How Do You Lower Blood Sugar Quickly?

9 Tricks That Lower Blood Sugar Naturally

Wondering how to lower blood sugar without medication? We dug up the latest ways to tame tough-to-control blood sugar to improve your heart health and live your best life. If you’re one of the seven in 10 of us trying to keep your blood sugar low and steady to prevent weight gain, tiredness, brain fog, and type 2 diabetes, here’s great news: These surprisingly simple strategies can really help. How to lower blood sugar fast with a calming sip. Love coffee or green tea? You’re in luck. Just drinking one daily cup of either brew (caffeinated or decaffeinated) slows the release of blood sugar from your liver, cutting type 2 diabetes risk as much as 54 percent. “Coffee and green tea are rich in antioxidants that help your cells maintain insulin sensitivity,” says naturopath Katie Reinholtz, N.D. How to lower blood sugar without medication by eating fruit. Doing nothing more than eating a serving of fiber-packed berries, grapes, oranges and/or apples at each meal helps stop blood-sugar spikes and age-related obesity, significantly lowering your diabetes risk, reports the British Medical Journal. “Their fiber dramatically reduces the impact of sugars you eat, slowing absorption and reducing the sugar spikes that stimulate insulin release,” says Chinese medicine expert Michael C. Gaeta, DAc., M.S., C.D.N. How to lower blood sugar quickly by skipping soda. “The greatest source of hidden sugar is not in what you eat, but in what you drink,” says Gaeta, noting that the average American consumes between 120 and 170 pounds of sugar each year! “And much of it often comes from soda.” In addition to throwing your blood-sugar level out of whack, all that sugar accelerates skin aging. “Sugar molecules attach to collagen fibers in your skin, leading to a loss of e Continue reading >>

13 Natural And Easy Ways To Lower Your Blood Sugar

Being diagnosed with Type II diabetes can be a bummer, and it can be a struggle to keep blood sugars under control. Sometimes, you may find yourself with blood sugar levels that are higher than normal (let's say around 150, for example), but not excessive enough to necessitate taking more medication. You don't feel very good with the higher blood sugar, but taking medication can make your blood sugar TOO low. So what can you do to lower your blood sugar up to 40 points without taking more medication? Try the following these 13 tips and see if you can lower your blood sugar naturally. (See also: How to Reduce Your Risk of Diabetes) Health Disclaimer: As always, you need to be careful to monitor your sugar levels so as not to become hypoglycemic (that's when your blood sugar is too low, which is dangerous). Talk to your physician before making any changes to your diet. And remember, these 13 tips for lowering blood sugar may work for many people, but they won't work for everyone. Carb Intake Carbs are basically sugar, and everybody should make an effort to control their intake, especially diabetics. 1. Cut Back the Carbs Effects seen: Immediate Your diet is something you want to talk to your physician about, but the simple fact is that a lower carb diet makes it easier to maintain stable blood sugar levels. It's part of why you're hearing so much about the Paleo Diet these days. Carbohydrates are found in starchy foods — root vegetables, grains, rice, and legumes — and all of their derivatives, like bread, pasta, sushi, French fries, mashed yams, and even lentil soup. As someone who has been diabetic for nearly 20 years, I can attest that eating a diet low in carbohydrates, but rich in leafy greens, nuts, dark fruits like berries, and lean meats has had an amazing eff Continue reading >>

Emergency Ways To Lower Blood Sugar

High blood sugar is usually a diabetic medical condition, where the body cannot regulate its own blood sugar levels. A diabetic must take insulin in order to regulate his or her blood sugar, but if you have type 1 diabetes and there is no insulin available, or the wrong amount of insulin is taken, your blood sugar can shoot up. If you have type 2 diabetes and your body is not processing insulin like it should, your blood sugar levels can also rise. Hyperglycemia, or extremely high blood sugar, can occur in both scenarios. Symptoms of Hyperglycemia and Ketoacidosis If your blood sugar too high, you may start to experience strange symptoms. These symptoms include frequent urination, frequent thirst, high blood glucose levels and high sugar levels in the urine. If you continue to ignore these symptoms without treating them, you could go into a diabetic coma, also known as ketoacidosis. Ketoacidosis occurs when the body begins to break down fat cells to use as energy instead of glucose. This is a highly dangerous condition. As your body begins to break down the fat cells, it will create a waste product called ketones, which will be released through the urine. Your doctor can test to see if you have ketones in your urine. Other symptoms of ketoacidosis include nausea and vomiting, sweet-smelling breath, dry mouth and shortness of breath. Treating High Blood Sugar Yourself If you have tested your blood sugar and notice that it is high, a quick fix to lower your blood sugar is exercising. If you are experiencing no symptoms of hyperglycemia or ketoacidosis, it is safe to exercise. It is not safe to exercise, however, if you are experiencing ketoacidosis or have ketones in your urine, because exercise can make your blood sugar levels shoot up higher. Ketones generally occur in Continue reading >>

