Diabetes can be pretty expensive, right?

Type 2 diabetes often come as a shock, but then when all the medications and devices start getting thrown into the equation, it seems like a long, dragged-out shock.

Insurance gets complicated. Bills get messy. 

And don’t even get me started about monitoring glucose.

Well, luckily for you, there is one super easy trick to lower your costs.

And you know what is cool about this trick? It helps reduce your diabetes, too!

So what is this trick?

Lifestyle Modification.

A team of researchers at Australian Catholic University wanted to know if certain lifestyle changes could reduce the cost of medication for type 2 diabetes patients.

The participants were advised to regularly exercise, reduce their calorie intake, and learn a bit about how lifestyle can impact their diagnosis.

By the end of the study, the researchers found that those who fully committed to the changes were taking fewer pills per day and spending less money on their disease per year.

The authors of the study noted that the most influential factor was how well the participants were able to control blood glucose. Meaning, if they could live in a way that their glucose levels didn’t spike or drop too drastically, then the need for medication was seriously reduced.

And now with major changes taking place in the healthcare laws in the US, it is important to be proactive in your health. Medication costs may go way up really soon now that there are no regulatory laws preventing the pharmaceutical companies from hiking the prices, so this is the time to get your total medication spending under control.

Here are 4 ways that you, too, can lower your overall medication cost:

1. Move more. Go for a walk every evening after eating dinner. This, alone, has proven to greatly improve blood glucose among diabetics.
2. Eat more plants. By increasing your intake of fruits and vegetables, you are feeding your body powerful vitamins and minerals that can help combat diabetes.
3. Eat less junk. Type 2 diabetes is commonly the result of poor lifestyle habits, so cut back on junk food when you can. Little efforts made throughout the day make a huge difference.
4. Get better sleep. Good sleep habits promote better blood glucose regulation, naturally. So make sleep a priority every night.