(BPT) - In the United States alone, about 38.4 million people have diabetes. That's about 11.6% of the population. November is National Diabetes Month, which serves as an important reminder to not only rally around those affected by this disease, but also take steps in our own lives to help manage it. It's the perfect time to provide extra support to loved ones who have this disease and, if you have diabetes yourself, implement healthy lifestyle habits to stay on track of your health goals.

Here are our top tips:

• Eat balanced meals: Understanding which foods affect your blood sugar levels can help you properly plan your meals.
• Exercise: Moving your body can help lower your blood sugar levels, so work with your doctor to come up with an exercise routine that works for you.
• Prevent illness: Being sick can raise your blood sugar levels. That's why it's important to avoid illness if possible and create a plan with your doctor for what to do if you do get sick.
• Get vaccinated against pneumococcal pneumonia and invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD): Know your risk and help protect yourself.

It's important to know that having diabetes can put you at increased risk for illnesses like pneumococcal pneumonia and IPD. Pneumococcal pneumonia is a potentially serious bacterial lung disease that can disrupt your life for weeks, put you in the hospital and even be life-threatening. The same bacteria that cause pneumococcal pneumonia are also responsible for invasive pneumococcal disease, or IPD, which includes blood infection and meningitis.

How do you know if you're at risk? If you're 19 or older with certain underlying medical conditions like diabetes, asthma, chronic heart disease and COPD, you're at increased risk for both of these diseases. In fact, people aged 19-64 living with diabetes are at over 5x higher risk for pneumococcal pneumonia and up to 4.8x higher risk for IPD, compared with healthy adults the same age. Adults 65 or older are also at increased risk, even if they're healthy.

If you fit in any of these groups, getting vaccinated is one of the best ways to help protect yourself.

There's a misconception that you can only get pneumococcal pneumonia and IPD during flu season or in the winter, but you can get it any time of year. Vaccination is available all year round, so now is a great time to assess if pneumococcal vaccination is right for you.

Even if you've already been vaccinated against pneumococcal pneumonia previously, your healthcare provider may recommend another vaccination for additional protection.

If you have diabetes, take the time this month to assess how you're managing it and make sure you're helping protect yourself. Not sure where to start? Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about pneumococcal vaccination and visit VaxAssist.com to schedule a vaccination appointment today.

Brought to you by Pfizer.