5 Tips for Managing Your Blood Sugar

Managing your blood sugar is an important part of managing your diabetes. In order to learn how to manage your blood sugar you must first learn what it is, how to track it, and what kinds of food influence your blood sugar the most. We’ve hunted down a list of 5 tips you can use to help keep your blood sugar at normal levels.

Eat A Healthy Diet

A healthy diet is essential for managing your diabetes and controlling your blood sugar levels. Diabetics should pay careful attention to their carbohydrate intake. A diet full of fruits, vegetables, and complex carbs will improve your blood sugar levels as well as your overall health.

A large portion of learning to eat a more healthy and balanced diet is learning portion control. One of the easiest ways to teach yourself the proper serving size is to measure it out using measuring cups, food scales, or other tools. You’ll be surprised at how small the proper serving size for many of your favorite foods really is. Over time, your stomach will shrink and adjust to these smaller portions.

Get Enough Exercise

Exercise is crucial in maintaining stable, normal blood sugar levels. Exercise causes your body to use more glucose in order to fuel your muscles. This means it helps lower your blood sugar levels. A consistent exercise routine can cause major improvements in many areas of your life.

Examples of exercises perfect for getting yourself into an exercise habit include:

• Walking
• Yoga
• Swimming
• Dancing
• Light strength training
• Sports (such as tennis or golf)

Drink More Water

Your body has a natural method for flushing out excess sugar in your blood by making you use the bathroom more often. Because of this, drinking more water can help you lower your blood sugar levels. This is in addition to hydration being essential for your overall health.

One way to get yourself to drink more water is to fill a large transparent jug or water bottle. Using a permanent marker, you can draw lines on the outside of the bottle with times beside them to help keep you on track. This method works well for people who need a visual reminder of how much water they need to drink.

Monitor Your Blood Sugar Levels

Keeping a close eye on your blood sugar levels can help avoid issues before they arise. Many diabetics choose to use a blood glucose meter to keep track of their levels. Some diabetics may instead take an A1C test a few times per year to get an average blood sugar level over a period of months.

Whatever your preferred method of keeping track of your blood sugar levels, it’s important that you take the time to record them. Being able to notice trends in your own levels is key to learning what does and doesn’t work for you to manage your levels.

Avoid Stress

We all know that stress is bad for us. With so much work, money, and general life related stress in everyone’s lives, it’s hard to simply say ‘avoid stress’. However, diabetics must take extra care to lower their stress levels as much as possible.

Stress can release hormones that can throw your blood sugar levels out of whack. Diabetics struggling to maintain their glucose levels should seek to make their lives as stress free as possible. Stress management and self care techniques are one way of managing your stress levels in today’s hectic world.

Managing Your Blood Sugar Is Essential

While not anyone’s favorite activity, keeping an eye on your blood sugar levels is just one more step that diabetics must take to keep their body in good working order. Taking care of yourself and your health is vital. Learning how your body responds to different kinds of food, exercise, and management techniques should be a priority for anyone with diabetes.