The evil actions of insulin in your body can make you fat and diabetic. If you are looking for ways to improve insulin sensitivity than you have turned on to the right page.
Ways to Improve Insulin Sensitivity
There is a connection between insulin resistance and obesity. More body fat means harder for your body to use carbohydrates. Let’s have a look at these lifestyle and dietary factors that may help a person improve their insulin sensitivity naturally and can be followed by people with both types of diabetes:
- Sleep more- The foundation of a healthy body is proper sleep. Your brain and body need rest so that they could recover from their daily activities. And this rest will be achieved by getting a deep sleep of 7 to 8 hours. Not getting adequate sleep may weaken your immune system and increase the risk of diabetes 2 and heart disease. Sleep deprivation is believed to cause mild insulin resistance. This can happen to even healthy people who exercise daily and eat a balanced diet. If you have even one poor night sleep or if you sleep only for a few hours after a late night out, then your insulin sensitivity may drastically decrease the following day. You will be weak and tired and the next day and would like to feast on some junk food to get the energy back. Don’t treat yourself on junk food as this can cause you to have many spikes of insulin when you are sleep deprived. This, in turn, going to promote insulin resistance. Catching up on the lost hours of sleep will help reverse the effects of insulin resistance. Sleep well the next day and recover from the previous day.
- Exercise to improve insulin sensitivity- Engaging in any physical activity such as walking, swimming, aerobics, and cardio exercises increase your body’s caloric demands which help to lose extra fat and reduce blood sugar levels. Various research studies show the effect of resistance training on insulin sensitivity. A single workout can boost one’s insulin sensitivity for the following 48 hours. This is because contracting muscles and working out helps burn out the stored muscle glycogen. Once the muscle cells get depleted, they become insulin sensitive and convert to sponges for glucose. Then they absorb the glucose quickly so that they can restore the glycogen they lost.
- Fasting may help– Intermittent fasting may benefit people with insulin sensitivity. A certain type of caloric restriction without strenuous exercise can reverse the condition and improve insulin sensitivity.
Also Read: 5 Worst Foods to Eat When Suffering from Type 2 Diabetes
- Reduce carb intake- cutting your carbs is an evident way to promote insulin sensitivity. Consuming carbohydrates with high glycemic index contribute to high blood sugar which makes the pancreas to pump out more insulin. This can increase the burden on your pancreas to handle these spikes of insulin several times a day. So, it is important to maintain stable blood sugar levels and be insulin sensitive with any diet you follow.
- Get more Fiber- You should include tons of fibrous vegetables, healthy fats, and some healthy proteins in your diet to maintain appropriate blood sugar levels. Soluble fiber helps to promote insulin sensitivity. Other benefits of eating soluble fiber include reduced sugar cravings, improved inflammation, and symptoms of insulin resistance. Polyphenols and antioxidants insoluble fiber such as chocolate has been shown to reduce blood pressure and improve insulins sensitivity.
- Sip green tea- An excellent beverage for your health, green tea can increase insulin sensitivity and lower blood sugar. It is a great choice for people with Type 2 diabetes or those who are at high risk of developing the disease. A research study shows that drinking green tea reduces fasting blood sugar and increase insulin sensitivity. The herbal tea contains powerful antioxidants that have been found to promote insulin sensitivity.
- Cut Transfat- It is worth to remove artificial trans fat from your diet. They provide no benefits and increase the risk of many other diseases. There is evidence showing a link between intake of high trans fat and poor blood sugar control.
Be sure to continue your diabetes medicines while incorporating these good habits in your daily routine.
