High blood sugar, also known as hyperglycemia, is associated with diabetes and prediabetes. Prediabetes is when your blood sugar is high, but not high enough to be classified as diabetes. Your body usually manages your blood sugar levels by producing insulin, a hormone that allows your cells to use the circulating sugar in your blood. As such, insulin is the most important regulator of blood sugar levels (1
Trusted Source). However, multiple factors can impair blood sugar management and lead to hyperglycemia. Internal causes for high blood sugar include when your liver produces too much glucose, your body makes too little insulin, or your body can’t effectively use insulin. The latter is known as insulin resistance (1
Trusted Source). External factors include dietary choices, certain medications, a sedentary lifestyle, and stress (1
Trusted Source, 2Trusted Source).
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 13% of U.S. adults live with diabetes and that another 34.5% have prediabetes. This means that close to 50% of all U.S. adults have diabetes or prediabetes (3Trusted Source). Blood sugar management is especially important for people with diabetes, as chronically high blood sugar levels can lead to limb and life-threatening complications (1
Here are 14 easy and evidence-backed ways to naturally lower your blood sugar levels. Increased insulin sensitivity means your cells can more effectively use the available sugar in your bloodstream. If you have problems with blood sugar management, consider routinely checking your levels before and after exercising. This will help you learn how you respond to different activities and keep your blood sugar levels from getting too high or low (5). What’s more, researchers recommend doing so-called “exercise snacks” to lower blood sugar and prevent the damage that sitting all day can do (6
Trusted Source). Other useful forms of exercise include weightlifting, brisk walking, running, biking, dancing, hiking, swimming, and more. In fact, any activity that regularly gets you up and moving — regardless of the intensity — beats a sedentary lifestyle. Plus, know that if you have trouble dedicating longer periods to exercise throughout the week, you can still gain many benefits by doing shorter sessions. For example, try aiming for 10-minute exercise sessions 3 times a day for 5 days, with the goal of 150 minutes per week. Your body breaks carbs down into sugars, mainly glucose. Then, insulin helps your body use and store it for energy. When you eat too many carbs or have insulin-function problems, 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 (8). Some studies find that this can help you plan your meals appropriately, further improving blood sugar management (9
Trusted Source, 10Trusted Source). Many studies also show that eating a low-carb diet helps reduce blood sugar levels and prevent blood sugar spikes (11
Trusted Source, 12Trusted Source, 13Trusted Source). It’s important to note that low-carb diets and no carb diets are not the same.
You can still eat some carbs when monitoring your blood sugar. However, prioritizing whole grains over processed ones and refined carbs provides greater nutritional value while helping decrease your blood sugar levels (14Trusted Source). Fiber slows carb digestion and sugar absorption, thereby promoting a more gradual rise in blood sugar levels (15
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