Keeping our body’s blood sugar levels at healthy levels is important for everyone. This is especially true for those that have diabetes or are at risk of developing the condition. Making an effort to maintain normal blood sugar can help prevent unwanted health problems throughout the body.
So why exactly do blood sugar (also known as blood glucose) levels rise? This can happen when someone’s body struggles to transfer sugar in the blood to the body’s cells. Consistently having a high amount of sugar in the blood can cause someone to develop diabetes.
Developing diabetes is definitely something we should all try to avoid. This is because diabetes can negatively impact our health and bodies in a variety of ways if left untreated. For example, one of the ways this disease can hurt us is by damaging our eyes and vision. High blood glucose can lead to swelling in the eye and damage blood vessels that connect to the retina in our eyes.
Fortunately, there are many steps we can take to lower our blood sugar levels. Making lifestyle changes is a great way to improve our health and help prevent diabetes and health problems from developing. Keep reading below to learn what you can do to reduce your risk of developing this disease and its many complications.
Keep Moving
Staying active and on the move is a wonderful way to keep blood sugar levels at a healthy level. Even small improvements in activity levels can lead to impactful changes that have the power to prevent unwanted illnesses and diseases. If you’re struggling to start an active lifestyle, try to go for a simple walk a few times a week. You can gradually increase the time and distance of your walks, and eventually your speed.
Training the muscles of the body is also very helpful in keeping blood sugar levels at a normal level. Look into lifting weights or even doing simple bodyweight exercises to get going down this path. Some people prefer to do fun activities instead of simple exercises to stay active. If you are one of these individuals, look into starting up a hobby you like such as a dance class, hiking, or surfing.
By moving often, your body increases its insulin sensitivity and it becomes easier for your muscles to utilize glucose. This is because working out causes your body to use glucose to replenish energy.
If you already have diabetes, you know how important it is to check your blood sugar levels on a regular basis. This is especially important when starting a new activity or exercise, as you want to know how your body reacts to new movements. Monitoring your blood glucose can help ensure your levels don’t become too low or too high as you start becoming more active.
Stay Hydrated
Our kidneys are very important for managing blood sugar levels. When these levels get too elevated, the kidneys kick in and try to flush out excess blood sugar through our urine. Because of this vital process, it is so important that we drink enough water throughout the day and ensure we are hydrated.
In fact, not drinking enough water can cause blood sugar to concentrate at higher levels in our blood. Additionally, studies have shown that those that regularly drink enough water are less likely to develop high blood sugar levels or get dehydrated.
Keep an Eye on Carbs
Carbohydrates are delicious but they, unfortunately, have quite a big impact on our blood sugar levels as well. Foods such as pasta, bread, and rice all turn into sugar during the digestion process and then need insulin in order to get transferred to the body’s cells. If somebody has problems with their insulin, they may not be able to properly complete this process and end up with high levels of sugar in their blood.
One way to reduce the chances of this happening is to keep an eye on how many carbohydrates you are consuming. If you are at a higher risk of developing diabetes, consider switching to a low-carb diet to make it easier for yourself to avoid problems. Low-carb diets can help prevent spikes in blood glucose levels and make it easier to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Additionally, some carbohydrates are better than others. For example, complex carbs are a much healthier choice than refined carbs when attempting to avoid blood sugar spikes. This is because naturally occurring sugars and fibers in complex carbs are much less likely to damage your health.
Manage Stress Effectively
Although it may seem unrelated, creating a plan for managing stress is critical for effectively managing blood sugar levels in the body. This is because high stress can release damaging hormones such as glucagon and cortisol into the body and make it much harder for us to utilize insulin properly.
Having a plan for how you will handle stressful situations can make it easier to stay calm when things get out of control or introduce uncertainty into your life. This reduces the likelihood of cortisol disrupting our systems in unhealthy ways. If you are interested, consider taking up yoga, tai chi, or meditation on a regular basis. Doing so can help you stay healthy both physically and mentally.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are many great ways in which to manage our blood sugar levels in a healthy manner. Taking the time to do so can help us prevent diabetes and many unwanted health complications in the long run. Eating healthy foods, staying active, and having a plan for managing stress are all wonderful tools we can utilize to keep our bodies strong and healthy.