Maintaining blood sugar levels is a tricky task when you have diabetes. A long list of medications and insulin therapy manage your glucose level to some extent, but they are not enough. Besides medication, lifestyle modification is essential if you want to lower your blood sugar level to a serious note.
According to the Center for disease control and prevention, maintaining a low blood sugar level is not just about diabetes. Blood sugar levels in the normal range also help prevent associated complications such as heart problems, kidney issues, vision problems, and nerve damage. If a diabetes patient manages to control his blood sugar level, the course of his disease alters.
Considering this, today, we will highlight five easy ways to lower your blood sugar level.
1. REGULAR EXERCISE:
Regular exercise is key to a healthy life. If you want to reduce your blood sugar levels, exercise is the best thing you can choose. Regular exercise helps improve blood glucose levels. According to the American Diabetes Association, exercise boosts insulin sensitivity to high blood glucose levels and also provokes the body’s ability to utilize glucose as energy. It causes muscles to use blood glucose content which lowers blood sugar levels.
However, the time duration of exercise matters because it causes an immediate reduction in blood sugar levels. According to the research, workout for half an hour after having a meal is an optimal duration to manage blood sugar ratio. Although, it’s best to consult your doctor before beginning a workout regime. It helps you to choose the appropriate span for your workout plan.
2. QUALITY SLEEP:
Poor or short sleep disturbs your body mechanisms and also affects your blood sugar level. A recent study published in Diabetologia says that chronic sleep shortage enhances the chances of type 2 diabetes. When we do not get enough sleep, we accumulate more fatty acids in our blood, which inhibits insulin’s ability to respond to blood sugar levels. Owing to this, a regular power nap of 7-8 hours is highly essential if you want to maintain your blood sugar levels within the normal range.
3. LOW-CARB DIET:
For the maintenance of optimal blood sugar levels, particularly when you have diabetes, a low-carb diet is a must thing. Because, when you have diabetes, your blood sugar levels are already high, and in these circumstances, when you eat sugary foods, your blood sugar levels boost up. Hence, to keep your blood sugar level in an optimal range, go for fibrous foods and proteinous meals instead of sugars.
You can also try some natural remedies like ginger, cinnamon, apple cider vinegar, etc to reduce your blood sugar levels.
4. STRESS MANAGEMENT:
Stress level is directly proportional to high blood glucose level. The more you are stressed, the more your sugar level increases. According to the Diabetes Teaching Center at the University of California in San Francisco, when your stress level increases, the level of insulin drops, some other hormones also activate, and the liver releases more glucose in the circulation which boosts the blood sugar level for next eight hours.
Therefore, stress management is highly crucial. Regular walks, deep breaths, listening to stress-relieving music, etc., are some ways that can provide relief to your stress.
5. DRINKING PLENTY OF WATER:
Drinking plenty of water flushes out extra sugar from your blood through the kidneys thus helping control blood sugar levels. Studies show that drinking more water lowers the chances of having high blood sugar level and also lessen the chances of having diabetes.
In addition to the above-mentioned tips, there are many options (healthy weight loss, fibrous enriched diet, regular breakfast, etc) that can help you manage your blood sugar levels. However, what matters is your motivation. It’s a fact that ignoring tempting foods and mouth-watering deserts is difficult for everyone, but if you want to live a healthy and pain-free life, then it is necessary to have lifestyle modifications. After all, living without something is better than dying.