14 Easy Ways to Lower Blood Sugar Levels

14 Easy Ways to Naturally Lower Your Blood Sugar Levels
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Naturally, knowing how to lower blood sugar levels is key to managing prediabetes or diabetes. Behaviors such as exercising regularly, eating more fiber, adding more snacks, and increasing your probiotic intake would be beneficial.

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 sugar circulating in your blood. Therefore, insulin is the most important regulator of blood sugar levels.

However, many factors can disrupt blood sugar management and lead to hyperglycemia.


High blood sugar can be caused by your liver producing too much glucose, your body producing too little insulin, or your body being unable to use insulin effectively. The latter is known as insulin resistance.

External factors include dietary choices, certain medications, a sedentary lifestyle, and stress.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 13% of U.S. adults live with diabetes and 34.5% have prediabetes. This means that nearly 50% of all U.S. adults have diabetes or prediabetes.

Blood sugar management is especially important for people with diabetes, as chronically high blood sugar levels can lead to limb and life-threatening complications.

Here are 14 easy, evidence-based ways to naturally lower your blood sugar levels.

Exercise regularly

Regular exercise can help you reach and maintain a moderate weight and improve insulin sensitivity.

Increased insulin sensitivity means your cells can use the sugar available in your bloodstream more effectively.

Exercise also helps your muscles use blood sugar for energy and muscle contraction.

If you have issues with blood sugar management, consider routinely checking your levels before and after exercise. This will help you learn how you respond to different activities and prevent your blood sugar levels from becoming too high or too low.

Other beneficial forms of exercise include weightlifting, brisk walking, running, cycling, dancing, hiking, swimming, and more. In fact, any activity that gets you on your feet and moving regularly – regardless of intensity – will beat a sedentary lifestyle.

Also, if you find it difficult to dedicate longer periods of time to exercise throughout the week, know that you can still reap many benefits by doing shorter sessions. For example, try aiming for 10-minute exercise sessions three times a day for five days, with a target of 150 minutes per week.

Manage your carbohydrate intake.

Your carbohydrate intake strongly affects your blood sugar levels.

Your body breaks down carbohydrates into sugars, primarily glucose. Then, insulin helps your body use and store it for energy.

When you eat too many carbohydrates or have insulin function problems, this process fails and blood sugar levels can rise.

Therefore, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends that people with diabetes manage their carbohydrate intake by counting carbohydrates and being aware of how many they need.

Some studies have found that this can help you plan your meals properly and further improve blood sugar management.

Many studies also show that eating a low-carbohydrate diet helps lower blood sugar levels and prevent blood sugar spikes.

You can still eat some carbohydrates while monitoring your blood sugar. However, prioritizing whole grains over processed and refined carbohydrates will help lower your blood sugar levels while providing more nutritional value.

Eat more fiber.

Fiber slows down carbohydrate digestion and sugar absorption, thus promoting a more gradual increase in blood sugar levels.

There are two types of fiber – insoluble and soluble.

While both are important, soluble fiber has been clearly shown to improve blood sugar management, while insoluble fiber has not been shown to have this effect.

A high-fiber diet can improve your body's ability to regulate blood sugar and minimize blood sugar drops. This can help you better manage type 1 diabetes.

Foods high in fiber include:

  • Vegetables
  • Fruit
  • Pulses
  • whole grains

The recommended daily fiber intake is approximately 25 grams for women and 35 grams for men. This is about 14 grams per 1000 calories.

Drink water and stay hydrated.

Drinking enough water can help keep your blood sugar levels within a healthy range.

In addition to preventing dehydration, it helps your kidneys remove excess sugar through urine.

A review of observational studies has shown that those who drink more water have a lower risk of developing high blood sugar levels.

Drinking water regularly can thin the blood, lower blood sugar levels, and reduce the risk of diabetes.

Remember that water and other zero-calorie drinks are best. Avoid sugar-sweetened options, as these can raise blood sugar, increase weight gain, and raise the risk of diabetes.

Practice portion control.

Portion control can help you regulate your calorie intake and maintain a moderate weight.

In conclusion, weight management promotes healthy blood sugar levels and has been shown to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Monitoring your portion sizes also helps prevent blood sugar spikes.

Below are some helpful tips for managing portion sizes:

  • Measure and weigh your portions.
  • Use smaller plates.
  • Avoid restaurants where you can eat whatever you want.
  • Read food labels and check portion sizes.
  • Keep a food diary.
  • Eat slowly.

 

Choose foods with a low glycemic index.

The glycemic index (GI) measures how quickly carbohydrates are broken down during digestion and how quickly your body absorbs them. This affects how quickly your blood sugar levels rise.

GI divides foods into low, medium, and high GI, ranking them on a scale of 0-100. Low GI foods have a ranking of 55 or less.

Both the quantity and type of carbohydrates you eat determine how a food affects your blood sugar levels. Specifically, eating low-GI foods has been shown to lower blood sugar levels in people with diabetes.

Additionally, adding protein or healthy fats helps minimize blood sugar spikes after meals.

Try to manage your stress levels.

Stress can affect your blood sugar levels.

When you're stressed, your body releases hormones called glucagon and cortisol, which cause blood sugar levels to rise.

A study involving a group of students showed that exercise, relaxation, and meditation significantly reduced stress and lowered blood sugar levels.

