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Diabetes is the most prevalent cause of peripheral neuropathy, or nerve damage to the extremities. Living with peripheral neuropathy can be challenging. The tingling, numbness, and discomfort can make it difficult to get through the day and even sleep well.

Fortunately, you have numerous options for managing your neuropathy. The goal is to delay the advancement of the disease and reduce symptoms so that you can function normally with less pain and discomfort.

In this article, we’ll go over three simple and practical changes you may do right now to help manage diabetes-related neuropathy. Finally, for expert management, it is best to collaborate closely with a neurology specialist.

The consequences of diabetic neuropathy

Consistently high blood sugar levels harm the nerves throughout your body, especially the peripheral nerves. High blood sugar levels can damage nerves over time, making it difficult for them to function properly.

People with diabetes who have been undetected for a long period, as well as those with poorly regulated blood sugar, are the most vulnerable to peripheral neuropathy. When these nerves are injured, odd feelings such as tingling and numbness are prevalent. You may feel shooting pains that disrupt your day, wake you up from sleep, and reduce your quality of life.

Worryingly, peripheral neuropathy can result in decreased sensation, which frequently affects the feet. You could hurt your toe and not realise it because of a lack of sensation. Small injuries might evolve into huge open sores that are sluggish to heal and susceptible to infection due to decreased blood flow.

Diabetes-related neuropathy currently has no cure, and some damage may be irreversible. This is especially true if you have gone a long time without receiving therapy. There are, however, steps you may take to manage the disease and avoid future damage.

1 – Move around and stay active.

Exercise isn’t the first thing that springs to mind when you have aching and burning sensations in your legs and feet. For persons with diabetes-related neuropathy, regular physical activity is a highly helpful lifestyle modification.

Exercise is a wonderful strategy to reduce blood sugar levels, manage weight, and prevent other problems, such as heart disease, for which you are at a higher risk. It can also help with neuropathy pain relief. Patients who lead more active lifestyles have a decreased risk of experiencing neuropathy pain than those who have sedentary lifestyles.

It’s best to get active if you have neuropathic discomfort. Exercise in various forms has been demonstrated to alleviate neuropathic pain. According to one study, aerobic exercise alleviates neuropathic pain in just a few months, whereas a combination of aerobic exercise and strength training alleviates neuropathic pain even faster.

Aim for 30 minutes of moderate to strenuous physical activity five days a week. Walking, running, biking, swimming, participating in sports, or visiting the gym are all viable possibilities. Choose an exercise that you will enjoy and that you can incorporate into your daily routine. This raises the likelihood that you will stick to it.

Find simple strategies to increase movement throughout the day at first. This may include:

Park a little further away from your destination.
Taking use of the stairwell
Office spanning
Moving while doing a pastime 
Going on a walk to the mailbox

Incorporating movement in these ways has a cumulative effect.

2 – Get rid of stress.

Your brain and body communicate in two directions, with each influencing the other. Chronic stress stimulates a region of the brain associated with pain perception. If you suffer neuropathic pain or another sort of pain, supercharging this portion of your brain makes it worse. According to one study, persistent stress enhances pain sensitivity and aggravates neuropathic pain.

Take time to relax by listening to peaceful music, reading, gardening, meditating, or participating in a yoga session. Consider methods for reducing work-related stress. This could imply delegating or lowering workload. Consider the key stressors in your life and look for strategies to reduce, avoid, or eliminate them. This can help a lot with neuropathic pain relief.

3 – Quit smoking and limit your alcohol use.

Smoking reduces circulation and destroys blood vessels, aggravating conditions such as neuropathy and resulting in less blood reaching your legs and feet. If you smoke, stop – there are excellent drugs available to assist you. If you’ve previously struggled to quit smoking, talk to us about resources to help you quit for good.

Drinking too much and too frequently is as harmful. It is critical to minimise your alcohol consumption if you drink.

We’ve given you some useful hints on how to make lifestyle adjustments to improve diabetes-related neuropathy, but don’t stop there. Make an appointment with our team for comprehensive care to help you manage your condition. To begin, call us or make an online booking request to schedule a visit now. Our DRC team is eager to assist you in overcoming neuropathic pain.

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