Natural Diabetes Care

6 Mind-Body Techniques for Diabetes Care

Discover how relaxation methods can benefit blood sugar control.

By Dan Fields

You probably know that eating right, being physically active, and managing your weight are important ways to prevent and treat diabetes. But did you know that reducing stress can also help keep your blood sugar levels in check? When you’re feeling frazzled, your body produces hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol, which raise not only blood pressure but also blood sugar.

Research has shown that relaxation techniques have the opposite effect: They lower levels of stress hormones, which in turn decreases blood sugar (glucose). Here are six mind-body methods worth exploring to help manage your diabetes symptoms.

Diabetes Care Tip 1: Imagery

Imagining yourself at the beach or another favorite place can help tame tension, but you can go further to control diabetes by visualizing the anatomical details of healing. In diabetics' bodies, blood sugar builds up to unhealthy levels because the cells can’t properly use insulin, a hormone that helps bring sugar from the blood into the cells.

Cleveland psychotherapist Belleruth Naparstek suggests imagining the insulin acting like a key that unlocks the doors of the cells and lets the cells take in the fuel they need.

Diabetes Care Tip 2: Journaling

Expressing yourself on paper is a good way to release feelings that you might otherwise hide or suppress. Researchers at Syracuse University and elsewhere are currently studying whether writing about traumatic or stressful experiences can reduce diabetic symptoms and improve emotional well-being in diabetics.

Try writing about something that’s upsetting or troubling in your life, either past or present, for roughly 20 minutes a day on three or four consecutive days.

Diabetes Care Tip 3: Laughter

Tickling your funny bone is a great stress-buster, and a 2003 study in Japan found that laughter can help manage diabetes. Researchers measured the blood sugar levels of 19 diabetics after they attended a serious lecture, and on another day after they enjoyed a comedy show. Although they ate similar meals on both days, the participants had lower blood sugar after a few laughs. For more mirth in your life, spend time with friends who make you laugh, watch funny movies or sitcoms, or just play with your pets.

Diabetes Care Tip 4: Mindfulness Meditation

Derived from Buddhist tradition, this technique involves becoming and remaining aware of your thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations in each present moment, without passing judgment on them. It promotes relaxation by making you less reactive to your stress "triggers." A 2007 study found that diabetics who practiced mindfulness meditation for at least 20 to 30 minutes a day on most days lowered their blood sugar levels.

You can meditate lying down or sitting in a chair or on a cushion. Begin your practice time by becoming aware of your breath, then let your awareness expand to your entire body and the thoughts that drift in and out of your mind.

Diabetes Care Tip 5: Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Alternately tensing and relaxing the body’s muscle groups can be very calming, and a 2002 study led by Duke University psychologist Richard Surwit revealed that regular practice of this simple technique reduced blood sugar levels in people with diabetes.

After closing your eyes, contract the muscles in your feet for a few seconds, then slowly let the tension go. Continue this contract-and-release sequence as you move up the body: thighs, buttocks, abdomen, hands, shoulders, neck, and face.

Diabetes Care Tip 6: Yoga

This ancient form of gentle exercise is also a wonderful relaxation method. In 2005, researchers in India reported that diabetics who practiced daily yoga for 40 days had a significant decrease in their fasting glucose levels and beneficial changes in insulin levels.

A typical yoga class begins with some deep breathing exercises, moves on to various body postures (which may be done standing, sitting, or lying down), and closes with a few minutes of meditation.

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