5 Ways to Support Healthy Blood Sugar Levels

Stay Active Most Days

Physical activity can help support healthy blood sugar because it often lowers the level of glucose in your blood.^[3] When your muscles contract during activity, your cells are able to take up glucose and use it for energy.^[4]

And that effect can last well beyond the workout itself, since physical activity can keep blood sugar lower for up to 24 hours or more afterward by making your body more sensitive to insulin.^[4]

The effect will vary depending on how long you are active and many other factors.^[4] But any physical activity is better than none, so starting slowly with activities you enjoy is a good place to begin.^[3] The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases recommends that most adults aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate activity each week.^[3]

A few ways to build more activity into your week:^[3]

• Aim for about 30 minutes of moderate activity on most days, which adds up to around 150 minutes a week.
• You do not have to do all 30 minutes at one time, so shorter sessions throughout the day count too.
• Try activities like walking, dancing, wheelchair rolling or swimming.
• Try to do strength training about two times a week.

Talk with your health care professional before starting a new physical activity or changing how much you do.^[3]

Make Sleep a Priority

Sleep and blood sugar are connected. Sleeping too much or too little may raise your blood sugar levels, and even just one night of too little sleep can make your body use insulin less efficiently.^[3][5]

That is why getting enough rest matters for blood sugar, not just for energy. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute recommends that adults get between seven and nine hours of sleep a night^[6], and building a consistent routine around bedtime can help you get there more easily.

A few things that can help improve your sleep:^[7]

• Go to bed and get up at the same time every day.
• Keep your bedroom quiet, relaxing and at a cool temperature.
• Turn off electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bedtime.
• Avoid large meals and alcohol before bedtime.
• Avoid caffeine in the afternoon or evening.

Talk to your healthcare provider if you have problems sleeping.^[7]

Be Mindful of Added Sugar

Your body turns carbohydrates from food into glucose, which can raise your blood sugar level.^[3] But not all carbs behave the same way. Simple carbs, like table sugar, honey, fruit juice and syrup, increase your blood sugar quickly.^[9] And as the CDC notes, carbs in food make your blood sugar levels go higher after you eat them than when you eat proteins or fats.^[2]

These simple carbs are often major ingredients in highly processed and packaged foods like soda, cookies, cakes, candies and other foods with added sugars.^[9] The leading sources of added sugars in the U.S. diet are sugar-sweetened beverages, desserts and sweet snacks.^[10]

Sugar-sweetened beverages like soda, sweetened coffee and sweetened tea can add a lot of simple carbs to your diet.^[9] It is also worth noting that added sugars do not include the naturally occurring sugars in milk, vegetables and fruits.^[10]

A few simple swaps to cut back on added sugars:^[3][9][2]

• Drink water instead of juice or soda.
• For a sweet treat, choose fruit.
• Try mixing half unsweetened tea with half sweet tea, or ordering coffee with less sweetener.
• Choose drinks with little or no added sugar, such as water, low-fat milk or unsweetened tea.

Choose Whole Grains More Often

The type of carbohydrate you eat matters for blood sugar. Foods with a high glycemic index, like white bread, are rapidly digested and cause substantial fluctuations in blood sugar.^[11] But foods with a low glycemic index, like whole oats, are digested more slowly and prompt a more gradual rise in blood sugar.^[11]

That slower digestion is largely thanks to fiber, a type of carbohydrate found mainly in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes.^[8] Your body does not absorb and break down fiber, which means fiber does not cause a spike in blood sugar the way other carbohydrates can.^[8]

Refined grains, on the other hand, are simple carbs that have been processed to remove the fiber. Examples include foods like white bread, white rice, white pasta, cereals, pastries and other desserts.^[9]

Even so, most adults only get about half the fiber they need each day.^[8] The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults eat 22 to 34 grams of fiber each day, depending on age and sex.^[8] Choosing more complex carbs is a good way to close that gap, because starchy vegetables, legumes and whole grains are all rich in fiber.^[9] And because complex carbs contain fiber and other starches that take longer for your body to digest, they also increase your blood sugar more slowly than refined options.^[9]

A few ways to add more whole grains and fiber to your meals:^[9]

• Switch to whole wheat pasta, tortillas and bread, and choose items with whole wheat flour listed as the first ingredient.
• Try oats instead of sugary cereals.
• Try different grains like quinoa, farro, bulgur wheat, barley and millet.
• Add more legumes like beans and lentils to your meals.
• Eat whole fruits instead of drinking juice.

Keep Up With Regular Check-Ups

Prediabetes and type 2 diabetes often do not have any symptoms.^[12] That is why people with any risk factors are urged to ask their doctor if they should be screened. Being screened means getting tested when you do not have any symptoms, and the testing itself is simple with results usually available quickly.^[12]

There are a couple of common tests. A fasting blood sugar test measures your blood sugar after an overnight fast. The CDC puts a normal fasting reading at 99 mg/dL or below.^[12] And an A1C test measures your average blood sugar level over the past two or three months.^[12]

A few things to keep in mind about blood sugar testing:^[12]

• Testing is simple and results are usually available quickly.
• A fasting blood sugar test measures your level after an overnight fast.
• An A1C test measures your average blood sugar over two or three months.
• Ask your doctor if you should be screened, especially if you have any risk factors.

Ask your doctor what your test results mean.^[12]