10 Easy Diabetes Home Remedies That Will Keep Your Blood Sugar in Check

More than 1 in 3 Americans are prediabetic or have type 2 diabetes — when the body can’t burn blood sugar and levels become too high — leading to symptoms like fatigue and extreme thirst. Doctors advise major lifestyle overhauls and prescribe pricey meds to bring levels down, but you can get similar results for almost nothing with these easy diabetes home remedies!

Avocado

Adding a small avocado to you breakfast will cut your diabetes risk by 35 percent and give oyu 55 percent more energy, stamina, and focus all day long, suggests research in The Journal of Nutrition.

That’s because avocados contain a rare compound (avocatin B) plus lots of healthy plant fats, nutrients that work together to improve inulin sensitivity, so your muscle and brain cells can soak up and burn blood sugar for fuel.

Gazing at Stars

Step outside to admire the stars for 10 minutes before bed. Researchers say that a blast of cool, fresh air followed by snuggling under covers stimulates the production of melatonin and serotonin, hormones that help use blood sugar for fuel, heightening blood sugar control by as much as 45 percent!

Red Wine

This one might become your favorite type of diabetes home remedies! Drinking 5 oz. of red wine daily improves cells’ ability to utilize insulin by 150 percent, according to Harvard University researchers. Credit goes to wine’s rich stores of resveratrol, which instructs muscle cells to burn blood sugar for fuel. For best results, go for darker reds like malbec, merlot, and cabernet sauvignon, which have as much as tenfold more resveratrol than lighter wines.

Tea

Polyphenols in tea help prevent blood-glucose spikes by slowing the body’s absorption of carbohydrates. In fact, new research suggests that simply sipping 6 oz. of iced tea after each meal could actually cut your risk of blood-sugar troubles by 48 percent!

A Mini Massage

Rubbing your ears before each meal could reduce blood-sugar flux by 30 percent, say researchers. The reason: Stimulating the ears’ pressure-sensitive nerves relaxes and opens arteries, helping glucose quickly reach the cells that need it.

To do: Massage firmly in a circular motion from the ears’ highest point, working slowly down to the lobes.

Playing Games

Just a few minutes a day playing cornhole (or croquet or bocce ball) could cut your risk of blood-sugar troubles by 45 percent, suggests research in the journal PLOS ONE. Study co-author Ken Terui, MD, explains that’s because the combination of childlike fun with a little movement drastically reduces your production of cortisol. This stress hormone sabotages blood-sugar control by stopping muscles from soaking up and burning blood glucose for fuel.

Going for a Stroll

Thirty minutes of daily movement — whether that means going for an after-dinner walk or just tidying up around the house — reduces your risk of diabetes by 40 percent. The reason: Using your muscles prods them to burn blood sugar. And if you sneak a few 60-second bursts of speed into that stroll, Canadian researchers say you’ll switch on the genes that help your muscles burn excess blood glucose for even more fuel, increasing blood-sugar control by 58 percent for a full 24 hours. So easy, so effective!

Wearing a Sleep Mask

Ensuring the sunrise doesn’t wake you could cut your risk of type 2 diabetes by 33 percent, say researchers. When your’e well-rested, you produce far fewer stress hormones, which hinder the body’s ability to use insulin properly. And slipping in a nap twice a week can improve insulin control by 41 percent for the same reason!

Using Mouthwash

And last on our list of diabetes home remedies, you can cut your risk of diabetes by 57 percent just by keeping your gums in great shape, researchers say. The bacteria that cause gum disease also hamper your pancreas’ ability to keep blood sugar steady. The problem: Commercial mouthwashes kill nearly all oral bacteria rather than promoting a healthy balance between good and bad. But studies show that an aloe rinse reduces plaque and boosts gum health as effectively as mouthwash — without bacteria-harming chemicals.

To do: Mix 3 Tbsp. of food-grade aloe vera juice, 3 Tbsp. of water, and a drop of peppermint essential oil. Swish.

This article originally appeared in our print magazine, Save on Healthcare (Buy on Amazon, $12.99).