How Do I Quickly Bring Down My Blood Glucose?

If you get a high reading when checking your blood sugar, is there a way to get the number down quickly? Continue reading >>

13 Foods That Won’t Raise Blood Glucose

Part 1 of 15 A healthy diet is essential to reversing prediabetes. There are no foods, herbs, drinks, or supplements that lower blood sugar. Only medication and exercise can. But there are things you can eat and drink that have a low Glycemic Index (GI). This means these foods won’t raise your blood sugar and may help you avoid a blood sugar spike. In addition to diet changes, staying or becoming active is also important. Learn which foods you can add to your diet plan. You may be able to prevent prediabetes or type 2 diabetes by adding more of these foods, spices, and drinks into your diet. Eat them as healthy alternatives to sugar, high GI carbohydrates, or other treats. Want more info like this? Sign up for our diabetes newsletter and get resources delivered right to your inbox » Part 2 of 15 Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) are important components of a healthy blood sugar eating plan. They can improve insulin sensitivity. They can also help increase feelings of satiety, and have a healthy impact on blood pressure and inflammation. MUFAs are a key nutrient in avocados. Studies have shown avocados can lower the risk of metabolic syndrome. This is a group of risk factors that can increase the risk of diabetes. It can also raise the risk of blood vessel disease like heart disease and stroke. Avocados also have a low GI. For a unique, diabetes-friendly dessert, try making Oh She Glow’s natural, no sugar added, raw avocado chocolate pudding. Part 3 of 15 Protein helps the body maintain and repair itself. Since protein doesn't impact blood sugar levels, it doesn't have a GI ranking and won’t raise blood sugar levels. Protein also increases satiety, so relying on protein to feel full instead of bread, rice, or pasta may be Continue reading >>

Treating Low Blood Sugar

You are at risk of having a low blood sugar reaction if you: Skip or delay a meal or snack Take too much insulin or eat too few carbohydrates Exercise Drink alcohol, especially without eating carbohydrates Check your blood sugar if you have any of these symptoms: Weakness and/or fatigue Headache Sweating Anxiety Dizziness Shaking Increased heartbeat If your blood sugar is less than 70 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl): Eat 15 to 30 grams of carbohydrate (sample foods listed below) Wait 15 minutes and then recheck your blood sugar If your blood sugar is still less than 100 mg/dl, take another 15 grams of carbohydrate and retest your blood sugar in another 15 minutes. Repeat if necessary. Important: If you have frequent low blood sugars speak to your doctor. You may need changes in your medication and/or meal plan. Quick Carbohydrate Guide for Treating Low Blood Sugars If your blood sugar is less than 70 mg/dl, you need 15 to 30 grams of a quickly absorbed carbohydrate, like the ones listed below. Each of the following servings provides 15 grams of carbohydrate. Candies and Other Sweets 5 small gum drops 12 gummy bears 6 large jelly beans 5 Life Savers 15 Skittles 1 Tablespoon honey, jam or jelly 1 Tablespoon sugar in water 4 Starburst Beverages 1/2 cup apple juice 1/2 cup orange or grapefruit juice 1/2 cup pineapple juice 1/2 cup regular soda (not diet) 1/3 cup grape juice 1/3 cup cranberry juice 1/3 cup prune juice 1 cup fat free milk Fruits 1/2 banana 1 small apple 1 small orange 1/2 cup applesauce 2 tablespoons of raisins 15 grapes Other 3 to 4 glucose tablets 1 tube glucose gel Note: The foods listed above are easily absorbed and will raise blood sugar levels quickly. Foods that contain protein or fat — such as chocolate, candy bars, ice cream, cookies, crackers and Continue reading >>

