Insulin sensitivity plays an important role in the management of diabetes. For people with type 2 diabetes, it affects how well your body responds to insulin, but in Type 1, the sensitivity changes become more noticeable over time as insulin fluctuates.
This article outlines six ways to improve insulin sensitivity, making it easier to maintain healthy blood sugar levels.
What is insulin sensitivity?
Insulin sensitivity determines how much insulin your body needs to maintain healthy blood sugar levels. The less sensitive to insulin, the more insulin is required, and can be exacerbated by insulin resistance.
read more: Insulin resistance: symptoms, causes, treatment options.
Several factors, such as hormones (estrogen, testosterone, cortisol, adrenaline, etc.) are beyond your control, but stress and hormonal fluctuations can increase insulin resistance.
Improving insulin sensitivity will help you achieve your blood glucose targets, whether you naturally produce insulin or use injections, just like maintaining a healthy A1C (a measure of glucose management for the past 2-3 months).
How to improve insulin sensitivity
Here are some effective ways to improve the body’s insulin sensitivity as a person with diabetes:
1. It’s moving
One of the most effective ways to improve insulin sensitivity is through daily physical activity.
Even simple walks can help your body pull glucose into the cells and use it for energy, reducing your insulin needs both during and after exercise.
Making exercise a routine on a regular basis can seem daunting, but you don’t need gym memberships or time. Start just 10-15 minutes a day. As energy and mobility improve, activity can be gradually increased. Your body will thank you!
2. Improves the quality of your meals
If you haven’t evaluated your current eating habits, now is the time.
Changing the relationship with food is often more difficult than adding exercise, such as swapping bowls of chicken and salad pasta.
Many trendy diets have restrictive rules that can be difficult to maintain in the long run.
But improving your diet doesn’t have to be dramatic or immediate. Keep your food diary for a few days and start doing small things, then focus on one area where you can showcase healthier options, such as a better breakfast.
Don’t forget that your relationship with food evolves over time, and it should still taste good!
For more information: Diabetes Insulin Resistant Diet – What to Eat and What to Avoid.
3. Lose weight
Improve your diet and stay active naturally helps you lose weight. This has a major effect on insulin sensitivity.
Excess body fat reduces the body’s response to insulin and increases the need for insulin. Losing just 5 pounds can result in significant improvement in blood glucose and potentially low insulin doses.
For those with average weight, this may require adjustment of insulin to avoid hypoglycemia. Talk to your doctor about this.
Loss weight takes time. Often, it is four weeks before you notice changes in clothing and scale. Instead of focusing on your weight, you track daily habits like exercise and food choices.
It’s not perfect, it leads to consistency progression. If you ski, reset the next day and continue.
See more details: How to lose weight with type 1 diabetes.
4. Reduces stress
Management of stress is challenging because it is a natural part of life. Even positive events can cause stress responses that worsen insulin sensitivity.
Hormones such as cortisol, adrenaline and norepinephrine cause the liver to release glucose and cause blood glucose spikes.
Long-term stress can lead to long-term insulin resistance, making it difficult to manage blood glucose levels.
Reducing stress triggers can be challenging, but adjusting insulin doses or medications using your physician guidance can help you manage the ongoing effects of stress on insulin sensitivity.
For more information: Diabetes and Stress: How Stress affects your blood sugar level.
5. Get more sleep
Deprived sleep increases cortisol production and leads to insulin resistance.
If you miss a few hours of sleep, it only causes short-term blood sugar fluctuations, and consistently too little sleep can lead to chronically high cortisol levels, which can have a major impact on insulin sensitivity.
Cortisol is essential for survival, but too much can be harmful.
Sleep is essential for your overall health, especially if you have diabetes. Aim for at least 7-8 hours per night. If fluctuations in blood sugar levels are preventing you from rest, consult your healthcare team to adjust your insulin dose and improve your sleep quality.
read more: Diabetes and sleep problems: Causes and treatment options.
6. Reduce alcohol
Alcohol acts as a toxin, urging the liver to prioritize eliminating it through other functions.
Moderate alcohol consumption (one drink per day for women and two men) is associated with improved blood sugar levels, but the line between benefits and harm is thin.
Studies have shown that 30 days of alcohol abstinence can significantly improve insulin sensitivity.
Conversely, bulimia increases the risk of type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance, and it lasts longer after alcohol leaves the system.
See more details: Diabetes and Alcohol: How does alcohol affect blood sugar?
Why is it uncomplex why improving insulin sensitivity?
Improved insulin sensitivity is summarized in the basic principles of overall health.
Whether you have diabetes or not, these habits (exercise, nutrition, weight loss, sleep, stress management, and alcohol reduction) can help you live a longer, healthier life while lowering your risk of heart disease, cancer, dementia and more.
The amount of medications that make consistent and smart lifestyle choices are inconsistent.
If you find the full list overwhelming, start by focusing on one or two areas for the next six months. This will help you find motivation to tackle other areas.
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