendations with these in mind.

Unfortunately, though patients often look to healthcare providers for guidance, many healthcare providers are not discussing self-care activities with patients[ 61 ].

Some patients may experience difficulty in understanding and following the basics of diabetes self-care activities. When adhering to self-care activities patients are sometimes expected to make what would in many cases be a medical decision and many patients are not comfortable or able to make such complex assessments.

It is critical that health care providers actively involve their patients in developing self-care regimens for each individual patient. This regimen should be the best possible combination for every individual patient plus it should sound realistic to the patient so that he or she can follow it[ 62 ].

Also, the need of regular follow-up can never be underestimated in a chronic illness like diabetes and therefore be looked upon as an integral component of its long term management.

A clinician should be able to recognize patients who are prone for non-compliance and thus give special attention to them. On a grass-root level, countries need good diabetes self-management education programs at the primary care level with emphasis on motivating good self-care behaviors especially lifestyle modification.

Furthermore, these programs should not happen just once, but periodic reinforcement is necessary to achieve change in behavior and sustain the same for long-term. While organizing these education programs adequate social support systems such as support groups, should be arranged.

As most of the reported studies are from developed countries so there is an immense need for extensive research in rural areas of developing nations. Concurrently, field research should be promoted in developing countries about perceptions of patients on the effectiveness of their self-care management so that resources for diabetes mellitus can be used efficiently.

To prevent diabetes related morbidity and mortality, there is an immense need of dedicated self-care behaviors in multiple domains, including food choices, physical activity, proper medications intake and blood glucose monitoring from the patients. World health organization: Definition, diagnosis and classification of diabetes mellitus and its complications.

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Cochrane Database Syst Rev , 2: CD Herschbach P, Duran G, Waadt S, Zettler A, Amch C: Psychometric properties of the questionnaire on stress in patients with diabetes-revised QSD-R. Health Psychol , 16 2 — J Assoc Physicians India , 47 12 — Poulsen P, Kyvik OK, Vag A, Nielsen-Beck H: Heritability of type II diabetes mellitus and abnormal glucose tolerance — a population-based twin study.

Diabetologia , 42 2 — American college of endocrinology: The American association of clinical endocrinologist guidelines for the management of diabetes mellitus: the AACE system of diabetes self-management. Endocr Pract , 8: SS Hendra JT, Sinclair AJ: Improving the care of elderly diabetic patients: the final report of the St.

Vincent joint task force. Age and Aging , 26 1 :3—6. Article CAS Google Scholar. Mensing C, Boucher J, Cypress M, Weinger K, Mulcahy K, Barta P: National standards for diabetes self-management education.

Diabetes Care , 29 Suppl 1 :SS Williams GC, Freedman ZR, Deci EL: Supporting autonomy to motivate patients with diabetes for glucose control. Diabetes Care , 21 10 — Norris SL, Lau J, Smith SJ, Schmid CH, Engelgau MM: Self-management education for adults with type-2 diabetes: a meta-analysis of the effect on glycemic control.

Diabetes Care , 25 7 — Glasgow RE, Strycker LA: Preventive care practices for diabetes management in two primary care samples. Am J Prev Med , 19 1 :9— Walker E: Characteristics of the adult learner. Diabetes Educ , 25 6 Suppl — American Diabetes Association: Standards of medical care in diabetes - Diabetes Care , 34 Suppl 1 :SS Colberg SR, Sigal RJ, Fernhall B, Regensteiner JG, Blissmer BJ, Rubin RR: Exercise and type-2 diabetes.

Diabetes Care , 33 12 — Mora S, Lee IM, Buring JE, Ridker PM: Association of physical activity and body mass index with novel and traditional cardiovascular biomarkers in women. JAMA , 12 — Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee: Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee Report, Washington, DC, USA: US Department of Health and Human Services; United States Department of Health and Human Services : Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans; Haskell WL, Lee IM, Pate RR, Powell KE, Blair SN, Franklin BA: Physical activity and public health: updated recommendation for adults from the American college of sports medicine and the American heart association.

Med Sci Sports Exerc , 39 8 — Goodall TA, Halford WK: Self-management of diabetes mellitus: a critical review. Health Psychol , 10 1 :1—8. Marrero DG, Kako KS, Mayfield J, Wheeler ML, Fineberg N: Nutrition management of type-2 diabetes by primary care physicians.

J Gen Intern Med , 15 11 — Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar. Kotwani A, Ewen M, Dey D, Iyer S, Lakshmi PK, Patel A: Prices and availability of common medicines at six sites in India using a standard methodology.

Indian J Med Res , 25 5 — Toljamo M, Hentinen M: Adherence to self-care and glycemic control among people with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. J Adv Nurs , 34 6 — Wing RR, Goldstein MG, Kelly JA, Birch LL, Jakic JM, Sallis JF: Behavioral science research in diabetes.

Chronic Illn , 4 1 — Simple changes in your lifestyle, such as taking regular walks or eating more fruits and healthy grains can dramatically decrease the likelihood of a pre-diabetic condition developing into something more serious. When you eat, your body turns certain foods into a type of sugar called glucose.

Glucose gives your body the energy it needs to function, but in order to use glucose as energy your body needs insulin. If you have type 2 diabetes your body does not produce a sufficient amount of insulin or does not use it properly, because the cells in your body cannot use glucose in foods as energy.

The glucose stays in the blood where it can cause serious problems. Diabetes has no cure, but it can be kept under control.

Many people with diabetes live a long and healthy life. Eating a healthy diet consisting of fruits, grains and vegetables can help you keep your blood glucose level in a safe range.

PAY MY BILL Schedule an Appointment Locations Spanish English. COVID Testing Information and Resources. Diabetes Self-Management Learn how Sunset Health can help you live a full and enjoyable life with diabetes.

Living with Diabetes Education for diabetes is important and must be accompanied by action and self-care activities for patients to completely benefit. Partnering with your health care providers In diabetes, patients are expected to follow a complex set of daily behavioral actions to care for their diabetes.

These actions involve engaging in positive lifestyle behaviors, including the following: Healthy meal plan. Engaging in appropriate physical activity. Taking medications insulin or an oral hypoglycemic agent as indicated.

Consistent monitoring of blood glucose levels. Responding to self-treating diabetes-related symptoms. Adhering to foot-care guidelines; and Seeking individually appropriate medical care for diabetes or other health-related problems.

Click below for the following brochures: What is Pre-Diabetes? What is Diabetes Type 2? Acanthosis Nigricans Cigarettes and Diabetes The Problem of Sexual Impotence with Diabetes Pre-Diabetes Pre-diabetes is a condition characterized by higher than normal blood glucose levels which can lead to type 2 diabetes.