How To Quickly Lower Blood Sugar

Expert Reviewed The easiest way to lower blood sugar is to take your prescribed insulin. However, your body may take as long as four hours to absorb insulin, and taking too much insulin can kill you. If you need to quickly lower your blood sugar, drink plenty of water and go for a walk. A diet with protein-rich foods, leafy greens, and healthy fats can also help quickly lower your blood sugar. If high blood sugar is a recurring problem for you, talk to your doctor as soon as possible about adjusting your treatment regimen.[1] Continue reading >>

10 Foods That Lower Blood Sugars In Diabetics

While a low carb diet appears to be useful on the whole, there are also many foods shown to help. Either by lowering blood sugars and/or improving insulin sensitivity. This articles looks at 10 of the best foods and supplements for lowering blood sugars, based on current research. Just know they should never be used in place of your diabetes medication, but rather alongside. 1. Resistant Starch Lowers Sugars After Meals Starches are long chains of glucose (sugar) found in oats, grains, bananas, potatoes and various other foods. Some varieties pass through digestion unchanged and are not absorbed as sugar into the blood. These are known as resistant starch. Many studies show resistant starch can greatly improve insulin sensitivity. That is, how well the body can move sugar out of the blood and into cells for energy. This is why it’s so useful for lowering blood sugar levels after meals (1, 2). The effect is so great that having resistant starch at lunch will reduce blood sugar spikes at dinner, known as the “second meal effect” (3). Problem is many foods high in resistant starch, such as potatoes, are also high in digestible carbs that can spike blood sugar. Therefore resistant starch in supplement form – without the extra carbs – is recommended. Summary: Supplemental resistant starch is a fantastic option for those struggling to control sugars or have hit a plateau. 2. Ceylon Cinnamon Several cinnamon compounds appear to prevent the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream, minimising blood sugar spikes. It may also dramatically improve insulin sensitivity (4, 5). In a recent clinical trial, 25 poorly-controlled type 2 diabetics received either 1 gram per day of cinnamon or placebo (dummy supplement) for 12 weeks. Fasting blood sugar levels in the cinnamon gro Continue reading >>

How To Lower Your Blood Sugar Fast

If you find yourself in a situation where you can't get to a doctor or administer your insulin, here are two ways to lower your blood sugar quickly and naturally. 1. Flush Out the Sugar With Water Drink two glasses (8 oz.) of water quickly. Wait for five minutes and drink a third glass. Urinate as soon as possible. Water dilutes the blood and flushes out the sugar from your bloodstream. 2. Burn Off the Sugar With Exercise Use up the glucose in your bloodstream with physical movement. Jog, if you can. Ride on a stationary bicycle or do some calisthenics like jumping jacks. If you are confined to a wheelchair, swing your arms in circular movements. You could also try taking a brisk walk. Keep up the activity for at least five minutes. Do be careful not to overdo it as overexercise can prompt the liver to release more glucose. Test your blood sugar after five minutes of movement. According to the American Diabetes Association, if you have type 1 diabetes and your blood sugar is over 240 mg/dl or higher, check your urine for ketone presence first. If you have ketones, do not exercise and seek emergency treatment. When to See a Doctor According to the Mayo Clinic guidelines for hyperglycemia, you should call 911 or get emergency medical help if: You're sick and can't keep any food or fluids down Your blood glucose levels remain above 240 mg/dL after attempting to reduce them and you have ketones in your urine Make an appointment with your doctor if: You experience ongoing diarrhea or vomiting, but you're able to take some foods or drinks You have a fever that lasts over 24 hours Your blood glucose is over 240 mg/dL (13 mmol/L) even if you've taken your diabetes medication You can't keep your blood glucose within the desired range Symptoms That Require Emergency Room Treatmen Continue reading >>

