My Diabetes My Way: April 2025 update

Welcome to the My Diabetes My Way Newsletter for April 2025.

Diabetes and Physical Activity
With the daylight hours continuing to increase this month, many people are more encouraged to spend time outdoors. Increasing physical activity can have a significant impact on your blood sugar, so this needs to be considered when looking at your treatment, particularly if you are taking insulin either using pens or an insulin pump. We have lots of information on the website regarding diabetes and exercise, but it is advisable to contact your healthcare team if you are embarking on a strenuous exercise programme.

Activity and Exercise: https://mydiabetesmyway.scot.nhs.uk/know-more/my-lifestyle/activity-exercise/

Type 1 Diabetes and Extreme Sports: https://mydiabetesmyway.scot.nhs.uk/resources/video/type-1-diabetes-and-extreme-sports/

Join Up Your Fitbit Data
My Diabetes My Way contains a link to Fitbit (www.fitbit.com) that allows you to add your activity tracker data to My Diabetes My Way. If you have a Fitbit device, log in to My Diabetes My Way and select “My Services”. You can then link your Fitbit account and connect your Fitbit records. When you do this, you will see a new section named “My Activity” where you can monitor your steps, heart rate and many other Fitbit measurements.

Even if you don't own a Fitbit device, you can still track your activity for free by downloading the Fitbit app on your smartphone and using Fitbit’s MobileTrack function. MobileTrack lets you use the Fitbit app without a Fitbit device by using your phone's sensors to track basic activity data including steps, distance, and calories burned. More information on MobileTrack can be found here: https://help.fitbit.com/articles/en_US/Help_article/1875

Stress Awareness Month
April is recognised as Stress Awareness month. When you are feeling stressed, your body releases hormones which can increase your blood sugar, and this reaction can be hard to manage as it is outwith any conscious control. Feeling overwhelmed by trying to control your blood sugar 24/7 is a recognised psychological condition and is often described as “Diabetes Distress”. Information regarding the effects of stress and features of Diabetes Distress can be found at the links below:

Stress and Diabetes: https://www.diabetes.org.uk/living-with-diabetes/emotional-wellbeing/stress

Diabetes Stress and Burnout: https://www.diabetes.org.uk/living-with-diabetes/emotional-wellbeing/diabetes-burnout

Stigma and Diabetes
Some recent research has shown that 97% of people within minority ethnic groups have suffered from some sort of diabetes-related stigma. This compares with 87% of the complete diabetes population. Diabetes-related stigma is described as the person feeling that they hide their diagnosis from family, friends and employers due to feeling that they are different. People are often reluctant to show that they are eating differently, check their blood sugar in public or take their diabetes treatment. It can often lead to the person missing their healthcare appointments, which means they miss out on vital checks. You can read more about this study at the following link:
https://www.diabetes.org.uk/about-us/news-and-views/97-per-cent-people-non-white-communities-have-experienced-diabetes-related-stigma

Free Online Course - Understanding Type 1 Diabetes and Technology
This month’s online course concerns all the technology associated with diabetes care and is entitled “Type 1 & Tech”. The course is running until the 28th April 2025 and covers technologies for managing type 1 diabetes, including continuous glucose monitoring and insulin pump therapy. It provides insights on sensor usage, understanding results, dose calculation, and lifestyle aspects.

Participants explore hybrid closed-loop systems and smart pens for advanced diabetes care. The course includes a live question and answer session with diabetes experts on Zoom. These experts also moderate discussion boards and respond to comments throughout the course. The link to register is https://understandingtype1.mydiabetes.com/

Facebook and X (formerly Twitter)
Please remember, you can keep up-to-date with the latest news and useful information on the My Diabetes My Way Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) pages.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mydiabetesmyway
X (formerly Twitter): https://www.twitter.com/mydiabetesmyway

Help and Support

If you have not yet managed to gain access to your diabetes records on My Diabetes My Way, or would like an update on the status of your registration, please let us know. You can contact us regarding any problems or request further help and support by emailing: mydiabetes.myway@nhs.scot

Thank you for your continued support.