The Athlete and Diabetes - What Do They Need To Do To Manage Their Disease Successfully?
Diabetes has not stopped some of the world’s greatest athletes from excelling at their chosen sports. As case in point, Arthur Ashe, Joe Frazier and Ty Cobb, three famous sporting personalities, were diabetics. Athletes with diabetes need to arm themselves with the information necessary to make informed choices concerning their health and the control of their diabetes. It is also important that coaches, school personnel, or sports administration know that an athlete is diabetic, as well being aware of the possible complications and treatment. If you are an athlete with diabetes, know that through proper control, your diabetes will not stop you from being a team player and doing well.
Athletes with diabetes compete in a wide variety of sports, including marathons, cycling, and football. What these athletes do, as should any person with diabetes wanting to compete in sports or exercise, is take responsibility for their disease. Taking responsibility means doing the following:
- Testing your blood sugar before you start playing and right after you stop
- Test every half hour while playing if the activity is intense
- If your blood sugar levels are too high, avoid playing until you have lowered them through medication
- Do not play immediately after eating. A one-hour delay is advisable in most cases
- Wear proper-fitting shoes as diabetics tend to have poor circulation
To be successful as an athlete, even with diabetes, there must be collaboration and knowledge-sharing between your coach, doctors, and sports administrators. Because physical activities lower the amount of sugar in the blood stream, diabetic athletes should ensure that coaches know the symptoms of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia. Not giving people information should an emergency occur can place others in a bad position if you, one day, really do need help.
There are number of must-dos for the athlete with diabetes, which include wearing a medical bracelet and joining support groups for encouragement and motivation. The diabetic athlete must also be aware of his or her body’s responses to changes in sugar and insulin levels. Knowing these changes will alert them that they need to take medication or rest, as the case may be.
To learn more go to Complications Of Diabetes and at Symptoms Of Diabetes
