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If you’ve been recently diagnosed with prediabetes, you can count yourself lucky because this means that you don’t have diabetes yet. Unlike diabetes, which is a chronic condition that requires lifelong treatment, prediabetes is reversible with simple diet and lifestyle interventions. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t treat prediabetes seriously. Take it as a wake-up call and begin making changes to your lifestyle right now before it progresses to diabetes.
How Prediabetes Is Reversible
Prediabetes is a condition of high blood sugar, wherein blood sugar levels are elevated beyond the normal range, but not high enough to be classified as diabetes. The precise causes are unknown, although insulin resistance is associated with several risk factors. The condition also doesn’t usually cause symptoms, but is easily identified in routine tests for blood glucose levels. This highlights the importance of regular health checks. If you have been diagnosed with prediabetes, follow these simple steps to reverse the condition now and prevent diabetes.
Simple Steps To Reverse Diabetes
Eat Healthy
You don’t need to give up sugar altogether yet, but cutting back will help. Most importantly, modify your diet so that it excludes or lowers any consumption of processed foods that are high in sugar, fats, and calories, without providing much nutrition. Whole foods like fresh fruits and veggies, beans, pulses, nuts, seeds, lean meats, and fish are some of the healthiest options.
Stay Active
Exercise helps improve insulin sensitivity, while a sedentary lifestyle is known to increase the risk of diabetes. Getting active even with mild to moderate intensity exercises on a regular basis can help reverse prediabetes. Make sure to engage in at least 30 minutes of physical activity like walking, cycling, or swimming for 5 days a week.
Manage Your Weight
Obesity is a major risk factor for diabetes, making weight loss an important goal for anyone diagnosed with prediabetes. Studies show that a weight reduction of just 10% can help lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Within 3 years this results in a risk reduction of 85%
Cut Back On Stress
Stress-related disorders are known to be on the rise and there is a clear link between diabetes and stress. Chronic stress causes levels of hormones like cortisol and adrenaline to remain elevated, which can contribute to insulin resistance. Taking time off for rest and engaging in relaxing activities like meditation can help significantly.
Get Adequate Sleep
Make it a point to get 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night and seek help if you suffer from any kind of sleep disorder. Studies show that sleeping for less than 5 hours regularly or for over 8 hours is linked to higher blood sugar levels. So, it’s important to get just the right amount of sleep. Not too much and not too little.
Quit Smoking
Smoking is known to pose one of the greatest health risks and that is also in the context of diabetes. In fact, the risk of developing diabetes is up to 40% higher for smokers. Even second-hand smoke may pose a risk to anyone with prediabetes, as research suggests that insulin sensitivity is impaired with nicotine exposure.
Although these steps to reverse prediabetes can be extremely effective, they may not be adequate for all individuals. This is why it’s important to continue monitoring blood sugar levels so that your doctor can prescribe medications if required.
