Diabetes Management

How To Lower Blood Sugar?

High blood sugar happens when glucose is not completely dissolved in the blood due to insufficient insulin or if the body is unable to use the insulin properly. High blood sugar levels (known as hyperglycemia) are also linked with diabetes.

Hyperglycemia could damage the nerves, blood vessels, tissues, and organs if left untreated. This could increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, eye damage, kidney failure, and non-healing wounds. 

There are many things that lead to hyperglycemia. Some of the risk factors are as follows:

• Family history
• Being overweight
• High blood pressure 
• High cholesterol
• Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
• History of gestational diabetes

How to normalize high blood sugar levels?

There are two ways to reduce blood sugar – medication and lifestyle changes. While medication works directly on the underlying cause, lifestyle changes help you healthily achieve lower blood sugar levels, like taking care of your diet, weight, and physical activities.

Medication

Type 1 diabetes requires insulin injections or an insulin pump to lower blood sugar. Type 2 diabetes can be managed by oral medications or a combination of medicines and insulin. These drugs reduce the amount of sugar produced by the liver or eliminate the excess sugar in the body. 

Lifestyle Changes

Lifestyle changes can help bring blood sugar levels under control and can also help to reduce the body. Losing those excess pounds can also lower the risk of other health issues. Here are 7 lifestyle tips on how to lower blood sugar levels at home.

7 Tips On How To Lower Blood Sugar

1. Exercise

A sedentary lifestyle can result in the accumulation of excess sugar in the body in the form of fatty acids. Regular exercise helps to burn extra sugar and keep blood sugar levels in a healthy range.

Excess sugar can lead to weight gain, which increases pressure on the heart. Make a plan to be healthy by exercising. You do not need to do strenuous exercise or hit the gym. Simply going for a brisk walk regularly will do wonders for your body.

2. Eat a balanced diet

Consuming a diet rich in fiber, healthy fats, and lean protein is beneficial in managing blood sugar. Include more nuts, fruits, and vegetables in your diet, and avoid sugary foods and beverages.

3. Choose Low Glycemic Index Carbs

The Glycemic Index is a rating system that shows how quickly a food item affects your sugar level. Fruits, vegetables, and wholegrain foods fall under the low and medium GI index category. White bread, potatoes, white rice, sugary foods, and drinks are high glycemic index items.

Low and medium GI foods keep your stomach feeling full and hence help reduce weight.

4. Avoid Stress

When you are stressed, your body goes into what is known as the 'fight or flight' mode During this time, cortisol levels rise and cause the liver to increase sugar production. Although this helps you deal with danger, constant stress could lead to chronic high blood sugar.

Practicing yoga, meditation, mindfulness, and training your mind to stay calm during stress will go a long way to keeping blood sugar levels low. 

5. Get Enough Sleep

Lack of sleep can lead to high blood sugar levels and increase the risk of diabetes. It also puts more pressure on the heart to keep you active and can affect your mood, productivity, and eating habits.

Make sure to get the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep daily to keep your body functioning properly.

6. Quit Smoking

Research shows that smoking increases your heart rate and blood pressure. Smoking can also lead to a health issue known as hyper-inflated lungs. This condition causes you to exhale less than you inhale as the air becomes trapped inside the lungs. This leaves little room to inhale fresh oxygen. 

Smoking also blocks your blood vessels. The chemicals in smoke make the lining of the blood vessels swollen and inflamed, which puts increased pressure on the heart.

7. Avoid Alcohol

Alcohol can also raise blood sugar levels, especially when mixed with soda or juice. If you are trying to lose weight, consuming alcohol increases your calorie intake and stimulates your appetite leading to overeating and high blood sugar levels.

Alcohol also increases the body's ability to resist insulin, leading to high blood sugar.

How To Check Blood Sugar Level at Home

 

Where to buy products useful in lowering blood sugar?

HPFY carries a wide range of products to help maintain healthy levels of blood sugar. Some of our top sellers are:

Your body needs sugar to function properly and is designed to produce all the sugar it needs in order to do so. This is why we must be aware of any excess sugar we may ingest. Too much-unutilized sugar accumulates in our system and leads to many health risks. Exercising, eating a controlled diet, getting proper sleep, avoiding stress, saying no to alcohol, and quitting smoking will all go a long way to keeping your body healthy.

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