How To Lower High Blood Sugar Quickly – 7 Ways To Reduce Blood Sugar

If you’re worried about high blood sugar or you would like a way to lower high blood sugar quickly, you’ve come to the right place. I’m going to give you 7 ways to reduce blood sugar and get your blood sugar in normal ranges. But before I get to that, just know that you’re fully capable of lowering your blood sugar. With a little bit of diligence on your part and paying attention to what your body is telling you, you can get things under control. I know it can be discouraging at times. But even though I don’t know you, I’m sure you’ve overcome many obstacles or challenges in your life. And type 2 diabetes is no different. OK let’s go… Lower High Blood Sugar Quickly – 7 Ways To Reduce Blood Sugar Check your blood sugar. I mean really. Check like crazy. I recommend before meals, and 2 hours after meals. Then I recommend checking before bedtime and upon waking hours in the morning. You have to know what is going on with your body. Also you can get an idea of what is working and when your blood sugar is the highest. This one piece of advice has helped so many people it’s not even funny. There are ways to check your blood sugar that make it so easy you’ll never fret about testing. I’ll tell you more on that in a minute. But testing is really the Key to getting your blood sugar levels perfect again. Eat foods that lower blood sugar. In some of my previous articles I wrote about the glucose lowering effects of many of the foods, herbs and spices that can be found in our refrigerator and kitchen cabinets. And for their blood sugar lowering abilities, I’d recommend you add some of the following to your diet: nuts (like walnuts, almonds, peanuts), avocado, cinnamon, stevia, green or black tea, vinegar, garlic and onions. Cut out the sugar. Cut out the Continue reading >>

13 Ways To Lower After-meal Blood Sugars

Learning to lower your post-meal blood sugars is a proven way to feel better and reduce your risk of diabetes complications, explained Gary Scheiner in last week’s “Strike the Spike” program at the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) conference in Philadelphia. As AADE’s Educator of the Year, founder of Integrated Diabetes and long-time type 1, he knows what he is talking about. Today, we will review the strategies that he shared in that program. These fall into two broad categories: slowing down your food and speeding up your insulin. Although it wasn’t mentioned, a thirteenth strategy is of course to eat fewer total carbohydrates during a meal. How Big Is Your Spike? Most people are taught to test their blood sugars two hours after meals. However, this probably doesn’t tell you how high your blood sugars go. When you eat a meal, most people experience their highest blood sugar one hour and twenty minutes after they eat. So Scheiner recommends testing one hour after the end of the meal. What should your goals be? Here are some recommendations from the major diabetes associations: American Diabetes Association – under 180 mg (10 mmol) at 1 to 2 hours after the meal American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists – under 140 mg (7.7 mmol) at peak European Diabetes Policy Group – under 165 (9.2 mmol) at peak In practice, these targets are not very realistic. For those with type 1 diabetes, one study found that only 10% of post-meal blood sugars were below 180 mg (10 mmol). So in practice, Gary talked about the importance of individual targets. For example, he has found that a realistic target for children is striving for a rise under 100 points (5.5 mmol). Talk to your doctor about an appropriate goal for your age and health. Slow Down Yo Continue reading >>

Common Questions About Blood Sugar

How often should I test my blood sugar? This is a very common question, and the answer isn't the same for everyone. In general, you should test as often as you need to get helpful information. There's no point in testing if the information you get doesn't help you manage your diabetes. If you've been told to test at certain times, but you don't know why or what to do with the test results, then testing won't seem very meaningful. Here are some general guidelines for deciding how often to test: If you can only test once a day, then do it before breakfast. Keep a written record so that you can see the pattern of the numbers. If you control your blood sugar by diet and exercise only, this once-a-day test might be enough. If you take medicine (diabetes pills or insulin), you will probably want to know how well that medicine is working. The general rule is to test before meals and keep a record. If you want to know how your meals affect your blood sugar, testing about 2 hours after eating can be helpful. Test whenever you feel your blood sugar is either too high or too low. Testing will give you important information about what you need to do to raise or lower your blood sugar. If you take more than 2 insulin shots a day or use an insulin pump, you should test 4 to 6 times a day. You should test more often if you're having unusually high or low readings, if you're sick, under more stress than usual, or are pregnant. If you change your schedule or travel, you should also test your blood sugar more often than usual. Talk to a member of your health care team about how often to test based on your personal care plan. What should my test numbers be? There isn't one blood sugar target that's right for everyone with diabetes. It's important to work with your health care team to set Continue reading >>

