High blood sugar, also known as hyperglycemia, is associated with diabetes and prediabetes. Prediabetes is a condition where blood sugar is high, but not high enough to be classified as diabetes. Your body usually controls your blood sugar by producing insulin, a hormone that allows cells to use the sugar circulating in your blood. As such, insulin is the most important regulator of blood sugar levels. However, multiple factors can disrupt blood sugar control and lead to hyperglycemia. Internal causes of high blood sugar include when your liver produces too much glucose, your body makes too little insulin, or your body can't use insulin effectively. The latter is known as insulin resistance. External factors include dietary choices, certain medications, a sedentary lifestyle and stress. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 13% of US adults are living with diabetes and another 34.5% have prediabetes. This means that nearly 50% of all US adults have diabetes or prediabetes. Managing blood sugar is especially important for people with diabetes because chronically high blood sugar can lead to limb-threatening and life-threatening complications. Here are 14 simple and evidence-based ways to lower your blood sugar naturally.
Regular exercise can help you achieve and maintain a moderate weight and increase insulin sensitivity. Increased insulin sensitivity means your cells can use the available sugar in your bloodstream more efficiently. Exercise also helps your muscles use blood sugar for energy and muscle contraction. If you have trouble managing your blood sugar, consider checking your blood sugar regularly before and after exercise. This will help you learn how you respond to different activities and prevent your blood sugar from getting too high or too low. What's more, researchers recommend taking so-called "exercise snacks" to lower blood sugar and prevent the damage that sitting all day can cause. Exercise snacking simply means that you break your sitting for a few minutes every 30 minutes during the day. Some of the recommended exercises include light walking or simple resistance exercises such as squats or leg raises. Other useful forms of exercise include weight lifting, brisk walking, running, cycling, dancing, hiking, swimming, and more. In fact, any activity that gets you moving regularly—regardless of intensity—beats a sedentary lifestyle. Plus, know that if you have trouble committing to exercise for longer periods of time during the week, you can still get a lot of benefits by doing shorter sessions. For example, try aiming for 10 minutes of exercise 3 times a day for 5 days, with a goal of 150 minutes a week. Your carbohydrate intake strongly affects your blood sugar levels. Your body breaks down carbohydrates into sugars, especially glucose. Insulin then helps your body use and store it for energy. When you eat too many carbohydrates or have problems with insulin function, this process fails and blood glucose levels can rise. That's why the American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends that people with diabetes manage their carb intake by counting carbs and being aware of how many they need. Some studies have found that it can help you plan your meals appropriately and further improve blood sugar control. Many studies also show that eating a low-carb diet helps lower blood sugar levels and prevent blood sugar spikes. It is important to note that low carb diets and no carb diets are not the same thing. You can still eat some carbs while watching your blood sugar. However, opting for whole grains over processed and refined carbohydrates provides more nutritional value while helping to lower blood sugar levels. Fiber slows the digestion of carbohydrates and the absorption of sugar, thereby promoting a slower rise in blood sugar. There are two types of fiber – insoluble and soluble. While both are important, soluble fiber has been clearly shown to improve blood sugar management, while insoluble fiber has not. A high-fiber diet can improve your body's ability to regulate blood sugar and minimize low blood sugar. This could help you manage type 1 diabetes better. Foods high in fiber include: vegetables, fruit, legumes, whole grains. The recommended daily intake of fiber is about 25 grams for women and 35 grams for men. That's about 14 grams for every 1,000 calories. Drinking enough water can help you keep your blood sugar in a healthy range. In addition to preventing dehydration, it helps the kidneys flush out excess sugar in the urine. One review of observational studies found that those who drank more water had a lower risk of developing high blood sugar. Drinking water regularly can rehydrate the blood, lower blood sugar and reduce the risk of diabetes. Keep in mind that water and other zero-calorie beverages are best. Avoid sugar-sweetened options as they can raise blood glucose levels, increase weight and increase the risk of diabetes. Portion control can help you regulate your calorie intake and maintain a moderate weight. As a result, weight management promotes healthy blood sugar levels and has been shown to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Watching portion sizes also helps prevent blood sugar spikes. Here are some helpful tips for managing portion sizes: measure and weigh your portions, use smaller plates, avoid all-you-can-eat restaurants, read food labels and check portion sizes, keep a food diary, eat slowly. The glycemic index (GI) measures how quickly carbohydrates break down during digestion and how quickly your body absorbs them. This affects how quickly blood sugar levels rise. GI divides foods into low, medium and high GI and ranks them on a scale of 0-100. Low GI foods have a rating of 55 or less. The amount and type of carbohydrates you eat determine how the food affects your blood sugar. Specifically, eating low GI foods has been shown to lower blood sugar levels in people with diabetes. Some examples of low to medium GI foods include: bulgur, barley, unsweetened Greek yogurt, oat, beans, lentil, legumes, whole grain pasta, non-starchy vegetables. Stress can affect blood sugar levels. When you're stressed, your body releases hormones called glucagon and cortisol, which cause your blood sugar to rise. One study involving a group of students showed that exercise, relaxation and meditation significantly reduced stress and lowered blood sugar levels. Exercise and relaxation methods such as yoga and mindfulness-based stress reduction can also help correct insulin secretion problems in people with chronic diabetes. Tracking your blood glucose levels can help you manage them better. You can do this at home using a portable glucose meter known as a glucometer. You can discuss this option with your doctor. Tracking allows you to determine if you need to adjust your diet or medication.
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