That's an extra 65,000 decisions a year and is a key factor in diabetics having a high risk of mental illness.

Distress, anxiety and burnout are common side-effects of the disease, and during National Diabetes Week it's something that advocates want more people to understand.

Naomi Glasson has been living with type one diabetes for 25 years and knows only too well the relentlessness of the disease.

"Diabetes is relentless, it's day to day. You can't take a day off, or even an hour," she said.

"On a day to day basis it's a constant burden to manage. Everything you do, everything you eat, even lack of sleep, humidity, weather ... it all impacts on your blood sugar and finding that balance and trying to stay in that target range is often really difficult," the mother-of-two said.

But she refuses to let the disease stop her from living the life she wants to lead.

"For me i just try to look after myself the best I can now so I can live a long healthy life later.

"You've got to stay in that target range: go low and there might not be anyone to help you, go high and it's the same scenario."

Ms Glasson is the Ballarat ambassador for the Type 1 Foundation, which supports families across Australia who have a child with type one diabetes.

Type one diabetes is an auto-immune condition in which the immune system destroys the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. There is no cure, no prevention and it is not linked to modifiable lifestyle factors.

Since being diagnosed with type one diabetes when she was 10, diabetes management has changed significantly.

"Technology now makes diabetes so much more manageable because back then...we only had syringes, then insulin pens, and the only way to test blood sugar was through a blood glucose machine. Now we've got continuous glucose monitoring systems, insulin pumps and other technology to make it a little bit more manageable."

This week is National Diabetes Week and the Type 1 Foundation, Diabetes Australia and other diabetes support groups are promoting the four Ts of awareness that could be symptoms of diabetes: tired (unexplained or excessive fatigue), thirsty (a thirst that can't be quenched), thinner (sudden or unexplained weight loss) and toilet (going to the toilet a lot).

Like many charities and support groups, the coronavirus pandemic has hit the Type 1 Foundation hard and their ability to support families grappling with the disease.

There are about 40 Ballarat families among the thousands they support across the country with care packages, advice, advocacy, education and more.

"Our foundation was meant to do a nation-wide tour this month for diabetes awareness and had planned our first gala dinner last month," she said.

IN OTHER NEWS

"A lot of the funding for the foundation comes from events and donations through those events so it's been really tough times for us."

So they have launched a beanie campaign with a goal to sell 3000 beanies to raise the funds needed so their work can continue. The $25 beanies can be ordered through the Type 1 Foundation website, and local pickup in Ballarat is available to avoid postage costs.

"We are hoping the funds we raise through that get us through until we can run events again," she said.

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