7 Ways to lower high blood sugar

High blood sugar or hyperglycemia is a condition commonly found in diabetes. However, hyperglycemia can also occur in anyone with insulin or pancreatic hormone disorders. If left untreated, high blood sugar can lead to severe dehydration and even lead to coma. The only way to prevent this complication, in both diabetics and non-diabetics, is to lower the high blood sugar back to normal levels.

How to lower high blood sugar

Blood sugar levels can fluctuate, namely falling from the normal blood sugar limit or vice versa rising above the normal limit.

The cause of the increase in blood sugar is mainly related to insulin hormone disorders and an unhealthy lifestyle.

Well, a rise in blood sugar can also be accompanied by signs such as frequent thirst, frequent urination, fatigue, blurred vision and dry mouth.

If you experience symptoms of high blood sugar levels, try these ways to lower your blood sugar quickly, which include early testing, medication, and natural ways through lifestyle changes.

1. Insulin injection and blood sugar medication

For people with type 1 diabetes who lack insulin supply, the most effective way to quickly lower high blood sugar is through insulin injections.

Additional insulin that is injected into the body will help control the blood sugar levels in the body.

The way this additional insulin works is the same as the natural insulin hormone which helps the absorption of blood sugar into the body's cells for later processing into energy or stored as energy reserves.

For those of you who do not have insulin deficiency conditions, for example, people with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes, treatment from insulin injections is not necessary. You are actually more encouraged to adopt a healthy lifestyle as a way to lower blood sugar.

However, according to the American Diabetes Association study, treatment with diabetes drugs, such as metformin, may also be needed so that high blood sugar can drop more quickly before complications arise.

Now, to get blood sugar-lowering treatment through insulin injections or metformin drugs, you still need to consult your doctor first.

2. Immediately drink water

The next way to reduce high blood sugar levels is to drink water immediately. This is done to relieve symptoms as well as prevent severe dehydration when experiencing high blood sugar

The reason is, rising blood sugar levels will make the body try to neutralize excess sugar from the blood by removing it through urine. As a result, you can urinate constantly. Therefore, your body will need more fluids to stay hydrated.

It is also important to remember that the more intense the physical activity you do, the more water your body needs. That means, you need to drink more often if you are doing physical activities that are more energy-draining.

3. Sports

Not only drinking water, but how to lower high blood sugar can also be done by increasing movement and increasing physical activity, one of which is by exercising regularly.

Exercise is a great way to lower high blood sugar levels because it can increase insulin sensitivity or make the body's cells more sensitive to insulin.

Apart from that, exercise also stimulates your heart to pump blood around the body. When pumping blood, glucose is used in the bloodstream to produce more energy.

Try to exercise 5 times a week for 30 minutes each session. However, choose the type of exercise to lower high blood sugar so that it is more effective and safer for your health condition. Examples include walking, yoga, or aerobics.

If it feels heavy, you can do it little by little, like exercising for 10 minutes, but done in 3 sessions a day.

4. Regulate food intake

High blood sugar levels can occur as a result of unhealthy eating patterns, causing fat accumulation and being overweight. Therefore, one of the main ways to reduce high blood sugar levels is to regulate food intake.

You can consult a doctor or nutritionist to determine a diet that can maintain blood sugar levels, of course, adjusted to your health conditions and daily activities.

Well, according to the National Institute of Diabetes, a healthy diet with balanced nutrition to lower blood sugar can also refer to the following rules:

Choose protein sources from foods that are low in calories, saturated fat, trans fat, sugar, and salt
Focus on eating foods that contain carbohydrates that are high in fiber, such as whole grains (wheat), rice (it would be better if you use rice for diabetes which has a lower glycemic index), or pasta.
Complete with fruits, vegetables, and low-fat milk.
Prioritize plain water over drinking sweetened processed drinks or soft drinks.
Serving food in one plate can follow rules such as: 1/4 plate for carbohydrate foods, 1/4 plate for protein, and 1/2 plate for vegetables and fruit.

5. Avoid stress

It is undeniable that high sugar levels often make us stressed and frustrated. However, it should be noted that the more stressed you are, the more your blood sugar increases.

That is why you need to deal with stress as a way to reduce high blood sugar. The body will produce a lot of the hormones glucagon and cortisol when under stress. Well, these hormones cause blood sugar levels to jump dramatically.

Possible ways to lower high blood sugar related to stress might be by telling someone closest to you about your problem, going for a walk, meditating, relaxing at home with a hobby, or just breathing exercises to get rid of anxiety.

6. Get enough sleep

Another way to lower high blood sugar is to get enough sleep. Keep in mind that lack of sleep can actually raise blood sugar and reduce insulin sensitivity.

Not only that, lack of sleep can also lead to weight gain, even though people who have high blood sugar levels need to maintain their ideal body weight. So, make sure you get enough rest or sleep, which is 7 to 8 hours per day.

7. Check blood sugar

The first thing you need to do to detect high blood sugar levels is to regularly check your blood sugar at home. From this method, you can tell whether your blood sugar level is normal, the changes are stable, rising, or even dropping low.

Checking blood sugar at home is useful for monitoring daily blood sugar levels or blood sugar at home (GDS). The following are the criteria for the results shown by the blood sugar check when:

Normal below 200 mg / dl
Hyperglycemia conditions above 200 mg / dl

However, blood sugar levels can actually change over time, especially after and before meals. Therefore, check your blood sugar levels every morning, before and after eating, and before going to bed.

If you don't have a blood sugar check tool, you can have your blood sugar checked at the nearest clinic, health center, or hospital.

If your doctor suspects you have symptoms of diabetes or hyperglycemia, you will need to have a complete blood sugar test, which includes:

Fasting blood sugar test
Blood sugar test 2 hours after eating
Instant blood sugar test

Lastly, an HbA1c test may also be done to diagnose whether you have diabetes or not.

In an effort to reduce high blood sugar levels, not all of the methods above need to be done. Of course you need to adjust it to your health condition.

However, it is important to know if the increase in blood sugar is getting out of control, you need to immediately consult a doctor. If you experience hyperglycemia that makes you become severely dehydrated, such as weakness and almost lose consciousness, seek emergency medical help immediately.