Yoga & Blood Sugar Management
While sugar is important, there’s no need to add glucose to our diet, because our body can make the glucose it needs from the food we eat. Besides, the sugars found naturally in foods such as fruits, vegetables, and milk are healthy additions to our diet.
Unfortunately, much of the sugar we eat isn’t found naturally in food but is added during processing or preparation, and the body is then overloaded with too much sugar in our bloodstream. Over time this can lead to insulin resistance, where cells no longer ‘unlock’ to allow glucose in, and too much sugar remains in the bloodstream. The pancreas then needs to make more and more insulin to move glucose into the cells. Eventually, the pancreas is damaged and can't make enough insulin to meet the body's needs.
In some cases, the pancreas fails to produce any or enough insulin to begin with and glucose fails to enter our cells and builds up in the blood.
Sugar itself isn’t bad and is a very important source of fuel for our body - particularly a type of sugar called glucose.
In fact, glucose is a primary source of energy for many organisms, including humans. It fuels cellular respiration through which cells generate energy from glucose and oxygen. In humans, glucose is crucial for brain function, as nerve cells and chemical messengers in the brain require glucose to process information efficiently.
Stress Management
Using controlled breathing techniques, yoga trains practitioners to invoke a relaxation response by regulating stress hormones to release tension. When we’re stressed, our blood sugar levels rise and this increases the chances of other serious complications such as heart disease.
Like other forms of exercise, the movements and stretches in yoga increases glucose uptake in muscles. This helps to lower blood sugar levels, improves the circulatory system and reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Pancreatic Health
Many yoga postures not only foster relaxation, the stretching and massaging action helps to activate the pancreas. Yoga poses that involve twisting and stretching can have a positive effect on overall health and function of abdominal organs.
Weight Management
Exercising through yoga can reduce weight and improve weight control, both of which are essential for glucose management. Getting active is probably the best way to combat insulin resistance. Exercise can help build muscle that can absorb blood glucose and opens up an alternate gateway for glucose to enter muscle cells without insulin acting as an intermediary. This reduces the cells' dependence on insulin for energy and potentially lowers insulin resistance.
Consistency is Key
Yoga is a practice. The more consistent you can be on a daily or weekly basis, the more long-term health benefits you will achieve.
It's still important to work with healthcare professionals to develop a personalised plan that includes medication and a diet that addresses your specific needs and circumstances.
Managing Blood Sugar
In all cases, managing blood sugar becomes a conscious decision especially since sugar in various forms is added when food is prepared.
The tailored practise of yoga has become an added option in the management of blood sugar. While yoga brings many benefits, the enhanced functioning of respiratory, circulatory and endocrine organs plays a role in balancing blood content.
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