Ways to Lower Blood Sugar

High blood sugar is a diabetic's worst enemy. A diabetic needs to keep his or her blood sugar under control to keep diabetes in check and avoid more serious conditions associated with diabetes. Many ways to lower blood sugar include taking medication and not taking medication. Choosing ways to lower blood sugar without medication reduces the effects of medication on the body system.

Exercise

• After a diabetic finishes a meal, he or she normally takes a blood sugar reading. If it is too high, he or she can take diabetic medicine or insulin to reduce the high level. Alternatively, he or she can go for a brisk 20-minute walk, which reduces blood sugar levels without medication. The diabetic may actually do any exercise of his or her choosing, but since walking is easiest and since many people like to take a walk after a meal, this alternative is a popular one for reducing blood sugar.

Vitamins and Minerals

• Some vitamins and minerals, such as chromium, help to lower blood sugar naturally. Buy diabetic vitamin packs (see resources below) to make sure you get the allotment of vitamins and minerals your system needs on a daily basis.

Food and Drinks

• Eat spinach to lower blood sugar. Try a fresh spinach salad instead of cooked since spinach can lose some of its minerals when cooked. Non-fat yogurt helps to lower your blood sugar by slowing down the process of converting food sugar to blood sugar, according to Reader's Digest (see References). Sprinkle cinnamon on the yogurt; this adds to the good taste, and cinnamon has properties to lower blood sugar so you get a double dosage this way. Breads containing a high fiber count (at least 3 grams per serving) slow the absorption of glucose into the system, thus lowering your blood sugar. Moreover, these breads make you feel fuller for a longer time, so you eat less.

  Green tea contains properties that work to lower blood sugar. Drink green tea daily to lower your blood sugar. Decaf black coffee or coffee with light cream also contains ingredients that help lower blood sugar. A glass of red wine with dinner lowers blood sugar, but be careful not to drink more than one glass a day so you don't undo the good that a single glass will do for your blood sugar.

Relaxation and Proper Sleep

• Stress may raise blood sugar levels, so keeping calm in the midst of stress goes a long way to reducing your blood sugar. Take up meditation, listen to relaxation CDs, take a soothing bubble bath or simply stretch out in your favorite chair, put your feet up and let go of your stressful day.

  If you experience high blood sugar first thing in the morning, it may be that you are not getting a good night's sleep. Try this exercise if your stressful day keeps your mind working overtime at night. Before going to sleep at night, take a few deep breaths and then tell yourself that you will drift off and sleep continuously until it is time to wake up in the morning. If you are not sleeping well and you cannot determine the cause, bring this up to your health care provider so he or she can give you something to sleep or provide other suggestions relating to the reason you cannot sleep.