7 Ways to Control Normal Blood Sugar for Diabetics
Diabetes cannot be cured, but diabetics can continue their normal activities and live a healthy life. The key to a healthy and normal life to overcome diabetes is to control blood sugar levels within normal limits. Although there are diabetes rules and restrictions that need to be adhered to, some of the tips for maintaining normal blood sugar levels that will be discussed here can help make it easier for you to go through the day.
How to control blood sugar levels for diabetics
Diabetes mellitus is a disease characterized by high levels of sugar in the blood. Certain types of diabetes, such as type 1 diabetes, do require diabetes treatment to stay healthy.
However, regardless of the type of diabetes you experience, taking diabetes medications or not, you must control your blood sugar levels with a healthy lifestyle.
Controlling blood sugar can be done in various ways, from paying attention to food intake, adjusting diet and rest, exercising regularly, and taking supplements for additional vitamin sources.
The following are tips for a healthy lifestyle with diabetes to keep blood sugar levels normal:
1. Eat the right foods
Diabetics must strictly adhere to the diet, aka diet, which is followed because food intake greatly affects blood sugar levels directly.
First, you need to avoid foods with a high glycemic index, foods high in fat and calories, and limit sources of simple carbohydrates.
Also stay away from processed foods and drinks, especially those with instant processing such as fast food (fast food). Refined diabetes foods are usually high in sugar, so they should be avoided in order to prevent an increase in blood sugar.
Second, apply a regular diet with balanced nutrition. This method is the key to success in controlling blood sugar in diabetics.
This means that you still have to eat carbohydrates even if these foods produce sugar. A safe choice of carbohydrates for diabetes is complex carbohydrates because they take longer to break down into glucose, so that blood sugar levels are more stable.
Stop eating carbohydrates at all is not a wise decision, diabetics (people with diabetes) still need carbohydrates as a source of energy.
For diabetics, it is important to eat regularly. According to studies in journals Education and Health Promotion, skipping meals for too long will actually cause your blood sugar to drop and then spike rapidly.
2. Controlling the portion of the meal
Not only eating the right foods for diabetes, controlling the portions is also important in maintaining blood sugar levels.
Here are some ways and tips for portion control so that diabetics can keep blood sugar levels normal:
- Pay attention to the size and weight of the food
- Eat small, frequent meals throughout the day
- Avoid eating at one-meal concept restaurants (all-you-can-eat)
- Pay attention to the information on the food content in the package, know the composition
- Eat slowly so that the food can be digested properly by the body
Tips for maintaining normal blood sugar levels through food do not only apply to diabetics with excess body weight. Diabetics with normal weight should also keep their portions of food so that they do not lead to obesity.
3. Be active and exercise regularly
One way to control your blood sugar levels is to exercise regularly.
Exercise can helps the cells in your muscles take in more glucose and convert it into energy, thereby lowering blood sugar.
If done regularly in the long term, exercise can make the body’s cells more responsive to the hormone insulin, thereby preventing insulin resistance.
Take the time to do proper exercise for diabetes at least 30-60 minutes a day, 3-4 times a week.
Before exercising, make sure you check your blood sugar first. Don’t exercise if your blood sugar level is below 70-80 mg / dL. Ideally, exercise should be done if your blood sugar levels are in the 160-180 mg / dL range.
In addition, try to stay active in your daily activities. Avoid a sedentary lifestyle (lazy) and minimal physical movement or get rid of allergies, such as watching TV, playing games on the device, or sitting at the computer for too long.
4. Manage stress well
Excessive stress can also cause blood sugar levels to increase due to the release of cortisol, aka the stress hormone. Not only does it increase blood sugar, stress also tends to make people with diabetes want to continue to eat more sweet (high sugar) foods.
So, so that stress doesn’t make your blood sugar levels spike, it is important for you to understand how to control stress and try various things that can improve your mood, relax your body, and calm your mind. Some of the ways you can do this include:
- Try taking 5 slow, deep breaths.
- Play soothing music.
- Do a few simple stretches or try some yoga poses.
- Take the time to do something you really enjoy.
- Take time to do your favorite hobby.
- Talk to a friend, or medical professional if you have complaints.
5. Get enough rest
Another way to control your blood sugar levels to keep them at normal limits is to get adequate rest.
In a sense, constant lack of sleep can affect your quality of life and interfere with insulin secretion (release). Ideally, get between 7-9 hours of good sleep per night.
Adequate sleep can balance hormones, avoid stress, and get you enough energy for the next day’s activities and exercise. Thus, blood sugar levels can be well controlled.
6. Routinely check blood sugar
Measure and monitor blood glucose levels using a blood sugar measuring deviceis also an effective way of controlling blood sugar. Regularly checking your blood sugar can help you find out how your body reacts to certain foods.
By continuously monitoring changes in blood sugar levels, it will be easier for you to determine whether to make dietary adjustments or take medication.
Therefore, try to measure your sugar levels every day and make sure that your sugar levels are always within normal limits.
7. Take supplements
Supplements are useful for increasing the intake of vitamins and minerals in the body. Taking supplements for diabetes is actually not required. Especially if you have implemented a regular diet and your food intake has met your daily nutritional needs.
However, if you want to increase your daily nutritional intake, it doesn’t hurt to take supplements. Even so, you still have to discuss it first with your doctor.
Several vitamins and minerals that are beneficial for diabetes to help maintain blood sugar levels include:
- Vitamin D: vitamin D can help control blood sugar in diabetics.
- Vitamin C: vitamin C itself also has a role in controlling blood sugar levels and cholesterol levels in diabetics. In addition, diabetics are at risk for vitamin C deficiency, so it is important to increase the intake of vitamin C into the body.
- Vitamin E: This vitamin acts as an antioxidant which has the ability to prevent heart disease, kidney failure, and impaired vision function. These diseases are complications that are prone to occur in diabetics.
- Magnesium: diabetics are at risk of insufficient intake of magnesium in their bodies. This could be due to the side effects of diabetes drugs.
Naturally, if you find it difficult to get used to living a healthy lifestyle at first. Changing habits will not be as easy as turning your palms.
The most important thing is not to give up immediately. Start little by little by setting certain targets. If successful, you can try to be more disciplined to follow other healthy diabetes ways of life.
Hello Health Group does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
