Caring for Children and Teens Who Have Diabetes

November 4, 2020

man and woman walking a dog with their teenage daughter

Caring for Children and Teens Who Have Diabetes

About 193,000 youth under 20 years old in the United States have diabetes. It’s important to help your child or teen develop a plan to manage diabetes, and work with their health care team to adjust the diabetes self-care plan as needed. Here are some tips:

Manage blood glucose levels
Encourage healthy habits
Stay prepared for emergencies
Monitor for diabetes complications
Seek mental health support

Falling Back and Mental Health

Turning the clocks back is a sign that winter, cooler temperatures, and shorter days are coming. Despite the celebrations that take place during this time of year, winter can often take a toll on our mental health. Read more about seasonal affective disorder.

Practicing Gratitude

Take a moment. Think about the positive things that happened during your day or maybe even write them down. Studies suggest that making a habit of noticing what’s going well in your life could have health benefits. Try these tips for practicing gratitude and creating positivity:

Reflect on the good things that have happened in your life.
Write down things that you’re grateful for.
Appreciate experiences and notice positive moments as they are happening.
Relive the good times. Relive positive moments later by thinking about them or sharing them with others.
Write a letter to someone you feel thankful toward. You don’t have to send it.
Make a (virtual) visit. Connect with someone and tell them that you’re grateful for them.

Find out how to improve your mental health.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

It’s common to worry about things like germs or if you locked the front door. But for people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), these thoughts and behaviors are severe and can interfere with daily life. OCD is a mental health condition that causes repeated unwanted and repeated thoughts, feelings, ideas, sensations, called obsessions. This can trigger compulsions—the urge to do things over and over to deal with the troubling thoughts. Learn more about the symptoms and who is at risk.

Melatonin

Melatonin is a natural hormone that plays a role in sleep. Melatonin production and release in the brain is related to time of day, rising in the evening and falling in the morning. Light at night blocks its production. Melatonin dietary supplements have been studied for sleep disorders, such as jet lag, disruptions of the body’s internal “clock,” insomnia, and problems with sleep among people who work night shifts. It has also been studied for dementia symptoms.