Everywhere you look online, you’ll find all sorts of natural blood sugar “cures” that are actually nothing more than hoaxes aimed at the gullible and desperate. If you’re looking to bring your high blood sugar down naturally, you’re better off following tried and tested methods that are backed by scientific studies and research.
To help you with that endeavor, we’ve listed five proven strategies that can help you lower your blood sugar level.
1. Get More Sleep
Say goodbye to late-night parties or binge-watching. Inadequate or poor quality sleep can severely affect your body chemistry. According to a 2015 University of Chicago study, chronic lack of sleep can increase your chances of having type 2 diabetes. Also, lack of sleep often leads to other serious health complications such as heart disease, stroke, and even cancer.
The solution? Get some quality shut-eye. If you’re having trouble sleeping, try the following recommendations:
- Keep your exercising in the morning
- Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day
- Pick a cool and dark room to sleep
- Refrain from looking at lit screens at least an hour before bedtime (TV, smartphones, laptops, tablets, etc.)
Remember that good sleep is judged in both quantity and quality. Sleep deprivation can also impair your senses and make you feel over-fatigued.
2. Eat More High-Fiber Foods
It is a little known fact that high-fiber foods help keep your blood sugar levels steady, eliminating big spikes (that can lead to hyperglycemia) and drops (leading to hypoglycemia). Fiber helps decrease your risk of type 2 diabetes and also helps reduce insulin resistance. Furthermore, if you’re looking to lose weight, fiber can be your greatest ally: it slows down carb digestion and sugar absorption.
As per recommendations by health experts and nutritionists, you should aim for at least 20-30 grams of fiber every day. Foods that are high in fiber include legumes, whole grains, raspberries, apples, sweet potatoes, oranges, and other fruits and vegetables.
3. Exercise Regularly
Regular exercise is the yin to a healthy diet’s yang. Not only does it help you lose weight, regular exercise can also increase your insulin sensitivity. Which means that your cells are better able to use the available glucose on your bloodstream. Also, exercising helps your muscles efficiently use glucose for energy and muscle contraction.
If you’re unused to regular exercise, you should probably start with simple walking around. This can then progress to brisk walking, running, and then biking. You can also try out dancing if that’s your thing.
4. Stay Hydrated
Not only is drinking enough water good for your urinary system, it is also good for your blood sugar level. Why? First, it helps your kidneys flush out excess blood sugar through urine. Next, it re-hydrates the blood, reduces your diabetes risk, and helps lower blood sugar levels.
However, you should stick to water for your hydration. Refrain from sugar-sweetened drinks as these can not only drive weight gain, they can also increase your blood sugar level.
5. Avoid Being Stressed
Yup, this is included. Stress can adversely affect your blood sugar level. How? Well, it has something to do with hormones. You see, hormones such as glucagon and cortisol are released during stress. These are the hormones that cause blood sugar levels to spike up. Significantly reduced stress has been shown by studies to significantly decrease blood sugar levels.
Relaxation methods such as yoga and meditation can realty help drive your stress levels down, and with it, your blood sugar. Furthermore, you can try out deep breathing exercises and even tai-chi. A simple day out for yourself, or a me-day, can also help in easing your stress.
Take an Herbal Supplement for Diabetes
Aside from those natural ways to bring down blood sugar, you should also take herbal supplements for diabetes that help lower blood sugar levels. For supplements, look for one that contains Bitter Gourd extracts. This wonderful superfood contains polypeptide-p and momordicin, two naturally-occurring compounds that have blood sugar support properties.
Also, extracts from both Lagerstroemia Speciosa (known as Banaba in the Philippines) and Turmeric have also been proven to contain blood sugar support properties. The former contains the active compound Corosolic Acid and the latter, curcumin, which is also a very efficient antioxidant.
Ampalaya Plus is an herbal food supplement that contains all three: the superfood Bitter Gourd, the wonder herb Lagerstroemia Speciosa, and the medicinal spice Turmeric. This supplement, a household name in the Philippines already due to its positive reputation, also has International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) certifications, thereby assuring the quality and safety of each individual capsule.
