THE TREND
5 Best Natural Ways To Lower Blood Sugar
- Posted by Samantha Clark
- August 31, 2023
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.
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.
External factors include dietary choices, certain medications, a sedentary lifestyle, and stress.
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.
Blood sugar management is especially important for people with diabetes, as chronically high blood sugar levels can lead to limb and life threatening complications.
Here are 5 easy and evidence-backed ways to naturally lower your blood sugar levels.
1. Exercise Regularly
Regular exercise can help you reach and maintain a moderate weight and increase insulin sensitivity (Trusted Source).
Increased insulin sensitivity means your cells can more effectively use the available sugar in your bloodstream. Exercise also helps your muscles use blood sugar for energy and muscle contraction .
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 (Source).
What’s more, researchers recommend doing so-called “exercise snacks” to lower blood sugar and prevent the damage that sitting all day can do (Trusted Source).
Exercise snacks simply mean that you break up your sitting time every 30 minutes for just a few minutes throughout the day. Some of the recommended exercises include light walking or simple resistance exercises like squats or leg raises.
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.
2. Manage Your Carb Intake
Your carb intake strongly influences your blood sugar levels (source). 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 (source).
Some studies find that this can help you plan your meals appropriately, further improving blood sugar management (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.
3. Eat More Fiber
Fiber slows carb digestion and sugar absorption, thereby promoting a more gradual rise in blood sugar levels (source).
There are two types of fiber — insoluble and soluble.
While both are important, soluble fiber has explicitly been shown to improve blood sugar management, while insoluble fiber hasn’t been shown to have this effect.
A high fiber diet can improve your body’s ability to regulate blood sugar and minimize blood sugar lows. This could help you better manage type 1 diabetes (source).
Foods that are high in fiber include:
- fruits
- vegetables
- 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 (source).
4. Drink Water and Stay Hydrated
Drinking enough water could help you keep your blood sugar levels within healthy ranges.
In addition to preventing dehydration, it helps your kidneys flush out any excess sugar through urine.
One review of observational studies showed that those who drank more water had a lower risk of developing high blood sugar levels (source).
Drinking water regularly may rehydrate the blood, lower blood sugar levels, and reduce diabetes risk.
Keep in mind that water and other zero-calorie drinks are best. Avoid sugar-sweetened options, as these can raise blood glucose, drive weight gain, and increase diabetes risk.
5. Try The 30-Sec Bed Time Ritual
Men and women of all ages can now use a simple 30 second routine before they go to bed to help balance blood sugar naturally. This natural solution only takes a few minutes to prepare.
Watch the informational video below to learn more details about this new natural solution.
Author: Samantha Clark
Samantha started writing about health to document her own journey. She fell into some very bad habits and knew things had to change. That’s why she joined us to help as many people as possible with their health issues.