How to Lower Sugar?

Diabetes is a very common type of chronic disease that can be considered at the top of the list of diseases of our age. Type 2 diabetes, in particular, is a health problem that frequently affects middle-aged and older individuals and can lead to serious complications in the body if care is not taken. Diabetes, which is known to cause various complications from cardiovascular diseases to kidney damage and eye problems, is actually caused by uncontrolled blood sugar.

What is Sugar?

In diabetic patients, blood sugar cannot be taken into the cells due to the lack of the insulin hormone or its inability to be detected by the tissues. This situation causes hyperglycemia, which develops due to the accumulation of sugar in the blood. While fasting blood sugar is in the range of 70-100 mg/dL in healthy individuals, this value is much higher in diabetic patients. Therefore, this value should be maintained by lowering blood sugar to normal ranges with both oral antidiabetic drugs and diabetes diet. Preventing hyperglycemia is very effective in protecting against the symptoms and complications of diabetes.

In diabetic patients, increased blood sugar may occur due to reasons such as not paying due attention to the diet, having an unhealthy and unbalanced eating habit containing excessive amounts of carbohydrate sources, or insufficient physical activity. Rising blood sugar causes damage to blood vessels, eyes, kidneys and nerve cells. Therefore, the glucose level in the blood should be controlled as quickly as possible.

Questions such as what lowers blood sugar, how sugar decreases, what reduces high blood sugar are among the topics wondered by many individuals experiencing high blood sugar. Before moving on to the topic of things that lower blood sugar, it should be known that a diabetic diet is mandatory for a diabetic patient. Although there are some supportive practices and various foods that can be effective in lowering blood sugar, none of them can replace the diabetes diet. However, these sugar-lowering practices, which can be used as supplements, can be applied in addition to the diabetes diet given to you with the recommendation of a physician and dietitian. So, what can reduce rising blood sugar in addition to diet? Here are healthy and effective methods to lower blood sugar at home…

Ways to Lower Sugar at Home

As a result of finger-prick blood sugar measurements or blood tests performed under laboratory conditions, blood sugar levels above the required range mean hyperglycemia. Hyperglycemia causes various symptoms in patients, such as frequent urination, dry mouth, blurred vision, drinking too much water, eating too much, and irritability. If insulin is used to control hyperglycemia in diabetic patients, it is very important to make insulin injections on time and take diabetes medications on time and correctly.

Missing medication and insulin administration or taking it at the wrong time can cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) as well as hyperglycemia, and this situation is quite dangerous. In addition to paying attention to these issues, the following practices can be mentioned in response to the questions of how to lower high blood sugar at home and what can lower blood sugar at home:

Reducing Carbohydrate Intake

Carbohydrates are the energy sources that the body primarily uses. Carbohydrates, which are converted into glucose to be used to obtain energy as a result of their digestion, cannot be taken into the cells and accumulate in the blood due to decreased insulin sensitivity in diabetic patients. For this reason, foods such as sugar, starch, white flour, white bread and rice, pasta and potatoes, especially known as simple carbohydrates, cause rapid increases in blood sugar.

Diabetics should avoid these foods and meet their carbohydrate needs from complex carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates are carbohydrate sources containing bulgur, brown flour and breads made from these flours, in short, unpurified whole grains. These foods are slower to digest due to their high fiber content and do not cause sudden increases in blood sugar. Therefore, diabetics should consume complex carbohydrate sources in moderation.

Drinking Plenty of Water

Another important answer to the question of what lowers blood sugar can be stated as increasing fluid intake. Although drinking plenty of water is a very important behavior for health, adequate water consumption is more critical for diabetic patients. Drinking plenty of water has an important effect in preventing hyperglycemia, as it increases urine output and the urinary excretion of excess glucose accumulated in the blood. Therefore, diabetic patients should be careful to consume at least 2.5 liters of water daily to lower blood sugar.

To exercise

One of the very effective answers to the question of what to do to lower blood sugar is regular exercise. Since exercise increases energy expenditure in the body, it supports the use of glucose accumulated in the blood and therefore lowers blood sugar. Therefore, people with high blood sugar may be advised to exercise to achieve a sugar-lowering effect. Sudden and intense exercises combined with diabetes medications or insulin injections can cause hypoglycemia. For this reason, exercises that are light-paced, spread throughout the day, and made a part of life will be healthier for diabetic patients.

Measure Blood Sugar Regularly

It is of great importance for diabetic patients to measure their blood sugar regularly to detect hyperglycemia in time and prevent it before it causes damage to the body. These measurements, which we can count among the ways to lower blood sugar, are also necessary to understand the adequacy of the diabetes treatment you receive medically. If you detect that your blood sugar is higher than normal during home measurements, the first thing you need to do is review the foods you consume. If you constantly experience hyperglycemia without any cheating or consuming foods rich in starch, you should definitely inform your doctor about this.

Avoiding Stress

Stress is a condition that is directly related to the hyperglycemia problem in diabetic patients. During stress, the effect of insulin decreases and blood sugar rises due to hormones such as cortisol and glucagon secreted by the body. Therefore, another important answer to the question of what to do to lower blood sugar is to stay away from stress. In order to reduce stress, attention should be paid to issues such as sleep patterns and rest periods for busy workers.

Lose weight

A very important issue among the ways to reduce sugar is weight control. Overweight and obesity are the main enemies of diabetes due to the negative effect of increased fat tissue on insulin sensitivity. In order to prevent high blood sugar and reduce high drug doses that put a burden on the liver and kidneys, diabetics should reach their ideal weight by losing weight in a healthy way under the supervision of a dietitian. Exercises that can be done at home, when combined with a healthy eating plan, will help diabetics lose weight and lower blood sugar.

Foods That Lower Sugar

Apart from the above suggestions, patients are often curious about foods and drinks that lower blood sugar. Examples of foods that can be recommended for people looking for answers to questions such as “What are the foods that lower blood sugar?”, “What are the foods that lower blood sugar?” are:

Cinnamon

Cinnamon, whose effects on balancing blood sugar have been the subject of many scientific studies, is also a healthy spice that has many positive effects on health. It is beneficial for diabetic patients to consume some cinnamon along with meals, fruits and drinks such as milk, in terms of lowering blood sugar.

Blueberries

Blueberries, which contain herbal components that support the effect of the insulin hormone, have a blood sugar regulating effect. For this reason, blueberries can be included among the foods that lower blood sugar and fruits that lower blood sugar. However, it is recommended to be moderate in consumption.

Fish

Fish, which is the main source of omega 3 fatty acids with countless health benefits, is one of the snack options that will help lower blood sugar in diabetic patients. Omega 3, which supports the fight against chronic diseases with its high protein content and healthy fats, is especially abundant in fish such as salmon, mackerel and anchovy.

Green Leafy Vegetables

Another group of foods that balance blood sugar is green leafy vegetables. Green leafy vegetables, which contain high amounts of fiber and water, have a very low carbohydrate and energy content compared to their volume. Moreover, green leafy vegetables, which are very effective in providing a feeling of fullness, are among the foods that diabetic patients should include in every meal.

Yogurt

Yoghurt, which is an important source of probiotic bacteria, should definitely be included among the foods that balance blood sugar and foods that lower blood sugar. When making yoghurt from milk, yoghurt has a much lower glycemic index than milk, as lactose is largely converted into lactic acid. On the other hand, yoghurt, which is among the top foods that lower blood sugar due to its high protein content, should be consumed regularly by diabetic patients.