Best Ways To Manage Your Blood Sugar: According To The Experts
When we talk about managing our blood sugar, we're referring to a state of health where the body can get enough nutrients from food and, as a result, maintain the normal functions of its cells. It's important for people who have diabetes or prediabetes because those conditions change how quickly your body can use glucose (a type of sugar).
When someone has diabetes, there aren't enough insulin-producing cells in their pancreas; this causes them to have high levels of glucose in their blood.
In this article, we'll explain how you can keep your blood sugar within a healthy range by eating well and exercising regularly—and when it's time to see your doctor! So read on!
Managing The Blood Sugar Level
1. Get your Blood Sugar Checked Regularly
Get your blood sugar checked regularly. Check with your doctor to find out what they recommend, but in general, it's good to have your blood sugar tested once every three months.
Your test results may vary slightly each time you get them done because of things like diet or exercise habits (which can change from day to day), so you don't need to be overly concerned if one result is higher than the others. However, if your numbers are consistently high or low over time and you're not making any changes in lifestyle or other habits that would cause this variation, then talk with your doctor about adjusting medication dosage accordingly.
2. Reduce Stress in your Life
Stress can make your blood sugar levels rise. Stress, especially chronic stress, can change your brain chemistry and cause you to crave unhealthy foods. And when you're stressed out, it's harder to sleep well and to exercise regularly—two key ways to keep your blood sugar at healthy levels.
So how do you reduce stress? You may want to try these tips:
• Spend time with friends and family who love you unconditionally.
• Learn how you get stressed in the first place (what triggers it for you) so that if something stressful happens again in the future, there are ways of avoiding the situation or dealing with it differently.
• Meditate! Meditation helps clear the mind of all its clutter so that we can approach life from a more calm place of self-awareness.
3. Eat the Right Foods at the Right Times of Day
You can also learn to manage your blood sugar by eating the right foods at the right time of day. This means eating a balanced breakfast, eating small meals throughout the day, and snacking on healthy foods between meals.
The timing of your meals is important because when you eat determines how much insulin your body produces and how long it lasts in your system. Eating smaller meals more frequently will help keep insulin levels low and prevent spikes in blood sugar that could otherwise make you feel exhausted or irritable.
Avoiding high-sugar snacks after dinner will also help keep hunger pangs at bay, since these cravings are often caused by low blood sugar levels later in the evening (when it's too late for lunch).
4. Eat Healthy fats Instead of Trans Fats
Eating healthy fats can be a powerful tool in managing your blood sugar. Healthy fats include nuts, seeds, and fish—as well as olive oil and other oils, such as coconut oil or avocado oil. The American Diabetes Association recommends having about 20 to 35 grams of unsaturated fat per day (15 to 30 percent of your daily calories), up to 7 grams of saturated fat (5 to 10 percent), and no more than 2 grams of trans fats.
Avoid trans fats at all costs—they're the worst kind of fatty food you can eat if you want to prevent diabetes or manage it successfully once you have it. Saturated fats are also best avoided; these are found in animal products like full-fat dairy products, beef, and pork.
5. Get more Physical Activity Throughout the Day
Exercise is important for anyone, but it's especially crucial for people with diabetes. Regular exercise can help you control your blood sugar, lose weight, and feel better overall. If you're not exercising regularly now, talk to your doctor about getting started on an exercise program that's right for you.
And if you've been exercising for years and feel like bumping up your workouts even more—great! Just be sure to check with a health professional first before starting anything too intense or going from doing little or no exercise at all to working out several times per week (or vice versa).
6. Don't Skip Meals, Especially Breakfast
According to the American Diabetes Association, skipping breakfast increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 92 percent and heart disease by 44 percent.
Additionally, this can result in weight gain and poor eating habits throughout the rest of the day. To avoid these problems, you should make sure that you eat every three hours or so during the daytime and include protein in each meal.
7. Prioritize getting Enough Sleep Every Night
Getting enough sleep is essential for good health. It helps you stay alert and focused, which can help you avoid sugar cravings in the middle of the day. It also boosts your metabolism so that you burn more calories, which is great if you’re trying to lose weight or maintain a healthy body mass index (BMI).
While getting enough rest at night is important, it’s not always possible to get eight full hours of sleep every night. If this is true for you, make sure that you nap during the day—it can be just as effective as sleeping for several hours at night!
8. Talk to your Doctor About Taking any Medications
Another important step in managing your blood sugar is to talk with your doctor about taking any medications that may help manage your levels.
If you're diagnosed with diabetes, your doctor will work with you to decide which type of medication is best for you and how often it should be taken. Some medications can be taken daily; others are taken only when needed. Your doctor will help determine the correct dosage for your specific needs and lifestyle.
Conclusion
If you're concerned about your blood sugar, the best thing to do is talk to your doctor. He or she can assess your risk factors and determine if you need additional monitoring or treatment. If so, they might prescribe one of the medications we've discussed here—or another appropriate drug—to help manage your condition. In many cases, these drugs work by lowering blood glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes. However, some may also be prescribed for people who are at risk of developing it.
