This guest blog was written exclusively for DietsInReview.com from The American Diabetes Association, an organization that is leading the fight against the deadly consequences of diabetes and fighting for those affected by diabetes in commemoration of American Diabetes Awareness Month. The Association funds research to prevent, cure and manage diabetes; delivers services to hundreds of communities; provides objective and credible information; and gives voice to those denied their rights because of diabetes. Founded in 1940, our mission is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. For more information please call your local American Diabetes Association office at 1-888-DIABETES (1-888-342-2383) or visit The American Diabetes Association.

With an estimated 57 million Americans with pre-diabetes, the American Diabetes Association offers an online tool that helps people understand their personal risk for developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

My Health Advisor takes into account a person’s specific risk factors, such as family history and lifestyle choices, as well as other factors like access to health care, to determine their risk for developing diabetes, heart disease and stroke. The online calculator immediately reflects and readjusts a person’s risk outcome based on small changes they make in their lives, such as losing five or ten pounds, quitting smoking or taking a daily aspirin.

If you read my previous post on the top three ways to prevent diabetes then you know eating healthy, exercising more, and losing weight (especially belly fat) are keys to preventing diabetes. But there are actually lesser-known actions that can help you slash your diabetes risk because they help you stick to the “top three” more effectively. In this post, I’ll describe how sleep and stress management can help prevent and control diabetes.

Manage Stress

Is it me or are most people pre-wired for high anxiety and the go-go-go mentality? Work pressures. The economy. Life drama. No matter what day it is, you can bet there’s something going on that is making your blood boil. You don’t see it, but it’s killing you.

Chronic stress is linked to six of the leading causes of death. The link between stress and diabetes is hormonal. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is a stress hormone that increases with severe or prolonged stress. The main effect of the hormone is increased food intake, increased proportion of energy stored as fat, and decreased physical activity. Uh oh. If you read the post on preventing diabetes, you know that excess fat, especially in the belly area, significantly increases your diabetes risk.

Everyone loves easy. The easier something is, the more likely you are going to do it, right? Trust me, I’m right. In the spirit of easy and diabetes awareness, today I’m sharing easy changes you can make to prevent diabetes.

These five tips involve slashing sugar, saturated and trans fats, and cutting back on calories so you can lose weight and better control your blood sugar levels.

1. Swap water for calorie beverages. Water has zero calories, that’s the bottom line. Used to sodas? Try sparkling water with a twist of lime. Need more flavor? Add some mint or unsweetened iced tea. I love using herbal teas! You’ll save 17 teaspoons of sugar for each 20-ounce soda.

2. Swap a coffee beverage with a small skim milk latte. A small pumpkin spice latte made with 2% milk has almost 40 grams of sugar (about 10 teaspoons – a day’s worth of added sugar), whereas a small, fat-free latte has only 16 grams sugar and that comes from the milk! If you would like, you can always “split the difference” and ask for one pump of pumpkin spice. That’s about 10 grams of added sugar – just under three teaspoons. Sure beats 10, doesn’t it?

According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey, about 11 percent of Americans did not get enough “sleep or rest” on any night in the past 30 days. A little more than 30 percent said they got enough rest or sleep every night in the last month.

A quarter of those surveyed who were unemployed said they didn’t get enough rest any night in the last 30 days.

The study seems to confirm the anecdotal belief that west coasters are more laid back than the east coast. Twelve of the 14 best-sleeping states were west of the Mississippi.

The report wasn’t very in depth, as they just asked people about their perception of how much sleep they got, not the actual hours.

This guest blog was written exclusively for DietsInReview.com from The American Diabetes Association, an organization that is leading the fight against the deadly consequences of diabetes and fighting for those affected by diabetes. The Association funds research to prevent, cure and manage diabetes; delivers services to hundreds of communities; provides objective and credible information; and gives voice to those denied their rights because of diabetes. Founded in 1940, our mission is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. For more information please call your local American Diabetes Association office at 1-888-DIABETES (1-888-342-2383) or visit The American Diabetes Association.

Cider and donuts, Sweetest Day, Halloween: Even highly-disciplined eaters can be distracted by all the autumn treats that begin to appear this month. So life can be especially difficult for people with any need for diet control – especially people newly diagnosed with diabetes.

“October symbolizes the beginning of the holiday festivities that will continue through Superbowl Sunday,” says Judith Pegg, a registered nurse and coordinator of the Outpatient Diabetes Education Program at Beaumont Hospital in Troy, Michigan. “People with diabetes need to remember that controlling blood sugar is what can delay or prevent complications. They should know what they can eat, how timing that food intake affects their body, and the amount of food they should eat.”