Top Ways to Lower Blood Sugar - and How to Make Them Work for You

In this article:

• Prediabetes is a condition with high blood sugar, but lower than in prediabetes. It can happen when insulin resistance develops, or your body is less responsive to the effects of insulin. 
• Simple daily choices can support healthy blood sugar levels. Here are some ways to lower blood sugar and to fit them into your life.
• Losing weight if you’re overweight can improve insulin sensitivity, or your body’s response to insulin. Small changes can help shift calorie balance to help with weight loss. 
• Increase physical activity to increase insulin sensitivity almost immediately. 
• To support lower blood sugar, build balanced meals with fiber, protein, and a moderate amount of carbohydrates. 
• Getting enough sleep helps optimize insulin sensitivity and balance hunger hormones.
• Managing stress helps keep down levels of stress hormones like cortisol, which raises blood sugar.
• Lark can support you 24/7 as you make healthy choices to lose weight and manage blood sugar, blood pressure, or other conditions with or without GLP-1s. 

Having a diagnosis of prediabetes can feel overwhelming, but your own choices have a major impact on blood sugar. Even though it may be complicated to hear about insulin resistance, high blood sugar, and risk for type 2 diabetes, the truth is that your everyday habits matter. 

Managing your weight, getting enough physical activity, and eating balanced meals are some of the most important things you can do to support healthy blood sugar. Staying hydrated, managing stress, and getting plenty of sleep also help. 

These changes may sound big, but they’re all made up of little parts - and each little part has an impact. Take tiny steps to fit changes into your own routine so that they are realistic and sustainable for you. In addition, tools like Lark can offer personalized coaching to support your efforts - and Lark’s Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) is specifically focused on healthy lifestyle choices to support healthy blood sugar. Over time, consistent choices add up for big results. Here are top ways to support healthy blood sugar - and how to make them work for you.

Manage Your Weight

You’re more likely to be diagnosed with prediabetes or diabetes if you’re overweight or obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). About 31% of American adults are overweight, and 42% are obese, according to the National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). 

You can calculate your body mass index here and see how it’s categorized. 

Having excess weight can increase insulin resistance and your risk for diabetes, but losing just a moderate amount of extra weight can lower your risk and support healthy blood sugar. The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) is an intervention focused on lifestyle changes to achieve goals of losing 5-7% of initial body weight, and achieving at least 150 minutes per week of physical activity. Participants in the study lowered their risk of developing diabetes by 58% over the next 3 years, according to the Standards of Care from the American Diabetes Association (ADA).

The most effective way to support blood sugar is to take a long-term approach. Instead of a crash diet or a major overhaul, the ADA suggests aiming for a moderate rate of weight loss of 1-2 pounds per week. These types of shifts can help you establish daily patterns that can last and help you manage weight.

Lark can help you lose weight as you track weight, log foods, and get feedback on what you’re eating. 

Move More - Throughout the Day

Being physically active is one of the best ways to support healthy blood sugar. Physical activity lowers blood sugar by increasing the amount of glucose, or sugar, that muscles take up from the blood. Physical activity works quickly - within minutes of when you get moving.

Physical activity increases insulin sensitivity, or lowers insulin resistance. The blood sugar-lowering benefits of a workout last for 24-48 hours. That’s why it’s a good idea to exercise most days instead of letting more than a day go by without exercise.

The DPP includes a goal of achieving 150 minutes per week of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity. In the original DPP study, participants who achieved this amount of physical activity, but who didn’t lose weight, lowered diabetes risk by 44%! 

When you’re doing activity that’s moderate to vigorous intensity, your heart rate rises, and your breathing deepens. You should have enough breath to be able to talk in short sentences, but not to sing. These are examples of common moderate to vigorous-intensity activities. 

You don’t have to be a gym rat to hit physical activity recommendations. If you’re not ready for longer workouts, a few minutes here and there count, too. 

In addition to moderate intensity physical activity, it’s important to scatter light activity to break up sitting time during your day. For every 30-60 minutes that you are sitting, add 1-2 minutes of light movement like marching in place, walking around your home or office, or going up and down a flight of stairs. Sitting for too long can increase insulin resistance and raise blood sugar.

Lark can support your daily movement. Track workouts, learn tips for getting and staying active, and get reminders to move when you’ve been sitting still for too long. You may also notice how much better you feel when you move more!

Balance Your Plate

Balanced, portion-controlled meals can support healthy blood sugar. Too many carbohydrates and large portions can spike blood sugar, while fiber, protein, and smaller portions can help keep blood sugar more stable.

