You cannot copy content of this website, your IP is being recorded
Diabetes Management: Tips for Lowering Blood Sugar

Diabetes Management: Tips for Lowering Blood Sugar

At Family Medicine Healthcare, Dr. Samir Abdelshaheed, MD can assist in managing diabetes to achieve a healthier and symptom-free lifestyle. If you have any medical condition, especially diabetes, we recommend regularly visiting one of our primary care physicians. We are dedicated to helping you learn how to control and manage your blood sugar levels effectively. For more information, contact us or visit us online to book an appointment. We are conveniently located at 3925 Portsmouth Boulevard, Chesapeake, VA 23321.

Diabetes Management Specialist Near Me in Chesapeake VA
Diabetes Management Specialist Near Me in Chesapeake VA

Table of Contents:

What are the ways to manage diabetes?
How do you bring sugar levels down?
What is a diabetes management plan?
How quickly can you lower blood sugar with and without medication?

What are the ways to manage diabetes?


You may find it difficult to maintain your blood sugar levels within the range recommended by your doctor. Many things can cause your blood sugar level to change, sometimes in an unexpected way.
 
Whether you have diabetes or not, a healthy diet is essential to a healthy lifestyle. However, if you have diabetes, you must know how foods affect your blood sugar levels. In addition to what you eat, you should consider the amount and combinations of food types you consume.
 
Your diabetes management plan should also include physical activity. While exercising, sugar (glucose) is used by your muscles for energy. Your body also uses insulin more efficiently when you engage in regular physical activity.
 
Diabetes medications such as insulin are designed to lower blood sugar levels when diet and exercise aren’t enough to control them. The effectiveness of these medications depends, however, on the timing and size of the dose. Blood sugar levels can also be affected by medications you take for conditions other than diabetes.
 
Given the many components involved with managing diabetes, the best approach is to ensure you and your doctor discuss your diabetes management plan in detail, and that you fully understand all associated components.

How do you bring sugar levels down?


In people with diabetes, insulin injections can quickly lower hyperglycemia (high blood sugar). Exercise is the best way to lower blood sugar levels if you are not prescribed insulin.
 
Other ways to lower blood sugar levels quickly include taking missed medications, drinking lots of water, and managing stress. When you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, you should always keep your blood sugar within a normal range. Blood sugar needs to be lowered quickly at a certain point if life-threatening complications are to be avoided.
 
Subcutaneous (under the skin) insulin injections provide the quickest response because blood flow at the injection site accelerates insulin absorption. Injecting it into the abdomen, arm, or deltoid is most effective since these areas have more blood flow than other areas such as the buttocks or thighs.
 
If your blood sugar is high, make sure you have taken your long-acting insulin or other diabetes medication. Your healthcare provider may prescribe medication to help you maintain a normal blood sugar level if you have type 2 diabetes. Missing these medications can cause hyperglycemia.
 
Engaging in physical activity is the fastest way to lower your blood sugar naturally. Exercise lowers insulin resistance and improves glucose conversion. As a result of muscle contractions, glucose is used for energy regardless of whether insulin is available. This effect lasts for 24 hours or longer after exercise. Since water helps the body excrete glucose, drinking enough water is crucial to diabetes management.

What is a diabetes management plan?


Diabetes care plans can help you identify how you will treat your condition, regardless of whether you have type 1 or type 2. The plan can serve as a guide for managing your condition. Your diabetes care plan should outline how you will manage your diabetes daily, who to contact if you have concerns, and what goals you want to achieve.
 
Healthy eating, regular exercise, and blood sugar monitoring are all essential to managing diabetes. You should include insulin dosages, device settings, and medications in your diabetes care plan. A diabetes management plan will be devised with your healthcare provider and tailored to your specific needs; it will serve as a comprehensive guide to managing every component of your condition.

How quickly can you lower blood sugar with and without medication?


Metformin is often the initially prescribed medication to manage diabetes. Blood sugar levels are not immediately reduced by metformin. A medication’s effects usually begin to be felt within 48 hours of taking it, and the most significant effects typically take 4–5 days to manifest. Depending on the dosage, the timing will vary. After a meal, fast-acting insulin (also called rapid-acting insulin) lowers blood sugar within 15 minutes of injection.
 
Without medication, lifestyle changes lower blood sugar on a slower basis, usually taking weeks of sustained changes for lowered blood sugar to make lasting changes to blood sugar levels. However, in the immediate aftermath of physical activity blood sugar will temporarily lower. The more strenuous your workout, the longer it will affect your blood sugar. It is possible to have low blood sugar four to eight hours after exercising.
 
Diabetes management is available at Family Medicine Healthcare in Chesapeake VA. For more information, please contact us today or simply book an appointment. We are conveniently located at 3925 Portsmouth Boulevard, Chesapeake, VA 23321. We serve patients from Chesapeake VA, Portsmouth VA, Suffolk VA,  Norfolk VA, Virginia Beach VA, and Hampton VA.