If you have diabetes, controlling your blood sugar is essential to staying healthy and reducing your risk for related complications including, nerve damage, kidney damage, and heart disease. Medications are commonly used to treat diabetes and help control blood sugar. However, many diabetes medications can produce unwanted side effects, including weight gain, headaches, gastrointestinal problems, and bladder cancer. Fortunately, you can take steps to effectively control your blood sugar and manage diabetes.
Exercise Regularly
Exercise makes your body more sensitive to insulin, which means it improves your cells’ ability to “burn off” the sugar in your bloodstream and use it for energy. If you sit for long periods during the day, doing 3-minute bouts of exercise every 30 minutes in the form of light walking or strength training can help lower your blood sugar.
Start exercising regularly to control your blood sugar and to lose excess weight that may be inhibiting your ability to manage your condition. Any amount of exercise is better than none, but the CDC recommends exercising for at least 150 minutes every week, which equates to 30 minutes a day, five days a week.
Eat More Fiber
Foods that are high in fiber can improve the way your body regulates blood sugar. Fiber slows both the digestion of carbohydrates and the absorption of sugar. The effect of fiber on your body can help prevent blood sugar from getting too high or too low.
In addition to controlling your blood sugar, a high-fiber diet also balances your cholesterol, lowers high blood sugar, promotes regular bowel movements, and keeps you feeling full for a longer period. The best sources of fiber to include in your diet are fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans.
Drink Plenty of Water
Drinking more water throughout the day may be one of the simplest ways to control your blood sugar. Water can reduce your blood sugar levels by diluting the amount of sugar circulating in your bloodstream. It can also prevent dehydration and help your kidneys flush excess sugar through urine to reduce the risk of kidney damage—a common complication of diabetes.
Replace sugary beverages like sodas, energy drinks, and fruit juices with water. Also, avoid sweetened water products, which will negate the benefits of drinking water to control your blood sugar.
Eat Smaller Portions
Reducing the amount of food you eat in one sitting can go a long way toward controlling your blood sugar, especially because large portions promote weight gain and obesity— both risk factors for diabetes. Eating small portions can also prevent spikes in blood sugar.
Here are tips that can help you start eating less at mealtimes:
- Avoid going back for seconds.
- Use small plates and bowls instead of larger ones.
- Avoid going to all-you-can-eat buffets, which promote overeating.
- Eat slowly and chew thoroughly.
- Eat small, healthy snacks or meals throughout the day instead of three large meals.
- Check the recommended serving size on food labels to make sure you’re not eating more than you should.
Manage Stress
Stress can exacerbate a wide variety of conditions, including diabetes, and is often overlooked as a potential cause of health problems. When you are stressed, your body releases a higher amount of a stress hormone called cortisol in response to “fight-or-flight” situations. This disrupts the balance of other hormones in your body—including insulin—to cause high blood sugar.
It’s normal to experience some stress from time to time, but chronic stress that never goes away can lead to chronically high blood sugar levels. If you suffer from chronic stress, try exercising, meditating, or relaxing—all of which are shown to effectively reduce both stress and blood sugar.
Get Quality Sleep
Lack of sleep and poor quality sleep put excess stress on your body, which increases your cortisol levels. Like chronic stress, sleep deprivation can upset your hormonal balance and lead to spikes in blood sugar, reduced insulin sensitivity, weight gain, and poor appetite control.
Sleeping for long periods won’t necessarily help you control your blood sugar if you wake several times during the night. The quality of your sleep is just as important as its quantity.
Try the following to sleep better at night:
- Limit your caffeine intake to the mornings and early afternoons, and avoid drinking it close to bedtime.
- Wake and go to sleep at the same times every day.
- Invest in a quality mattress and bed sheets that can help you stay comfortable.
- Establish a relaxing bedtime routine, such as reading or listening to soothing music for at least an hour before bedtime.
- Use a white-noise machine to lull you to sleep.
- Avoid looking at screens within a few hours of bedtime.
Consult your doctor if you are living with diabetes and need help managing your blood sugar. Your doctor can evaluate your current treatment regimen and help you implement healthy changes which can reduce your risk for diabetes-related complications.
Resource Links
- “Medication for type 2 diabetes” via National Library of Medicine
- “Complications of Diabetes Therapy” via National Library of Medicine
- “Interactions between insulin and exercise” via National Library of Medicine
- “Benefits for Type 2 Diabetes of Interrupting Prolonged Sitting With Brief Bouts of Light Walking or Simple Resistance Activities” via National Library of Medicine
- “How much physical activity do adults need?” via Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- “Glycemic Index (GI) or Glycemic Load (GL) and Dietary Interventions for Optimizing Postprandial Hyperglycemia in Patients with T2 Diabetes: A Review” via National Library of Medicine
- “Water intake and risk of type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies” via National Library of Medicine
- “Manage Blood Sugar” via Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- “The longitudinal association of changes in diurnal cortisol features with fasting glucose: MESA” via ScienceDirect
- “Blood sugar and stress” via University of California, San Francisco
- “Effects of yogic exercises on life stress and blood glucose levels in nursing students” via National Library of Medicine
- “The important role of sleep in metabolism” via National Library of Medicine