Feeling constantly thirsty? Unusually tired? Constantly have the urge to pee? Getting nervous and facing anxiety and irritability? Getting cold hands and feet? It’s time we stop ignoring these symptoms.
You might have blood sugar levels higher than the normal range but not as high as being termed as a diabetic. This stage is known as the pre-diabetic stage. Fortunately, most such cases are easily correctable through some basic lifestyle changes. If you are above your weight range, then just a 5-10% reduction in your overall weight can help control your blood sugar levels.
So today we shall discuss the top 5 ways to address these symptoms and improve blood sugar levels.
1. Diet
What we eat every day has a huge impact on our health. Diet plays a major role in controlling our sugar levels. A meal that is high in fats, processed and packaged foods, aerated and sugary drinks and refined carbs pose a huge threat to overall health. The first step to ensure we eat healthy through the week is to ensure our weekly planning is done over the weekend. Each meal should have sufficient portions of:
Complex Carbs
Whole wheat roti/unpolished rice and a generous serve of vegetables.
Proteins
Lentils, legumes, sprouts, eggs, chicken, fish, meat, soy products.
Healthy Fats
A handful of nuts and seeds and meals cooked in unprocessed oils.
Fibre
This becomes a very important part of a diet as fibre helps to control the sudden rise in sugar levels. Raw salads with every meal. Fruits with the peel as a mid-meal snack.
2. Exercise
You don’t like the gym. Can’t lift weights? The good news is that to exercise you don’t need the gym alone. Brisk walks, yoga, dance, pilates- These are all forms of exercise. The best workout is the one you can stick to. Because consistency in body movement helps to regulate sugar levels. A day of exercise can reduce sugar levels for up to 24 hours. Ideally, one should exercise 30-45 minutes for at least 5 days of the week.
3. Lose Weight
Losing weight has always been shown to improve insulin resistance and regulate sugar levels. Losing as little as 5-10% of the body weight can improve sugar levels. The waist size is a good indicator of the risk levels of diabetes. A waist size of more than 35 inches for women and 40 inches for men has been shown to put them at higher risk for Type2 Diabetes.
4. Stress
Stress alone does not cause diabetes but stress management is crucial to managing blood sugar levels. When one is constantly stressed, the body releases more glucose to provide energy to deal with stress. But that glucose is not used up as energy and just accumulates into fat stores. Some ways to deal with stress are:
- Scheduling and planning your day well to avoid chaos
- Exercising daily at a fixed time
- Dance or listen to music or play an instrument
- Pick up a hobby
- Set correct expectations at the workplace
5. Smoking
It is a well-known fact that smoking can increase the risk for heart disease and lung cancer. However, smoking also reduces insulin sensitivity and increases the risk of Type 2 Diabetes. One can take the help of therapy and medications to give up the nicotine addiction.
6. Blood Pressure & Cholesterol
These 2 factors disrupt the way blood sugars are regulated. If you follow the above steps, you will be able to control these. Make sure to never miss medication if prescribed by your doctor.
7. Sleep
This is the most underrated yet one of the major factors to poor health. Our body recuperates and rebuilds while we sleep. Poor sleep hygiene interferes with a lot of biological processes. The following steps will help you catch up on better sleep:
- Fix a bedtime routine as per your schedule and lie down around the same hours each day.
- Switch off all screen lights half an hour before bedtime. This helps release the sleep hormone.
- Do not drink too much water at bedtime to avoid waking up at midnight.
- If you are unable to sleep, get up and perform some 5-6 stretching exercises similar to the cooling down stretches. This helps relax the nerves and puts us to sleep.
- If negative thoughts or office stress plagues you, soft music or meditation can help.
Correcting our lifestyle and improving our health is our responsibility. When we are healthy, we inspire a lot of people to adopt the same practices.
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