How is Diabetes Connected with Sleep Apnea? (And Is It Legal to Use Earplugs for Marriage Therapy?)
Taking Control Of Your Diabetes® - The Podcast!Show Notes
Think sleep apnea is just about loud snoring? Think again. This common condition is a serious health issue that affects a staggering number of people with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. In this eye-opening episode, Dr. Steve Edelman is joined by Dr. Jeremy Pettus, who shares his own recent and unexpected diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea. From recognizing the subtle symptoms to navigating the diagnosis process and starting treatment, Dr. Pettus offers a firsthand account of what it's like to confront this underdiagnosed condition. This episode is a crucial wake-up call, revealing how untreated sleep apnea can impact everything from your heart health and blood pressure to your energy levels and insulin resistance. Whether you or a loved one has diabetes, this is essential listening.
Key Topics: What is Sleep Apnea? An explanation of how the airway collapses during sleep, leading to a drop in oxygen levels and triggering a "fight-or-flight" response throughout the night. Symptoms to Watch For: A breakdown of the classic signs, including loud snoring and gasping for air, as well as less obvious daytime symptoms like excessive fatigue, morning headaches, and low libido. Who Is at Risk?: A look at the surprisingly high prevalence of sleep apnea, especially among people with diabetes, affecting up to 80% of those with type 2 and half of those with type 1. Key Risk Factors: A guide to the factors that increase your chances of developing sleep apnea, such as weight, neck size, age, gender, and lifestyle habits like alcohol consumption. Getting Tested: An overview of the diagnostic process, from the simple STOP-BANG screening questionnaire to the modern convenience of home sleep tests. Effective Treatment Options: A comprehensive look at treatments that can improve your health, including lifestyle changes, CPAP therapy, and the new FDA-approved use of weight-loss medications like Zepbound for sleep apnea. Visit TCOYD's Website for more diabetes edutainment for people living with diabetes: tcoyd.org **Tune in for two new episodes each month! Like what you hear and want to help us grow? Please rate and review this podcast so we can reach more people living with diabetes!**
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What if you could take your basal insulin once a week instead of every day? Once-weekly basal insulin has arrived, offering a new approach that could make insulin therapy simpler while providing glucose control comparable to daily basal insulin. In this episode, Dr. Steve Edelman is joined by Dr. Athena Philis-Tsimikas, a leading diabetes researcher who has been directly involved in clinical trials of once-weekly basal insulins. Together, they explain how these ultra-long-acting insulins work, how a single injection can provide steady background insulin throughout an entire week, and what studies have shown when once-weekly insulin is compared with traditional daily basal insulin. The conversation gets practical with how once-weekly insulin is started, adjusted, and switched from daily basal insulin. Dr. Edelman and Dr. Philis-Tsimikas discuss the dosage differences with once-weekly basal insulin, how concentrated insulin keeps the actual injection volume small, and how fasting glucose can help guide dose adjustments. They also discuss what happens if you miss a dose and why reaching a steady state is an important part of understanding how these longer-acting insulins work. They also dive into the clinical trial results, including A1C, time in range, and hypoglycemia. In studies of people living with type 2 diabetes, once-weekly basal insulin provided similar A1C lowering to daily basal insulin without an increase in hypoglycemia. They also explain why the story is different for people living with type 1 diabetes, where studies found higher rates of hypoglycemia with weekly basal insulin, and what that means for its use in the United States. Finally, Dr. Edelman and Dr. Philis-Tsimikas look at how once-weekly insulin could make diabetes management easier. Going from seven basal injections a week to just one could help reduce some of the daily burden of diabetes and make it easier to consistently take your insulin. They also explore using weekly insulin alongside GLP-1 medications, potential combination therapies, cost and access, and what we still need to learn as these newer insulins move from clinical trials into everyday diabetes care. Key Topics: How once-weekly basal insulin works Once-weekly vs. daily basal insulin Starting, dosing, and adjusting weekly insulin Why weekly insulin doses may look surprisingly large A1C, time in range, and hypoglycemia results What to do if you miss a weekly dose Once-weekly insulin in type 1 vs. type 2 diabetes Who may benefit from once-weekly insulin? Reducing the burden of daily injections Using once-weekly insulin with GLP-1 medications Future insulin and GLP-1 combination therapies Cost, access, and real-world considerations What the future of basal insulin could look like This episode was supported by Lilly. ✨ Subscribe for practical diabetes management tips, technology updates, and treatment breakthroughs that help people with diabetes live healthier, more flexible lives.
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Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is one of the most common complications of diabetes, but here’s the tricky part: you can have it for years without feeling any symptoms. The good news? Kidney disease can often be detected early, and with the right screening, treatments, and lifestyle changes, its progression can be dramatically slowed. In this episode, Dr. Steve Edelman and Dr. Jeremy Pettus are joined by nephrologist Dr. Bethany Karl to break down what everyone with diabetes should know about kidney health. Dr. E also steps into the patient seat to share his own experience living with chronic kidney disease, from discovering it without symptoms to navigating kidney tests and newer treatments. Together, they explain the two simple tests that can uncover kidney problems, why blood pressure and cardiovascular health matter, and how today’s growing toolbox of medications is giving people with diabetic kidney disease more reasons for hope.
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