Post Time: 2025-09-01
The Key to Blood Sugar Balance: Understanding Insulin Sensitivity
Insulin sensitivity plays a vital role in maintaining healthy blood sugar levels. It's a measure of how well your body uses insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas that regulates blood sugar. When you're insulin sensitive, glucose enters your cells efficiently, and blood sugar levels remain within a normal range.
The ideal balance between carbohydrates consumed and insulin sensitivity can be seen in people who regularly engage in physical activities like brisk walking or swimming for at least 30 minutes per day. Studies have shown that regular exercise improves the body's ability to use insulin by up to 60% (1). Furthermore, incorporating strength training into your routine helps maintain muscle mass as you age, which also supports better blood sugar management.
The Complex Dance of Blood Sugar and Insulin
Insulin resistance is a condition where the body produces enough insulin but doesn't effectively utilize it. This often leads to higher blood glucose levels over time. Common causes include obesity, sedentary lifestyle, family history of diabetes, high cholesterol or triglyceride levels in your bloodstream (2), polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and sleep disorders.
Diet also plays a critical role in maintaining healthy insulin sensitivity. Consuming foods with low glycemic index values can help control blood sugar spikes after meals. These include vegetables like broccoli, leafy greens, bell peppers, legumes such as lentils or chickpeas, fruits including berries (especially blueberries), citrus fruits and whole grains.
Unlocking the Power of Fiber for Better Blood Sugar Control
Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that isn't fully digested in the small intestine but continues on to be fermented by bacteria in your colon. As it travels through your digestive system, soluble fiber absorbs water and forms a gel-like substance around food particles, which helps regulate blood sugar levels after eating (3). Fiber also aids digestion process.
Examples include psyllium husk or other plant-based fibers like chia seeds. Aim to increase daily consumption of these foods gradually over time so that you can ease into incorporating them more often in your meals and snacks for maintaining a healthy body weight along with balanced blood sugar levels during the day.
The Impact of Stress on Blood Sugar Levels
When we experience stress, our bodies produce cortisol – also known as "stress hormone" which is secreted by adrenal gland. Elevated levels of this hormonal change can interfere with normal production rates and usage pattern affecting how efficiently cells uptake insulin from bloodstream leading higher glucose readings at certain periods (4).
Try managing stressful events in your life through activities like deep breathing, yoga or meditation practices each day; these actions help calm the body while reducing stress effects allowing better balance maintenance.
How Sleep Deprivation Affects Blood Sugar Balance
Lack of sufficient sleep can lead to a number of physiological issues including decreased insulin sensitivity and higher blood glucose levels upon waking up next morning (5). To keep this imbalance from occurring regularly maintain consistent 7-9 hour long overnight rest periods daily.
The Importance of Consistency in Exercise Routine for Insulin Sensitivity
Incorporating some form exercise, no matter what your personal preferences or goals may be can improve how well you use insulin while reducing likelihood developing type II diabetes later down line research shows combining low intensity aerobic activities such as walking cycling with strength training which includes resistance bands home workouts helps keep blood glucose levels within healthy limits over extended periods time.
Regularly engaging in physical activity is crucial for maintaining a stable blood sugar level, because exercise increases the sensitivity of your cells to insulin allowing them take up glucose more efficiently from bloodstream into muscles tissues etc
I teamed up with The McClure Twins, Ava and Alexis, to play my version of Mad Libs I call “Med Libs”. They provided answers to all the prompts I threw at them, then I worked those words into a story educating them about Type 1 Diabetes. We used their suggestions like kiwis, plumber, and giraffe to tell the story of a pig named Nia who gets diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes by Dr. Cockroach. While Nia is initially upset by the news, Dr. Cockroach lets her know that Type 1 Diabetes isn’t her fault, she was born with it, and there are many ways she can mitigate the symptoms to live a happy and healthy life. Ava and Alexis’ channel: The blood sugar perimenopause Mighty McClure’s channel: More info on Type 1 Diabetes: I LOVE reading your comments and take your suggestions seriously. If there’s a subject you want me to discuss or something you’d like for me to react to, leave a comment down below. Many of my videos have been born out of suggestions directly from you, so don’t hold back! -Doctor Mike Varshavski Help us continue the fight against medical misinformation and change the world through charity by becoming a Doctor Mike Resident on Patreon where every month I donate 100% of the proceeds to the charity, organization, or cause of your choice! Residents get access to bonus content, an can stress cause elevated blood sugar exclusive discord community, and many other perks for just $10 a month. do inhaled steroids increase blood sugar Become a Resident today: Please SUBSCRIBE for new videos every Wednesday afternoon and Sunday morning! Let’s connect: IG - Doctor Mike Reddit Twitter - Real Doctor Mike Facebook - Real Doctor Mike Contact Email: [email protected] * Select photos/videos provided by Getty Images * ** The information in this video is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content, including text, graphics, images, and information, contained in this video is for general information purposes only and does not replace a consultation with your own doctor/health professional **