High blood sugar, often known as hyperglycemia, is connected to diabetes and prediabetes. Prediabetes is a condition in which your blood sugar levels are increased but not high enough to be classified as diabetes.
Insulin, a hormone that allows your cells to take sugar from the bloodstream, is normally produced by your body to manage blood sugar levels. Insulin is thus the most important blood sugar regulator.
However, a variety of factors can wreak havoc on blood sugar management and result in hyperglycemia.
High blood sugar occurs when your liver produces too much glucose, your body produces too little insulin, or your body cannot effectively use insulin. Insulin resistance is the medical term for this condition.
External factors include dietary choices, certain medicines, a sedentary lifestyle, and stress.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 13% of Americans have diabetes, while 34.5 percent have prediabetes. This means that diabetes or prediabetes affects approximately half of all individuals in the United States.
In people with diabetes, chronically high blood sugar levels can lead to limb and life-threatening complications, therefore blood sugar control is crucial.
Here are 7 easy and scientifically proven ways to lower your blood sugar naturally:
1. Make it a habit to exercise regularly:
Exercise can help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight while also boosting your insulin sensitivity.
Insulin sensitivity increases the efficiency with which your cells utilize the sugar in your bloodstream.
Muscle contraction and the use of blood sugar for energy are also aided by exercise.
Check your blood sugar levels before and after exercising regularly if you have difficulties controlling them. This can help you learn how your body reacts to different activities and avoid dangerously high or low blood sugar levels.
Furthermore, to lower blood sugar and minimize the detrimental effects of sitting all day, researchers recommend consuming so-called "exercise snacks."
Simply explained, exercise snacks require taking a break from sitting for a few minutes every 30 minutes during the day. Exercises such as light walking or simple resistance workouts such as squats or leg raises are recommended.
Exercises such as weightlifting, brisk walking, running, biking, dancing, hiking, swimming, and other sports are all useful. Any activity that gets you up and moving regularly is preferable to a sedentary lifestyle, regardless of intensity.
Also, if you have trouble dedicating longer periods to exercise during the week, keep in mind that shorter sessions can still bring several benefits. Try to fit in 10-minute workouts three times a day for five days, for a total of 150 minutes every week.
2. Keep your carbohydrate intake under control:
The amount of carbohydrates you consume has a significant impact on your blood sugar levels.
Carbs are broken down into sugars, typically glucose, by your body. Insulin is a hormone that aids the body's usage and storage of glucose for energy.
This process malfunctions when you eat too many carbohydrates or have insulin difficulties, causing blood glucose levels to rise.
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends that diabetics maintain track of their carb intake by counting them and determining how many they need.
According to some research, this can help you better organize your meals, resulting in better blood sugar control.
Numerous studies have indicated that a low-carb diet can help reduce blood sugar levels and prevent blood sugar spikes.
Understanding the difference between a low-carb and a no-carb diet is critical.
You can still eat carbohydrates while keeping your blood sugar under control. Prioritizing whole grains over refined grains and carbs, on the other hand, provides more nutritional value while also lowering blood sugar levels.
3. Incorporate more fiber into your diet:
Food digestion and sugar absorption are slowed by fiber, allowing blood sugar levels to rise more slowly.
Insoluble and soluble fibers are the two forms of fiber.
While both are healthy, soluble fiber has been shown to help regulate blood sugar, whilst insoluble fiber has not.
A high-fiber diet can aid in blood sugar regulation and the prevention of blood sugar lows. This could help with type 1 diabetes treatment.
Fiber-rich foods include the following: -fruits -vegetables -legumes -whole grains
Fiber intake should be around 25 grams per day for women and 35 grams per day for men. This equates to roughly 14 grams per 1,000 calories.
4. Stay hydrated by drinking water:
Maintaining a healthy blood sugar level can be as simple as drinking plenty of water. It helps your kidneys flush out any excess sugar through the urine, as well as reduces dehydration.
Those who drank more water had a lower risk of developing high blood sugar levels, according to a meta-analysis of observational studies.
Water can assist to refresh the blood, lower blood sugar levels, and reduce the risk of diabetes if consumed daily.
Keep in mind that water and other calorie-free beverages are the greatest options. Sugar-sweetened choices should be avoided because they can elevate blood glucose, cause weight gain, and increase the risk of diabetes.
5. Establish portion control:
Portion control can assist you in controlling your calorie consumption and maintaining a healthy weight.
Weight control, as a result, promotes healthy blood sugar levels and has been demonstrated to lower the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Blood sugar spikes can also be avoided by keeping track of your portion sizes.
Here are some useful portion control tips:
-Weigh and measure your portions
-use smaller plates
-Avoid eating at all-you-can-eat establishments
-Check the portion sizes on food labels.
-keep a meal diary -slowly eat
6. Eat meals that are low in the glycemic index:
The glycemic index (GI) is a measurement of how rapidly carbohydrates are digested and absorbed by your body. This has an impact on how quickly your blood sugar levels rise.
On a scale of 0–100, the GI separates foods into low, medium, and high GI categories
The number and kind of carbohydrates you consume have an impact on how food impacts your blood sugar levels. Low GI meals, in particular, have been demonstrated to lower blood sugar levels in patients with diabetes.
The following are some examples of foods having a low to moderate GI:
unsweetened Greek yogurt -bulgur -barley
-oats\s-beans\s-lentils\s-legumes
-non-starchy vegetables -whole wheat pasta
Adding protein or healthy fats to a meal also helps to reduce blood sugar increases thereafter.
7. Make an effort to control your stress levels:
Stress can have an impact on blood sugar levels.
When you're stressed, your body produces hormones like glucagon and cortisol, which raise blood sugar levels.
Exercise, relaxation, and meditation were found to dramatically reduce stress and blood sugar levels in a group of students in one study.
People with chronic diabetes who have insulin secretion problems may benefit from exercises and relaxation techniques like yoga and mindfulness-based stress reduction.