High or low blood sugar levels, both can be dangerous for your body. Here in this article we are going to give you a detailed guide on how to lower your blood sugar levels easily by following few simple tips given by team aerinle.
Strangely, most people are unaware of their blood sugar levels. Some tell-tale signs of elevated sugar levels are quite common. These may be unusual symptoms that might have occurred over a period, such as nausea, fatigue, frequent urination, or increased thirst.
These could be indicators that you may be someone who is at the pre-diabetic stage. We often ignore signals that our body keeps giving us. Increased blood sugar can cause damage to the internal organs, leading to life-threatening diseases and abnormality.
A high blood sugar level occurs when your body is not able to digest or convert the sugars consumed. It can be a serious matter for people at the pre-diabetic stage. For people who don’t know if their blood sugar has increased, or someone who has entered the pre-diabetic stage, it is best to get your blood sugar checked and consult a doctor.
Know what to do when blood sugar is high? We will walk you through the list of food that helps lower blood sugar levels and how to reduce blood sugar with some simple home remedies.
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Common Symptoms and Causes of High Blood Sugar Levels
It is important to keep a tab on your blood sugar level, even if you haven’t done it before. If you are one of those who have any of the following symptoms, it is advisable to get your blood sugar checked.
The most common and early signs of high blood sugar levels are:
- Frequent urination.
- Nausea.
- Blood sugar more than 180 mg/dl.
- Increased thirst.
- Weakness.
- Vision problems or blurred vision.
Now the question arises what exactly causes the increase in blood sugar. Though there are a lot of reasons that can contribute to it, the major reasons behind increase in blood sugar levels are:
- Inadequate physical activity.
- Higher consumption of carbohydrates.
- Stress.
If you would like to focus on bringing down the blood sugar levels, below given are some ways to do so.
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How To Lower Blood Sugar?
1. Exercise Daily
Daily exercise is the magic pill that can bring about great improvements in rising blood sugar levels. Exercising helps you to burn body fat easily and reduce belly fat faster and increases your insulin sensitivity. It can also help your muscles and bones to use blood sugar for all contractions.
A lot of exercises can be incorporated easily in your daily routine. Choose simple activities like walking, brisk walking, aerobics, weight lifting (if you can), dancing, and biking.
The National Diabetes Prevention Program is designed for people to lower their blood sugar to prevent diabetes in the future. People who exercised during this programme witnessed significant changes in their blood sugar levels.
2. Drink Water and Keep Yourself Hydrated
Drinking adequate water and staying hydrated has shown significant changes in blood sugar. Drinking water helps to cleanse the toxins through urine. It also helps the natural rhythm of the body to take control of eliminating excess blood sugar. A study reveals that those who drank more water had lower chances of developing high blood sugar.
Moreover, remember to always go for water or other non-caloric beverages. Sugar-laced sodas and drinks can increase weight and aggravate the risk of diabetes.
3. Keep Control on Your Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates that you consume are the ones that break down into sugars. This sugar then enters the bloodstream. Our pancreas produces insulin to manage sugar levels. Excess intake of carbohydrates can increase blood sugar, disturbing the natural cycle of insulin.
Reducing carbohydrates in your diet can automatically reduce the amount of insulin circulating in the body. Over time, this prevents insulin resistance in the body. You need to plan a low-carbohydrate diet if you are under medication for diabetes or want to prevent it in the future.
4. Increase Your Fibre Intake
Consuming fibre is a great way to reduce blood sugar, as they help in sugar absorption. Fruits, vegetables, legumes, and nuts are rich in fibre. These foods not only reduce blood sugar but also help you to maintain a healthy weight level. These foods also help in reducing the risk of many other chronic infections and diseases. So, load up your plate with food rich in fibre to have a healthy body.
5. Control Your Stress Levels
We all go through stress sometimes that can increase blood sugar. Two hormones that are secreted during stress are glucagon and cortisol, which affect blood sugar levels.
If you are stressed or are anxious, a lot of therapies and remedies can help to reduce your stress. Exercise, yoga, relaxation exercises, and deep breathing have shown positive effects in reducing stress and lowering sugar levels.
Also, if you want to reduce your stress by eating then here is the list of best stress relieving foods that keeps your stress away.
6. Get Ample and Good Quality Sleep
When you get good sleep, you feel great in all ways. Getting proper sleep promotes a healthy mind and body. Bad sleeping habits can lead to rising levels of cortisol and can affect insulin sensitivity. This, in turn, can increase blood sugar levels. Inappropriate sleep can lead to an increase in appetite and weight gain.
If you want a healthy life and body, get good, sound sleep every night to avoid metabolic disturbances.
7. Monitor Your Blood Sugar Levels
If you are diabetic or pre-diabetic, you need to keep a check on your blood sugar levels. Your doctor may suggest a proper diet and exercise to lower your blood sugar. But, the first step is to keep track of it. Start by going for regular evaluation to monitor it so as to keep it in check. A lot of devices are available in the market that can help you monitor your blood sugar easily at home. You can use any of them based on your doctor’s advice.
Both diet and exercise will help you lower your blood sugar. If followed diligently, you may beat diabetes and lead a healthy life. You need to keep a tab on what you eat and to include at least half an hour of exercise daily.
List of Foods That Lower Blood Sugar Levels
Here are some of the best foods you need to pick if you have diabetes and want to lower your blood sugar level.
1. Cooked or Roasted Veggies
These foods bring colour, taste, and texture to the entire meal. Pick up vegetables that are low in carbohydrates and full of nutritional value. Mushrooms, green leafy vegetables, onion, tomatoes, bean sprouts can be added to each meal.
Try to add some spice or flavour and add low-sugar seasoning to the food. Natural spices like garlic, pepper and rosemary are a great way to make your food more flavourful.
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2. Whole Grains and High Fibre Food
Whole grains have a lower glycaemic index (GI) than refined foods. Although, whole grains also contain carbohydrates in them, the body breaks them down differently. Try to balance your meal with legumes like beans, peas, and lentils.
Another golden rule to follow is – Do not overeat. Research shows a strong link between obesity and diabetes. Therefore, keep portions small.
3. Load Up On Protein
Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, and eggs are rich in proteins. You need to complete your meal without overeating any of the carbohydrates. Keeping your body full of proteins can lower the blood sugar levels in your body.
4. Eat Nuts
Nuts have high nutritional value as they are rich in fibre and have a low GI score. Nuts have unsaturated fats, plant proteins, antioxidant vitamins, and minerals, including magnesium and potassium.
5. Garlic
Garlic, an edible bulb, is a vegetable known from ancient Egyptian times. It is used as a food flavouring and traditional medicine. It is popularly used in treating diabetes and many other problems.
There can be many complications that could arise because of diabetes. These could occur if you leave diabetes untreated for a long while without medication.
Some of the complications which can face due to high or low diabetes are
- Nerve damage.
- Risk of heart problems.
- Risk of kidney problems.
- Eyesight problems.
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Conclusion
If you are diabetic, or pre-diabetic, focus on maintaining a healthy lifestyle with proper exercise and diet. If you are someone with chronic type-2 or type-1 diabetes, then it is best to take proper medication according to your doctor’s advice. The risk of diabetes can be prevented by adopting healthy eating habits and maintaining your weight. Exercising is your best ally in keeping complications at bay.
Disclaimer
The information given in this article is for general purposes. Please consult a physician or a doctor for your high or low blood sugar levels before using our tips to lower blood sugar levels. You should not rely solely on the content given in our article and should definitely consult an expert first.
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