Prevent High Blood Sugar
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.
Here are 14 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.
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.
2. Manage your carb intake.
Your carb intake strongly influences your blood sugar levels.
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.
3. Eat more fiber
Fiber slows carb digestion and sugar absorption, thereby promoting a more gradual rise in blood sugar levels.
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.
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.
Drinking water regularly may rehydrate the blood, lower blood sugar levels, and reduce diabetes risk.
5. Implement portion control
Portion control can help you regulate your calorie intake and maintain a moderate weight.
Consequently, weight management promotes healthy blood sugar levels and has been shown to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Monitoring your serving sizes also helps prevent blood sugar spikes.
6. Choose foods with a low glycemic index
The glycemic index (GI) measures how quickly carbs break down during digestion and how rapidly your body absorbs them. This affects how quickly your blood sugar levels rise (15Trusted Source).
The GI divides foods into low, medium, and high GI and ranks them on a scale of 0–100. Low GI foods have a ranking of 55 or less.
7. Try to manage your stress levels
Stress can affect your blood sugar levels (29).
When stressed, your body secretes hormones called glucagon and cortisol, which cause blood sugar levels to rise.
One study including a group of students showed that exercise, relaxation, and meditation significantly reduced stress and lowered blood sugar levels.
Exercises and relaxation methods like yoga and mindfulness-based stress reduction may also help correct insulin secretion problems among people with chronic diabetes.
8. Monitor your blood sugar levels
Monitoring blood glucose levels can help you better manage them.
You can do so at home using a portable blood glucose meter, which is known as a glucometer. You can discuss this option with your doctor.
Keeping track allows you to determine whether you need to adjust your meals or medications. It also helps you learn how your body reacts to certain foods.
Try measuring your levels regularly every day and keeping track of the numbers in a log. Also, it may be more helpful to track your blood sugar in pairs — for example, before and after exercise or before and 2 hours after a meal.
This can show you whether you need to make small changes to a meal if it spikes your blood sugar, rather than avoiding your favorite meals altogether. Some adjustments include swapping a starchy side for non-starchy veggies or limiting them to a handful.
9. Get enough quality sleep
Getting enough sleep feels excellent and is necessary for good health.
In fact, poor sleeping habits and a lack of rest can affect blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity, increasing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. They can also increase appetite and promote weight gain.
Additionally, sleep deprivation raises levels of the hormone cortisol, which, as explained, plays an essential role in blood sugar management.
Adequate sleep is about both quantity and quality. The National Sleep Foundation recommends that adults get at least 7–8 hours of high quality sleep per night.
To improve the quality of your sleep, try to:
Follow a sleep schedule
Avoid caffeine and alcohol late in the day
Get regular exercise
Cut down on screen time before bed
Keep your bedroom cool
Limit your naps
Create a bedtime routine
Use soothing and calming scents such as lavender
Avoid working in your bedroom
Take a warm bath or shower before bed
Try meditation or guided imagery
10. Eat foods rich in chromium and magnesium
High blood sugar levels and diabetes have been linked to micronutrient deficiencies. Some examples include deficiencies in the minerals chromium and magnesium.
Chromium is involved in carb and fat metabolism. It may potentiate the action of insulin, thus aiding blood sugar regulation.
11. Consider adding specific foods to your diet
Multiple foods and plants are known to have medicinal properties.
However, the overall quality of evidence on these ingredients is low due to insufficient human studies or small sample sizes. Therefore, no conclusive recommendations can be made regarding their use.
Some of the foods touted to have anti-diabetes effects include:
Apple cider vinegar.
According to older research, this ingredient may reduce blood sugar levels by delaying the emptying of your stomach after a meal.
Cinnamon.
This spice may improve blood sugar levels by enhancing insulin sensitivity and slowing the breakdown of carbs in your digestive tract. This moderates the rise in blood sugar after a meal.
Berberine.
Research suggests that this compound lowers blood sugar by stimulating enzymes’ breakdown of glucose, promoting your tissue’s use of sugar and increasing insulin production.
Fenugreek Seeds.
While more high quality studies in humans are needed, there is some evidence that fenugreek may help support blood sugar management.
It’s essential to talk with your doctor before adding any of these foods to your diet if you’re already taking blood-sugar-lowering medications, as some herbal supplements may negatively interact with them.
12. Maintain A Moderate Weight
Maintaining a moderate weight promotes healthy blood sugar levels and reduces your risk of developing diabetes.
Research shows that even a 5% reduction in body weight can improve your blood sugar regulation and reduce the need for diabetes medication.
For example, if a person weighs 200 pounds (91 kg) and loses just 10–14 pounds (4.5–6 kg), they may see significant improvements in their blood sugar levels.
13. Eat Healthy Snacks More Frequently
Spreading your meals and snacks throughout the day may help you avoid both high and low blood sugar levels.
Snacking between meals may also reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes
In fact, several studies suggest that having smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day could improve insulin sensitivity and lower blood sugar levels.
14. Eat Probiotic-rich Foods
Probiotics are friendly bacteria that offer numerous health benefits, including improved blood sugar regulation.
Research shows that probiotic intake may lower fasting blood sugar, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and insulin resistance in people with type 2 diabetes
Interestingly, studies have found that improvements in blood sugar levels are more significant in people who consume multiple species of probiotics and for at least 8 weeks.
THE BOTTOM LINE
There are multiple ways to naturally manage your blood sugar levels.
Many of them include making lifestyle changes, like managing your weight, stress levels, and sleep quality, exercising, and staying hydrated. That said, some of the biggest improvements have to do with your dietary choices.
Be sure to talk with your healthcare professional before making lifestyle changes or trying new supplements— especially if you have problems with blood sugar management or are taking medications.