Blood sugar management—for people with diabetes, prediabetes, or those who are watching their levels—requires constant vigilance. But spikes happen, so having doctor-approved strategies to help you bring your blood sugar down fast is essential.
Meet the experts: Victoria Finn, M.D., an endocrinologist at Medical Offices of Manhattan; Brooke Bussard, M.D., a lifestyle medicine health coach.
While taking any prescribed medication should always be followed, doctors say there’s an additional step to consider. According to endocrinologists, exercise lowers blood sugar. “Movement causes our muscles to contract, and contracting muscles need energy. One of the fastest sources of that energy is glucose circulating in the bloodstream,” Brooke Bussard, M.D., a lifestyle medicine health coach, explained. “As muscles pull glucose out of the blood to make energy, blood sugar levels naturally fall. This is why even short bouts of movement can have a noticeable effect on glucose levels.”
While there are multiple kinds of diabetes, “for type 2 diabetes, movement is often the fastest natural method to reduce a blood sugar spike,” Victoria Finn, M.D., an endocrinologist at Medical Offices of Manhattan, previously told Prevention.
The good news: Almost any form of movement may help lower your levels. Dr. Finn said that a brisk walk around the block or around your house can be effective. But if you want to maximize the amount of energy that your muscles are using in a short amount of time, Dr. Bussard recommended trying some squats. “Squats use our largest muscle groups—quads, glutes, and hamstrings—so any movement pattern that mimics the squatting motion would be beneficial,” she said. “A simple option is repeated sit-to-stands: stand up from a chair, sit back down, and repeat for 10 to 15 repetitions.” Dr. Bussard added that if you check your blood sugar levels again within 15 or 30 minutes of moving around, you should see a drop.
While movement may be an effective way to reduce a spike for type 2 diabetics, Dr. Finn noted that it’s important to always use your prescribed correction dose of insulin or medication if that is part of your treatment plan. And for type 1 diabetics, “insulin is the mandatory first-line treatment for a blood sugar spike,” she said. “It is the primary and only way to clear excess glucose from the bloodstream.”
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