When thinking about portions and weight loss, a smart approach is to keep high-calorie-dense foods in check, while emphasizing low-calorie-dense foods. That might mean:

• More non-starchy vegetables, lean proteins, and fruit
• Moderate portions of whole grains, low-fat dairy, healthy fats like peanut butter, nuts and avocado, and starchy vegetables like sweet potato and peas
• Smaller portions of high-calorie-dense, low-nutrient foods like sugary beverages, white pasta, fried potatoes, fatty meats, and butter

Try just making 1-2 small changes at a time. For example, you might add a salad to the beginning of your lunch for more vegetables and fiber. Another choice could be to bake zucchini and sweet potato sticks instead of having French fries as a side dish.

Here are examples of food pairs that have protein and fiber.

• Oatmeal with nuts or Greek yogurt
• Celery or apple with peanut butter
• Beans with vegetables and low-fat cheese
• Whole-grain toast and egg or egg whites
• Brown rice and chicken with vegetables

A simple strategy is to look for chances to add fiber and protein when you eat carbohydrates. Lark can help you plan meals and see where you might be able to make them more nutritious.

Choose Water More Often

Water can play multiple roles when it comes to your blood sugar. First, staying hydrated can improve blood sugar regulation. It may improve insulin sensitivity. It also helps prevent dehydration, which can lead to more concentrated blood sugar. Staying hydrated keeps your blood volume up - which means your blood sugar is less concentrated, or lower. 

Another benefit is that water can replace sugar-sweetened beverages like sodas, sports drinks, sweet tea, fruit drinks, and flavored coffee beverages. These can be high in calories and sugar, and low in nutrients. They can spike blood sugar, and they add extra calories - making weight gain more likely.

Here are some tips for adding water into your day. 

• Keep a bottle of water near you so it’s easy to drink.
• Drink extra water before, during, and between meals.
• Replace sugar-sweetened beverages with water.
• If you want something fizzy or carbonated, try sparkling water plain or with a squeeze of lemon or lime.

To keep it manageable, start with one change. For example, try replacing one sugary drink with water each day. Or, try adding 1 cup of water to your mid-morning or mid-afternoon routine.

Protect Sleep to Manage Blood Sugar and Weight 

Sleep helps you feel refreshed and energized the next day, but it also directly affects blood sugar and weight. Sleep is crucial for normal insulin sensitivity and blood glucose regulation. Being short on sleep increases insulin resistance.

Sleep also affects weight management. 

• It helps keep levels of ghrelin - a hunger hormone - in check so your hunger is better controlled
• It helps keep blood sugar levels more stable, so you’re less likely to get sharp drops that cause sugar cravings
• It helps keep energy is more stable, so it’s easier to be active
• It helps you stay clear-headed - so you can make healthier food choices and plan ahead

Most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep. Here are some tips for getting more sleep or better quality sleep.

• Keep a consistent wake time.
• Create a wind-down routine that you follow before bedtime each night.
• Limit caffeine later in the day.
• Sleep in a cool, dark, quiet place.
• Set aside enough time to sleep each night.

It’s common for life to disrupt sleep sometimes. Just return to your normal sleep routine and schedule as soon as possible.

Manage Stress to Manage Blood Sugar

Stress isn’t just…stressful. It’s also hard on your body - including on your blood sugar. Stress hormones like cortisol raise blood sugar. When you’re stressed for a long time, like months or years, your blood sugar stays high. This raises diabetes risk.

It’s not possible to eliminate stress, but there are many ways to help manage stress. Here are examples.

• Take a short walk.
• Breathe deeply.
• Spend time with people you care about.
• Visualize your happy place or success.
• Break a big task into smaller steps.

Keep in mind that stress management shouldn’t be stressful. It should make you feel good - but it can take practice.

Pick 1-2 strategies and try them several times to see if they work for you. If not, try different methods to manage stress. Of course, if stress stays overwhelming, contact a healthcare professional for more help with stress levels. 

Keep It Manageable

The most effective way to lower blood sugar is to choose strategies that work for you. Try just 1-2 changes at a time to keep them manageable instead of feeling overwhelmed. Let them become habits, then try adding another 1-2 changes. You’ll support blood sugar best when you stay consistent and keep up your healthy choices long term. 

Lark Can Help

Daily choices can help support healthy blood sugar, and Lark can help you stay accountable. You may be eligible for compassionate, personalized digital coaching at no cost to you! Your Lark coach is available 24/7 for encouragement, nutrition and physical activity coaching, and habit tracking. Lark can help you make healthy choices and establish habits that fit into your lifestyle so you can lose weight and keep it off with or without GLP-1 medications. 

Click here to see if you may be eligible to join Lark today!

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