How yoga can lower your blood sugar!

Blood sugar spikes - are they really as bad as many people think? The truth is: your blood sugar fluctuates naturally after eating. This is nothing to worry about. It only becomes a problem if your blood sugar remains too high for a long time. And this is where an exciting solution comes into play: Yoga!

Yoga as a natural support for your blood sugar

A new meta-analysis has examined 16 randomized, controlled studies on yoga and blood sugar control in type 2 diabetes. The results are impressive: yoga not only improves fasting blood glucose, but also post-meal blood glucose, HbA1c and fasting insulin levels.

Interestingly, yoga performed even better than walking in some areas! While walking also improved fasting blood glucose and HbA1c levels, the effect of yoga was even more pronounced.

Why does yoga work so well?

The positive effects of yoga on blood sugar can be explained by two main mechanisms:

1. Muscle activation: certain yoga poses challenge your muscles, which has a positive effect on insulin sensitivity.

2. Stress reduction: Stress increases the release of cortisol - a hormone that causes blood sugar to rise. Yoga has been proven to reduce stress and therefore also the negative impact on your blood sugar.

How often should you do yoga?

Research shows: Just two yoga sessions a week of at least 30 minutes each can bring about a measurable improvement. By comparison, walking only showed significant effects after three30-minute sessions per week.

Conclusion

If you want to improve your blood sugar levels, yoga could be an effective and relaxing method. And the best thing is: in addition to the metabolic benefits, you also benefit from greater flexibility, mental calm and physical well-being. So why not roll out your yoga mat and get started?

Sources:

• Study on the effect of yoga on blood sugar and insulin

• Link between stress and blood sugar

• Comparative analysis: Yoga vs. walking