Sugar problems? Part 1- Measure, Breathe, Exercise, Carbs…and the future

(Disclaimer below is my personal experience, please talk to your doctor before making any changes, period.)

It’s the end of 2022, and I have been dealing with blood sugar issues for a few years now. A random test showed my blood sugar to be 260. Since then I have tried everything to control it. But only recently I have been successful.

Here is my formula for success:

(Br + Exr + Zc) = 80%

(St+ Fas + Fa) = 20%

Before you dismiss this as nonsense, know that this is just a shorthand from my notes.

Here is what it all means.

Br – Breathing

I have had many wrong starts, but in the end, I realized no matter what procedure I use, I have to give my body the ability to “relax” first. To me this is non-negotiable. It really allows you to build proper habits that you don’t lose after a week.

You don’t have to rely on anecdotal, I would research it in the following way:

1. Go deep into the mechanics of breathing – Detailed Dr. Jack Feldman discussion (youtube link)
2. Explore the relationship between sugar and breathing

To explore this relationship, you have to look at breathing in the context of stress reduction. Here is one study you can start with. The conclusion is simple, combine breathing with other measures you take to control stress

1. Hegde SV, Adhikari P, Subbalakshmi NK, Nandini M, Rao GM, D’Souza V. Diaphragmatic breathing exercise as a therapeutic intervention for control of oxidative stress in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice. 2012;18(3):151-153. doi:10.1016/j.ctcp.2012.04.002

Even if the direct impact of breathing on sugar was not there, for me it’s a vital first step to prepare your mind to play this game. You need all the tools necessary to support yourself emotionally, to fight diabetes.

Here is a clear study that explores the relationship between breathing and emotion.

“The connectivity and an emerging literature support a link between breathing, emotion, and cognition that is becoming experimentally tractable” 1. Ashhad S, Kam K, Del Negro CA, Feldman JL. Breathing Rhythm and Pattern and Their Influence on Emotion. Annual Review of Neuroscience. 2022;45(1):223-247. doi:10.1146/annurev-neuro-090121-014424

Exr – Exercise

For this topic, I really don’t think any discussion is needed. Exercise will change your life. I will quote the American Diabetes Association website directly here

Physical activity can lower your blood sugar up to 24 hours or more after your workout by making your body more sensitive to insulin.

1.
Blood Sugar and Exercise | ADA. Diabetes.org. Published 2022. Accessed December 31, 2022. https://diabetes.org/healthy-living/fitness/getting-started-safely/blood-glucose-and-exercise#:~:text=Physical%20activity%20can%20lower%20your,see%20the%20benefits%20of%20activity.

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Zc – Zero Carb

Ok, we can not go exactly to zero carbs, but when your sugar is high, carbs would not help you. This can simply be seen in a Continous Glucose Monitor (CGM). Not much research is needed. For me, the effect of a sandwich is more than 2 hours of high glucose. If you have a CGM you should check this one out yourself.

The worse part, that I have seen, the effects of high-carb last almost a whole day sometimes.

Bringing it all together

So back to the formula. The shorthand formula for me says if I do these three things right 80% of my problem is solved. Now you might be different, but my suggestion would be to talk to your doctor, get a CGM, go deep on the research and take action.

Let’s end with a node to the future:

In the future, we should be able to create our own formulas that reflect our best health but also build sensors to measure them accurately. CGM (Continous Glucose Monitors) are far along. You can get really good data from them. However, in near future, we should be able to not only measure glucose but also correlate it directly with our diet, supplement, and medicine we take. Moreover, our subjective feeling of well-being has to play a big role.

Next will explore the other 20%.