Exercises and relaxation techniques such as yoga and mindfulness-based stress reduction can also help improve insulin secretion problems in people with chronic diabetes.

Monitor your sugar levels.

Monitoring your blood sugar levels can help you manage them better.

You can do this at home using a portable blood glucose meter known as a glucometer. You can discuss this option with your doctor.

Tracking allows you to determine if you need to adjust your diet or medication. It also helps you learn how your body reacts to specific foods.

Try measuring your levels regularly each day and tracking the numbers in a diary. It might also be more helpful to monitor 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 raises your blood sugar, rather than completely avoiding your favorite foods. Some adjustments might include swapping a starchy side for non-starchy vegetables or limiting them to a handful.

Get enough quality sleep.

Getting enough sleep makes you feel great and is essential for your health.

In fact, poor sleep habits and 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.

In addition, sleep deprivation, as explained, raises levels of the hormone cortisol, which plays a crucial role in blood sugar management.

Sufficient 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 the following:

  • Follow your sleep schedule.
  • Avoid caffeine and alcohol late in the day.
  • exercise regularly
  • Reduce screen time before bedtime.
  • Keep your bedroom cool.
  • Limit your sweets.
  • Establish a bedtime routine
  • Use soothing and calming scents like lavender.
  • Avoid working in your bedroom.
  • Take a warm bath or shower before bed.
  • Try meditation or guided imagery.

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 plays a role in carbohydrate and fat metabolism. It can enhance the effect of insulin, thus helping to regulate blood sugar.

Foods rich in chromium include:

  • Et
  • whole grain products
  • fruit
  • Vegetables
  • Hazelnut

However, the mechanisms behind this proposed link are not fully understood, and studies report mixed findings. Therefore, further research is needed.

Magnesium has also been shown to benefit blood sugar levels. In fact, diets rich in magnesium are associated with a significantly reduced risk of diabetes.

Conversely, low magnesium levels can lead to insulin resistance and decreased glucose tolerance in people with diabetes.

Foods rich in magnesium include:

  • dark leafy greens
  • pumpkin and pumpkin seeds
  • Orkinos
  • dark chocolate
  • Banana
  • Avokado
  • Beans

Consider adding certain foods to your diet.

Several foods and plants are known to possess medicinal properties.

However, the overall quality of evidence regarding these components is low due to insufficient human studies or small sample sizes. Therefore, no definitive recommendation can be made regarding their use.

Here are some foods that are said to have anti-diabetic effects.

  • Apple cider vinegar. According to earlier research, this component may lower blood sugar levels by delaying the emptying of your stomach after a meal.
  • Cinnamon. This spice can raise blood sugar levels by increasing insulin sensitivity and slowing the breakdown of carbohydrates in your digestive system. This helps to mitigate the spike in blood sugar after a meal.
  • Researches, Studies show that this compound lowers blood sugar by stimulating enzymes to break down glucose, promoting your tissues' use of sugar, and increasing insulin production.
  • Fenugreek seeds. While more qualitative studies are needed in humans, there is some evidence that fenugreek may help support blood sugar management.

If you are already taking blood sugar-lowering medication, it is important to talk to your doctor before adding any of these foods to your diet, as some herbal supplements may interact negatively with them.

Finally, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate supplements in the same way it regulates prescription drugs. Therefore, it is important to purchase supplements that have been tested for purity and ingredient content by an independent laboratory.

Maintain a moderate weight.

Maintaining a moderate weight promotes healthy blood sugar levels and reduces your risk of developing diabetes.

Studies show that even a 5% reduction in body weight can improve blood sugar regulation and reduce the need for diabetes medication.

For example, if a person weighs 200 pounds (91 kg) and loses only 10–14 pounds (4,5–6 kg), they may see significant improvements in their blood sugar levels.

Furthermore, losing more than 5% of your initial weight can benefit your glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) readings. These are used as indicators of your blood sugar levels over the past 3 months.

Opt for healthy snacks.

Instead of packaged foods healthy snacks Choosing this will lower your risk of diabetes.

There is a growing body of research suggesting that having smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day may improve insulin sensitivity and lower blood sugar levels.

Eat foods rich in probiotics.

Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that offer numerous health benefits, including improved blood sugar regulation.

Studies show that probiotic intake may reduce 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 types of probiotics and use them for at least 8 weeks.

Probiotic-rich foods include fermented foods such as the following:

  • Yogurt, as long as it contains live active cultures according to the label.
  • Kefir
  • tempeh
  • Sauerkraut
  • Kimchi

 

 

 

 

References;

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Richter EA, Sylow L, Hargreaves M. Interactions between insulin and exercise. Biochem J. 2021 Nov 12;478(21):3827-3846. doi: 10.1042/BCJ20210185. PMID: 34751700. (2)

Dempsey PC, Larsen RN, Sethi P, Sacre JW, Straznicky NE, Cohen ND, Cerin E, Lambert GW, Owen N, Kingwell BA, Dunstan DW. Benefits for Type 2 Diabetes of Interrupting Prolonged Sitting With Brief Bouts of Light Walking or Simple Resistance Activities. DiabetesCare. 2016 Jun;39(6):964-72. doi: 10.2337/dc15-2336. Epub 2016 Apr 13. PMID: 27208318. (3)