{"id":2220,"date":"2019-02-28T21:53:43","date_gmt":"2019-02-28T21:53:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.targitfit.com\/blog\/?p=2220"},"modified":"2019-03-01T01:25:47","modified_gmt":"2019-03-01T01:25:47","slug":"6-simple-lifestyle-changes-to-lower-blood-sugar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.targitfit.com\/blog\/6-simple-lifestyle-changes-to-lower-blood-sugar\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Simple Lifestyle Changes to Lower Blood Sugar"},"content":{"rendered":"

This week, TargitFit is pleased to bring you an informative health article by Emma Lymn<\/em>:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Thanks to soda, junk food, and juices, the incidence of Type 2 Diabetes continues to rise. In fact, it\u2019s gotten worse.<\/p>\n

Today, we\u2019re seeing young kids being diagnosed with the condition. And what was once a disease that only affected adults is now making its way to teenagers.<\/p>\n

Type 2 Diabetes occurs when your blood sugar stays high for long periods of time. This happens because there\u2019s too much glucose in your bloodstream.<\/p>\n

Left uncontrolled, it can damage the vessels that carry blood to your organs, affecting the supply of blood they receive. As a result, it can trigger even more serious health problems in the long term, including heart and kidney disease, poor vision, and nerve problems.<\/p>\n

To help prevent this from happening, here are easy things you can do to lower your blood sugar<\/a> naturally.<\/p>\n

1. Don\u2019t Sit for Too Long<\/h4>\n

\"\"<\/a>Most of us work behind a desk. That\u2019s why the average person spends about 12 hours a day sitting down (1). If you spend 8 hours sleeping, that means 75% of the time you\u2019re awake is spent seated.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a bad thing.<\/p>\n

According to a 2017 study, too much sitting or being sedentary increases your mortality. (2) In fact, those who sat more than 13 hours daily had a 200% higher risk of death compared to those who sat less than 11 hours a day.<\/p>\n

This happens because prolonged sitting causes a host of health problems, including hypertension, high blood sugar, stroke, and heart attack. (3)<\/p>\n

The good news is that standing up every few minutes or so helps. Research also shows that getting up and standing one and a half hours after eating lowers post-meal blood sugar by 43% compared to sitting down. (4)<\/p>\n

Since the biggest glucose spikes tend to happen after you eat, enjoying a post-lunch or after-dinner walk<\/a> is a good idea. Just getting up from your chair and walking will help prevent your glucose levels from spiking too much after meals.<\/p>\n

2. Make Sure to Get 7 to 8 Hours of Sleep Nightly<\/h4>\n

\"\"<\/a>Getting enough sleep also helps keep your blood sugar down. When you sleep, your body is able to repair and recover. Sleep also allows it to properly regulate your hormones. These are just a few of sleep\u2019s many benefits<\/a> to your health.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, lack of sleep or poor-quality sleep has been shown to cause weight gain and increased blood sugar levels. (5)<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because it prevents your body from recuperating. It also disrupts your hormones which help regulate your appetite, insulin, and cortisol levels\u2014all of which affect your blood sugar.<\/p>\n

When your glucose level gets high enough, your kidneys will work overtime to flush it out by urinating. Thus, you\u2019ll likely wake up in the middle of the night to visit the bathroom, which further interrupts your sleep.<\/p>\n

To prevent this vicious cycle from happening, try to get 7-8 hours of sleep every night. This gives your body enough time to fully rest and recover.<\/p>\n

3. Keep Your Stress Levels Down<\/h4>\n
\"\"<\/a>

Deep breathing, meditation, and yoga help reduce stress which can, in turn, help keep blood sugar down.<\/p><\/div>\n

Studies<\/a> have shown that stress increases your blood sugar. (6) That\u2019s because any time you feel stressed, your body goes into fight or flight mode. This is its natural way of preparing to react or protect itself in case there\u2019s an emergency.<\/p>\n

To do so, it increases the production of certain hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones cause your liver to secrete glucose into your bloodstream. That\u2019s why you\u2019ll feel a burst of extra energy and feel more alert when you\u2019re stressed.<\/p>\n

While it isn\u2019t bad if it happens once in a while, being chronically stressed keeps your blood sugar elevated for long periods of time. Thus, increasing your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.<\/p>\n

Since you don\u2019t always have full control of things in life, stress is inevitable. Thus, the best way to help reduce it is to have a few stress management techniques you can turn to. Meditation, deep breathing, and yoga are just a few things that work well against stress.<\/p>\n

4. Walk After Meals<\/h4>\n

\"\"<\/a>In a healthy individual, blood sugar starts to rise about 10 to 15 minutes after eating a meal. It continues to do this for the next 2 hours or so.<\/p>\n

How long it stays up and how high it goes often depends on what you just ate. The more carbs and sugar you consume, the higher and longer it stays elevated.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, large and prolonged glucose spikes that happen day in and day out are bad for your health because they increase your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes.<\/p>\n

One simple way to reduce the magnitude of these spikes is to take a walk right after your meals. Research shows that walking 15 minutes after eating helps lower post-meal blood glucose levels. (7)<\/p>\n

In doing so, it helps regulate your blood sugar and keeps it from spiking too much.<\/p>\n

5. Keep an Eye on Your Coffee and Caffeine Consumption<\/h4>\n
\"\"<\/a>

Big coffee drinker? Find out how caffeine affects your blood sugar and adjust your consumption accordingly.<\/p><\/div>\n

Caffeine, which is the main ingredient in coffee, affects people in different ways. For some, it can cause a short-term increase in blood sugar. For others, it has no effect on their glucose levels.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, some research suggests that long-term coffee consumption helps lower diabetes risk. (8) But, if you have type 2 diabetes, its effects can be more erratic.<\/p>\n

So, if you drink coffee or consume other things that contain caffeine, it may be a good idea to see how they affect your blood sugar levels before making them a regular habit.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a simple way to test coffee\u2019s effects on your glucose level.<\/p>\n