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National Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

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Ask About Low Blood Sugars

Be Involved in Your Health Care:
Ask About Low Blood Sugars

What's Important to Know?

If you have diabetes, talk with your health care team about selecting a safe and effective glucose (blood sugar) target range that is based on your own goals, priorities, and lifestyle. Selecting a safe glucose target range can help you manage your diabetes and prevent low blood glucose (hypoglycemia).

Want to Know More?

Veterans Health Library

The Veterans Health Library (VHL) offers Veterans, their families, and caregivers access to comprehensive Veteran-focused health information that’s consistent with VA clinical practice guidelines. The VHL helps Veterans understand and manage health problems, make informed health decisions, and actively partner with their health care team. Items within the VHL on Living with Diabetes include:

Related Items

Available VHL Videos

Resources

Department of Veterans Affairs Resources

Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES) helps people with diabetes manage their diabetes in ways that fit their lifestyle. In DSMES programs, people with diabetes:

  • Work with a diabetes care and education specialist to set and track goals.
  • Learn how to use knowledge, skills, and tools to build confidence and emotional strength to manage diabetes.
  • Practice how to fit diabetes care into all parts of life—like eating healthy and problem solving.
  • Find ways to get support (in person and online) from family, friends, the community, and their health care team.

For more information visit: VA Nutrition: Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES).

VA Nutrition and Food Services Diabetes Education

Optimizing diabetes self-management involves a health care team that provides personalized, proactive, and patient-driven health care. This care empowers, equips, and encourages Veterans to take charge of their health and to adopt healthy living practices to reduce risks for diabetes-related complications. Checking blood glucose, monitoring A1C levels, knowing blood glucose targets, recognizing low blood glucose, and counting carbohydrates are just a few of the ‘numbers’ that Veterans should know.  These Diabetes Patient Education Materials can help.

Understand Your Diabetes Numbers Campaign Podcasts

These podcasts provide Veterans with information on important numbers to help manage their diabetes, be safe, and achieve their personal goals. They cover relevant diabetes topics such as food insecurity, managing sick days, reading food labels, and counting carbohydrates.

Federal Government Resources

Links provided below will leave the Department of Veterans Affairs website.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) Diabetes Education

NIDDK conducts and supports research on many of the most common, costly, and chronic conditions to improve health. Review some of the diabetes educational materials linked below:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Diabetes Resources
If you or a loved one is living with diabetes, it’s important to work together to manage diabetes. Use these resources to learn how to make healthy lifestyle choices to help manage diabetes, prevent complications, and improve your health.

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