Yoga For Diabetes And It's Health Benefits
Last Updated: Jan 20, 2025
Benefits of yoga for diabetes
A person suffering from diabetes sometimes struggles to keep their blood sugar level under control which impacts their quality of life. In order to improve such a situation, an increased number of people suffering from diabetes are turning to yoga to not only keep their condition under check but also improve their quality of life. Researchers have observed that yoga has proven to be very beneficial in stress-associated diabetes.
Managing mental stress holds the key in managing diabetes since an increase in stress level is directly proportional to the increase in blood sugar level. Several yoga asanas and breathing exercises regulate the stress hormones and cortisol levels which help in the management of diabetes. Some of the yoga asanas which involve relaxation stretch the pancreas leading to an increase in the production of insulin-producing beta cells. Yoga poses improve the glucose uptake of the muscle cells which results in a decline in blood sugar level. Yoga helps in maintain appropriate weight which improves the management of diabetes. Given below are some of the yoga asanas that yield positive results in the management and control of diabetes.
Yoga asanas for diabetes
Mountain Pose
Downward Facing Pose
Child’s Pose
Bridge Pose
Conclusion
A patient suffering from diabetes can exercise greater control over the blood sugar level if yoga gets complimented with a healthy and nutritional diet. Improper eating habit is one of the leading causes of increased blood sugar level. Food has a direct impact on the blood glucose level of a person. For a person suffering from diabetes, it is essential to understand which foods are good and what quantity of food must be consumed. A proper diet plan must be followed by diabetic patients.
A diabetic patient must try to avoid taking food rich in starch. The intake of carbohydrates from vegetables, whole grains and fruits are much better in comparison carbohydrates from salt, fat, and added sugars. For a proper nutritional diet, the patient must opt for regular proportional meals. A single heavy meal can increase the blood sugar level. A diabetic patient must include foods rich in fiber in their diet like bran cereals, and brown rice.
Instead of regular sugar, the substitutes of sugar must be used by the patient. Diabetic medicines also play a vital role in the management and control of sugar thus it must be taken as advised by the doctor. a combination of yoga, diabetic medicine, and proper diet can lead to remarkably positive results.
References
- McDermott KA, Rao MR, Nagarathna R, Murphy EJ, Burke A, Nagendra RH, Hecht FM. A yoga intervention for type 2 diabetes risk reduction: a pilot randomized controlled trial. BMC complementary and alternative medicine. 2014 Dec;14(1):212. [Cited 23 April 2020]. Available from:
- Kumar V, Jagannathan A, Philip M, Thulasi A, Angadi P, Raghuram N. Role of yoga for patients with type II diabetes mellitus: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Complementary therapies in medicine. 2016 Apr 1;25:104-12. [Cited 23 April 2020]. Available from:
- Angadi P, Jagannathan A, Thulasi A, Kumar V, Umamaheshwar K, Raghuram N. Adherence to yoga and its resultant effects on blood glucose in type 2 diabetes: a community-based follow-up study. International journal of yoga. 2017 Jan;10(1):29. [Cited 23 April 2020]. Available from:
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