There are many ways to lower blood sugar levels, from having a healthy diet to exercising regularly. This step is also good to do to support diabetes treatment so that blood sugar can be better controlled.
Increased blood sugar levels can be caused by impaired effectiveness or reduced insulin production, so that the body cannot regulate the amount of blood sugar effectively.
If left unchecked, high and uncontrolled blood sugar levels can damage blood vessels, nerves, and certain organs, such as the eyes, kidneys, brain, and heart. This can lead to various dangerous complications of diabetes.
Symptom High Blood Sugar Levels in the Body
High blood sugar levels in the body may not cause symptoms, so some people may not realize that their glucose levels are high.
However, high blood sugar can sometimes also cause some symptoms, such as:
- Fatigue
- Often thirsty and hungry
- Blurred vision
- Headache
- Frequent urination
- Appetite increases but weight continues to fall
- Wounds are hard to heal
- Tingling, usually in the hands and feet
As mentioned above, high blood sugar levels can lead to various complications or diseases. To prevent this from happening, it is important to know how to lower blood sugar so that the body's glucose levels can be controlled.
How to Lower Blood Sugar
Blood sugar can indeed be lowered with the use of drugs. In severe cases of diabetes or if blood sugar is not controlled with medication, the use of insulin injections can also be a way to lower blood sugar.
In addition to drugs, there are several steps you can take as a way to lower blood sugar, including:
1. Lose weight
Being overweight or obese can make blood sugar more difficult to control. A study says that maintaining an ideal body weight can reduce a person's risk of developing diabetes by up to 58%.
Therefore, you need to lose weight and keep it ideal so that blood sugar levels can be more controlled.
2. Exercise regularly
Regular exercise can lose weight and improve insulin sensitivity, so the body's cells can use blood sugar as an energy source more efficiently.
Good exercise to do as a way to lower blood sugar levels are walking, jogging, cycling, dancing, swimming, and lifting weights.
3. Get enough sleep
Adequate sleep for 7-9 hours every day can suppress blood sugar levels in the body. Poor sleep quality or lack of sleep can increase appetite, making it easy to gain weight.
In addition, research also shows that sleep disorders can increase the risk of insulin resistance, so that blood sugar easily rises.
4. Monitor blood sugar
If you are at risk for diabetes or have been diagnosed with diabetes, measure and record your blood sugar levels every day. This is important to do to ensure whether blood sugar levels remain under control or not.
In addition, for diabetics who are already undergoing treatment, monitoring blood sugar levels is also important to ensure that the diabetes medications used are suitable and can control blood sugar well, and to detect possible side effects, such as hypoglycemia.
5. Control stress
When under stress, the body releases the hormones glucagon and cortisol, which can trigger an increase in blood sugar levels.
Therefore, controlling stress is also important as a way to lower blood sugar. You can reduce stress in various ways, such as exercise, yoga, and relaxation.
6. Control food portions
Controlled portion sizes can help you reduce your calorie intake and prevent spikes in blood sugar.
You are advised to eat small plates slowly and make it a habit to read the number of calories listed on food labels before consuming them.
7. Don't skip meals
Only eating 1 or 2 large meals a day can cause high blood sugar spikes. You are advised to eat 3 times a day with moderate portions. If you want to eat snacks, choose healthy snacks such as fruit.
Take note Food and Drinks that are Dik on Sumsi
To prevent increasing blood sugar levels, you are also required to be more careful in choosing and consuming food and drinks. Following are the things you need to pay attention to:
1. Drink more water
Water can reduce thirst and meet the body's fluid needs. In addition to preventing dehydration, drinking water regularly can also help the kidneys excrete excess blood sugar through urine.
2. Increase fiber intake
Fiber can slow the absorption of sugar in the body, so blood sugar can increase gradually. Adult women are recommended to consume 32 grams of fiber per day, while adult men as much as 37 grams of fiber per day.
3. Choose foods with a low glycemic index
The glycemic index is used to measure the body's response to the release of blood sugar from food. Foods that have a low glycemic index can prevent an increase or spike in blood sugar levels.
Some examples of foods with a low glycemic index are fruits, green vegetables, whole grains, beans, carrots, and corn.
4. Try some natural ingredients
Blood sugar can also be lowered with some natural ingredients, such as apple cider vinegar. A study says that consuming 20 ml of apple cider vinegar every day can lower blood sugar levels after eating. Not only that, apple cider vinegar can also increase the effectiveness of the performance of the insulin hormone.
In addition to apple cider vinegar, cinnamon can also be consumed as an intake to lower sugar levels. There is research that says that consuming 1–2 grams of cinnamon powder can reduce blood sugar levels in the body by up to 29%.
However, the effectiveness of these natural ingredients still needs to be investigated further. Therefore, you should consult a doctor before using natural ingredients to lower blood sugar, especially if you are on diabetes medication.
5. Stay away from high-fat and high-sugar foods
The taboo for those of you who want to lower blood sugar levels is to eat foods with high levels of fat and sugar, such as fried foods, butter, cakes, chocolate, and ice cream.
In addition, you are also advised to stay away from alcoholic beverages and quit smoking to lower blood sugar.
You can apply the various ways of lowering blood sugar that have been mentioned above to prevent insulin resistance and reduce the risk of developing diabetes.
If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, the ways above can be done to keep blood sugar levels stable. If
blood sugar is still high even though you have tried various ways to lower blood sugar, consult a doctor for treatment.