How To Lower Sugar Levels In The Blood Immediately

High blood sugar levels, or hyperglycemia, is a condition in which glucose concentrations in the blood are too high. This condition is commonly found in individuals who have diabetes and is caused when the body does not produce enough of or is resistant to the effects of the hormone insulin. When high blood sugar is left untreated, it can lead to organ and tissue damage, coma and death. Monitoring your blood sugar levels is a good way to address high sugar immediately and there are several ways to lower sugar levels in the blood. Video of the Day Engage in exercise. According to the American Diabetes Association, exercise can help lower your blood sugar level by using the excess sugar as fuel. If, however, your blood sugar level is over 240 mg/dL, use a urine test strip to check your urine for the presence of ketones. When ketones are being produced by the body, exercise can cause your blood sugar levels to rise, rather than decrease. Physical activity can have immediate benefit in lowering blood sugar and also long-term benefit by helping to stabilize blood sugar levels. Eat 15 g less carbohydrates at your next meal. While skipping meals is not a healthy option for individuals with high blood sugar, decreasing the number of carbohydrates consumed at the next meal can help force your body to use the excess sugar. Check your blood sugar an hour after the meal and if your sugar level has decreased but is still high, decrease the next meal by 30 g of carbohydrates. Choose foods that are less likely to cause an additional sudden rise in blood sugar. These foods can be identified by determining their glycemic index value (see Resources). Look for foods with a low glycemic index value, such as beans and legumes, and avoid high glycemic foods, such as white potatoes. Don't ass Continue reading >>

10 Powerful Foods To Help Lower Blood Sugar Quickly

Blood sugar is a sneaky health issue, but there are many powerful foods that can help you lower blood sugar levels efficiently and quickly. First, in order to understand why high (and low) blood sugar occurs, it’s important to have a basic understanding of what triggers blood sugar highs and lows, and it all starts with insulin. Insulin is the hormone that goes into our blood stream and delivers nutrients to the cells so that our blood sugar stays stable. While insulin is often thought of as a negative hormone, it’s actually valuable and vital to our health. When our body doesn’t produce insulin or use insulin efficiently, we can develop insulin resistance which can lead to Type 2 diabetes. One of the best things we can all do in order to help insulin do its job is to eat regularly and eat a balanced diet that’s filled with healthy foods. Start With These Tips to Lower Blood Sugar Levels To help you get started on filling your plate with more blood sugar friendly foods that will help lower your blood sugar, start by removing refined sugar, refined grains, and most processed foods from your diet. Processed foods (and especially fast food) all contain chemicals and refined ingredients that our bodies don’t recognize as real nutrients, so our cells never really get what they need and we feel hungry all the time as a result. This also leads to blood sugar swings and spikes that cause insulin to work less efficiently. What helps insulin work best so that blood sugar stays in a stable place are foods that pack dense amounts of nutrition and contain amino acids (that form protein in the body), fiber (which is the best source of carbohydrates), and healthy fats from real food. Let’s check out some foods that can help lower blood sugar levels by offering us these nut Continue reading >>

How To Lower Blood Sugar Immediately Without Medication

An hour or so after lunch, you start to get a bit of a headache and are having a hard time concentrating. As someone with diabetes, you decide to check your blood sugar to see if it is out of range. Lo and behold, it’s much higher than it should be. Maybe it was that dessert split with your coworker that made it spike? You can’t take more medication because you have already taken your prescribed dose for the day. You also know the dangers and complications related uncontrolled high blood sugar, so you need to know how to lower blood sugar immediately. So what do you do? What is High Blood Sugar? First, it’s important to know what your blood sugar should be. This will allow you to make an appropriate decision on what to do next to lower blood sugar immediately. Of course, you should always discuss your individualised goals with your doctor. Below is what the American Diabetes Association recommends as ideal blood sugar numbers for people with diabetes: Fasting: 80-130 mg/dL (4.4-7.2 mmol/L) 2 hours after meals: less than 180 mg/dL (10 mmol/L) If You’re Living in Singapore… MOH guidelines mention the ideal range is: Fasting: 4.0-7.0 mmol/L 2 hours after meals: less than 10 mmol/L If your blood sugar is over 350 mg/dL (19.4 mmol/L) and you are experiencing symptoms such as blurred vision, extreme thirst, lightheadedness, restlessness, or drowsiness, you should seek immediate medical attention. Let’s say your blood glucose is not critical, but higher than you would like it to be, what should you do next? Drink Water Drinking enough water may help reduce the risk of getting high blood sugar levels. If you see your blood glucose is high, drink at least 500ml of water. This might help flush out some of the sugar through the kidneys. Try to stay hydrated all the tim Continue reading >>