How to Increase Insulin Sensitivity
It’s not uncommon for someone with a history of type 2 diabetes to be at risk of insulin resistance or a reduction in insulin sensitivity.
So, what is insulin sensitivity? Simply put, it’s how your cells respond to the insulin within your body.
If those cells aren’t responsive, not only does it increase your risk of diabetes, but it can come with a slew of other potential health problems. That includes things like potential damage to your nervous system or essential organs due to consistently high blood sugar. We’ll touch on some of those potential problems below.
It’s important for people to know their insulin sensitivity factor, which will tell you how many points your blood sugar will drop when you’re given a unit of insulin. Understanding what this number means for you will help you to determine how much insulin you actually need. Once you discover that number, it’s even more important to take insulin sensitivity into account so you can increase your body’s sensitivity to insulin and keep your blood sugar at a consistently stable level.
Thankfully, there are ways you can increase your sensitivity to insulin, both naturally and with safe supplements. If you’re at risk for diabetes or someone you know might be, putting these strategies into practice can make a big difference.
What Are the Risks of Decreased Insulin Sensitivity?
In addition to being a risk factor for diabetes, there are other issues you can face if you have higher insulin resistance. Some of the most common health concerns include:
- Kidney disease
- Circulation problems
- Fatigue
- Erectile dysfunction
- Heart attack
- Increased inflammation
So, keeping your blood sugar levels in check shouldn’t just be a concern for someone with prediabetes or with diabetes, it should be a priority for everyone. With that in mind, let’s look at a few ways you can increase your insulin sensitivity.
7 Ways to Improve Insulin Sensitivity
Get a Good Night’s Sleep
Getting enough sleep will help your body to repair itself in more ways than one. But, it also helps with insulin sensitivity.
Getting less than four hours of sleep each night can interfere with your body’s ability to regulate blood sugar. It can also reduce your insulin sensitivity. It’s recommended that you get 8 hours of restful sleep each night.
The good news? The effects of not getting enough sleep can be reversed when it comes to how your body manages insulin. Do what you can to catch up on your lost sleep and you’ll give your insulin sensitivity a boost.
Get Physical
If you have prediabetes or diabetes, you already know about the importance of being active. Exercise is a great way to improve your insulin sensitivity. When you move your body, you’re also moving sugar into your muscles where it is used for energy as needed. As a result, your insulin sensitivity is immediately increased.
This increase can last for several hours, depending on the type of exercise you engage in. The best thing you can do is to combine aerobic exercise with some type of light strength training.
Reduce Belly Fat
Excessive weight around your midsection can not only reduce your insulin sensitivity, but it can put you at a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. While being overweight can come with its own complications, you should be especially conscious if you tend to carry most of your weight in your belly.
Belly fat can cause an increase in certain hormones that create more insulin resistance, especially in your muscles and certain vital organs. When you lose belly fat, you’ll also increase your insulin sensitivity and lower your risk for a variety of different health problems.
Improve Your Diet
Along with exercising, one of the best ways to stay in shape and increase insulin sensitivity is to be conscious of what you eat.
A diet rich in fruits and vegetables will reduce inflammation and boost your immune system. Eating more leafy greens and colorful fruits and veggies will also increase your insulin sensitivity.
Additionally, eating more soluble fiber (oatmeal, legumes, whole grains) will also help to reduce insulin resistance. Soluble fiber works with gut bacteria, which will help with insulin sensitivity.
Spices, Tea, and Vinegar
There are a variety of different things you can introduce into your diet that can help with insulin sensitivity.
For example, cinnamon is often listed as a way to boost insulin sensitivity. Cinnamon works with receptors in your muscles, making it easier for them to effectively and efficiently transport sugar into the cells.
The antioxidant effects of green tea are also often brought up when it comes to decreasing insulin resistance. Green tea can also help to reduce your blood sugar if you have high levels.
Apple cider vinegar is often used as a cure-all for many types of ailments, and insulin resistance is another condition where apple cider vinegar can have impact. Apple cider vinegar can increase your insulin sensitivity by actually boosting the effectiveness of insulin already in the body. Apple cider vinegar helps to slow down the process of the stomach releasing its contents into your intestines. As a result, your body has more time to absorb the sugars from what you eat into the bloodstream, making it easier for that sugar to disperse efficiently.
Watch Your Sugar Intake
When it comes down to it, we’re talking about sugars and how your body manages them. One of the best ways to get a handle on your insulin sensitivity is to reduce the amount of added sugars in your diet.
Sugar is naturally found in a variety of healthy foods, including most fruits and vegetables. As we already talked about, eating these things regularly is encouraged and will offer additional health benefits.
But, added sugars, like fructose, can cause big problems when it comes to insulin sensitivity. Fructose is most commonly found in processed foods, sweets, candies, etc. This type of sugar increases insulin resistance by limiting what your cells can actually handle. If there is too much sugar in your blood, the cells can’t effectively absorb all of it. As a result, they’ll become more insulin resistant. So, the glucose remains in your blood for longer periods of time. The longer it’s there, the more health problems can arise.
Limiting your intake of processed foods, sweets, sugary sodas, etc., can help your cells to work more efficiently on absorbing natural sugars.
Try a Supplement
Following all of the tips listed above are great, natural ways to increase your insulin sensitivity. Sometimes, though, the body needs a bit of additional help. That’s where a supplement comes in.
Aceva’s Sugar Balance helps to enhance blood sugar control. Its effectiveness is based on a combination of antioxidant ALA, Banaba, and vitamins and minerals that work together to both support and repair glucose transport.
The ingredients in Sugar Balance help to decrease blood sugar levels, improve glycemic control, and enhance glucose transport throughout the body. That helps to increase your insulin sensitivity and also helps to stabilize levels of blood sugar within your body.
You don’t have to wait until you’re struggling with insulin resistance to take advantage of a supplement like this. It can be a great addition to your daily supplement regiment, giving your body the nutrients it needs to transport glucose efficiently through your system.
When it comes to how to increase insulin sensitivity, it doesn’t have to be complicated. By making some of the suggestions listed here a part of your everyday life, you can balance out your blood sugar level and boost your insulin sensitivity relatively quickly, which will lower your risk for a variety of potential health issues, including diabetes.