How to Lower Blood Sugar Levels & Prevent Eye Damage
If you have diabetes, it is essential to keep your blood sugar levels in a healthy range. Doing so can prevent additional health complications such as diabetes-related eye diseases that damage vision.
Blood sugar levels can rise when a person’s body is unable to transport sugar from their blood into cells. If someone’s blood sugar stays high for a long time, they can develop diabetes.
Diabetes can have an impact on various parts of the body such as the blood vessels and eyes. For example, retinopathy can occur when there are changes in the small blood vessels that connect to the eye’s retina. High blood sugar levels can also make the lens of the eye swell and make it harder to see.
Thankfully, there are many ways to lower your blood sugar levels. Simple lifestyle changes can do wonders in improving your health and preventing diabetes-related eye problems from forming.
Here are a few great ways you can keep diabetes under control and maintain healthy blood sugar levels:
Stay Active & Get Leaner
Increasing your activity levels is a great way to fight high blood sugar levels. This doesn’t mean you have to become an Olympic athlete to see results. Simply walking a few times a week can make a big difference in your overall health. Start lifting some dumbells to do strength training or take up an active hobby such as dancing or hiking.
Exercise increases your insulin sensitivity, making it easier for your muscles to use available insulin to take up glucose while you move. When you work out, your muscles can use glucose for energy whether insulin is available or not.
Checking blood sugar levels often is important for people with diabetes. Check your levels to see how your body responds to different activities, as you don’t want your blood sugar to get too high or too low.
Drink Lots of Water
When blood sugar levels get too high, our kidneys attempt to flush out excess blood sugar through urine. For this reason, it is important to drink enough water and rehydrate your body.
In fact, less water in your body can result in a higher concentration of blood sugar. Studies have shown that people who drink more water generally have a lower risk of developing high blood sugar levels and being dehydrated.
Track Your Carbohydrate Intake
We all love eating carbs but sadly, they have a pretty big impact on our blood sugar levels. Carbohydrates get turned into sugars, which then requires insulin to be moved into cells. People with insulin problems are unable to complete this process, which causes blood sugar levels to rise.
Paying attention to your carb intake and choosing a low-carb diet can reduce how often this happens. Eating this way prevents blood sugar spikes and is a great way to control your sugar levels over the long run.
It’s also important to remember that some carbohydrates are better than others. Choose to eat complex carbs instead of refined ones to avoid spiking blood sugar. Naturally occurring sugars and fibers are much less likely to do damage in this way.
Control Your Stress Levels
Developing a strategy to manage your stress is also vital if you want to maintain healthy blood sugar. Unfortunately, stress-related hormones such as cortisol and glucagon are known to increase your blood sugar levels and make it harder for the body to use insulin effectively.
Healthy outlets for your stress can help you achieve a calm state of mind and prevent stress hormones such as cortisol from rising in your body. Activities such as yoga and meditation are great ways to prevent stress from piling up in your mind.
Stress and blood sugar levels are always connected. Thankfully, by developing a plan to handle stressful situations, you can take charge and reduce the impact stress may have on your health.
Conclusion
Managing healthy blood sugar levels can be challenging for people with diabetes. When left unchecked, high blood sugar can damage essential body parts such as the eyes. Thankfully, there are many great ways to manage blood sugar and live a healthy life.
Take charge and prevent unwanted diseases by eating a healthy diet, staying active, and managing your stress levels with healthy outlets.