10 Benefits of Yoga Practice for Type 2 Diabetes

Are you aware of various diabetes and yoga benefits? While this combo may seem strange at first, yoga offers diabetics some significant benefits. If you have type 2 diabetes, you already know that maintaining healthy blood sugar levels is crucial to your overall long-term health. You also know that finding a diet and exercise plan that you can stick to is tricky.

People with diabetes are less likely to use dietary restriction and exercise as a coping tool as a result of urbanization, calorie-rich food consumption, the use of multiple machines, a lack of open space for exercise, a busy modern lifestyle, and a lack of motivation. Furthermore, because of their weight, physical inactivity, and sedentary lifestyle, people with diabetes have a diminished capacity to exercise. However, yoga is a fantastic form of physical exercise and mental meditation that offers a gentle introduction to movement for people with diabetes. This is making it one of the best exercises for diabetics. People who practice yoga on a daily basis see changes in both their mental and physical health.

Main benefits of Yoga for diabetes patients

Yoga is a method of calming and harmonizing the body, mind, and emotions. Yoga practice originated in India over 5,000 years ago. Yoga helps people treat a variety of lifestyle disorders, including type 2 diabetes. Incorporating yoga's daily routine can help people achieve better glycemic regulation and reduce the risk of other complications of diabetes.  But why is yoga so beneficial for type 2 diabetics?

1.) Reduced stress levels

Although most people consider stress to be a mental condition, stress can have detrimental effects and consequences on the physical body. Type 2 diabetes can cause additional stress, which can affect your glucose levels. Stress causes your body to enter fight or flight mode, and all of your blood is redirected to your muscles and limbs.

This can cause dangerous increases in blood sugar levels for diabetic patients. Yoga is a form of movement-based meditation that has been shown to help people relax. You will feel focused and relaxed after each session because the practice focuses on calming the breath and refocusing the mind. Yoga therapy will increase your overall quality of life.

2.) Lower your blood pressure

Yoga can benefit people with high blood pressure by improving and increasing the circulation in the body. By holding certain poses that restrict the body’s blood flow, yoga can potentially stimulate the body’s blood flow after the pose is released. Type 2 diabetes usually goes often associated with high blood pressure. As a result, yoga will help you maintain a stable blood pressure level.

According to the results of research, people who practice yoga and relaxation exercises with breathing at least three days a week have a lower blood pressure than those who do not. This can significantly impact the management of diabetes. Long-term high blood pressure can damage the kidneys, cardiovascular system, and retinas if left unchecked.

3.) Improved digestion

Over time, diabetes can affect different parts of the body, including the vagus nerve in the stomach. Some diabetics can experience gastroparesis, or slowed digestion. Yoga poses like the boat pose, bow pose, cobra pose, and twists will help to loosen up the digestive tract, stimulate the digestive system, and relieve constipation.

Yoga will help you strengthen your digestion and relieve discomfort, indigestion, bloating, and constipation stress. Meditation and deep breathing, all of which are a major part of yoga, can help to calm and relax the mind and body. Which has a beneficial impact on relieving digestive problems. Yoga poses are designed to calm your digestive system and release intestinal toxins. If you are wondering how to use yoga in order to improve digestion click here.

4.) Enhanced concentration

Our focus declines significantly as a result of rising levels of stress and anxiety brought on by modern lifestyles and work schedules. People with diabetes can have an affected range of cognitive functions and processes, including memory, learning, and concentration. The brain requires around 25% of the body’s blood. If there are high blood glucose levels, this will affect and impact the brain. The meditative nature of yoga can help to focus the mind and cultivate the brain’s ability to concentrate. The good news is that yoga will help us strengthen focus by calming our minds, improving blood flow, and improving our balance.

5.) Rejuvenate pancreatic cells

If you have type 2 diabetes, your body has developed a tolerance to insulin, the hormone produced by the pancreas. Yoga is an important exercise for blood sugar control since many asanas in yoga target the pancreas.

Poses like the bow pose, half-spinal twist, and plow pose work to massage the abdomen and encourage the pancreas to secrete insulin. The endocranial glands are often targeted during regular yoga practice. This can aid in the body's more effective use of insulin.

As a consequence, the system receives more insulin. This helps diabetics with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes rejuvenate their insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Most patients can monitor the triggers or causes of diabetes by practicing the postures in a relaxed, non-exertional way, as well as using meditation and breathing strategies.

6.) Increases muscle endurance

Yoga can help people with type 2 diabetes by strengthening, building, and shaping their muscles. Muscle problems can occur as a result of diabetes. When blood glucose levels are too high, it has a hard time reaching the main muscle groups. A lack of blood flow in the muscles can cause cell death and muscle mass loss over time.Yoga can support the body's circulation by stimulating blood flow in the muscles.

7.) Increase weight loss

Diabetic patients are often encouraged by their health care providers to lose weight. Obesity can make diabetes more dangerous and difficult to maintain. While many people think of yoga as a slow, easy form of exercise, it can actually get quite intense depending on the type of yoga you want t practice. Many physicians recommend yoga for diabetes type 2 because it can help them transition with ease into a weight-loss program. 

8.) Improve health of your joints

Diabetic arthropathy is a disease in which the joints become affected as a result of diabetes.  You may notice diabetes joint pain in your knees, ankles, or arms. Yoga strengthens the muscles around the joints, helping to keep them protected and strong. Bridge pose, triangle pose, and half-moon pose, for example, can be beneficial if you have diabetes knee pain.

• Yoga improves joint range of motion;
• Yoga improves the strength of the muscles that protect the joints;
• Yoga maintains the health of joint cartilage;
• Yoga is circulating synovial fluid in the movable joints.

9.) Develop strength and balance

According to recent studies, diabetes can affect your balance and coordination. Diabetes has been linked to problems with the body's vestibular structures. Our sense of balance and spatial perception are regulated by the vestibular system, which is a sensory system. Diabetic patients who have a malfunctioning vestibular system are at a greater risk of falling. Yoga is beneficial for rebalancing the vestibular system of the body by improving coordination, concentration, and strength.

10.) Have a healthy heart

Blood vessels and nerves can be damaged by high blood sugar levels, which can lead to heart disease. When it comes to diabetes management, it should come as no surprise that maintaining a healthy heart is important. Yoga is a great way to keep your heart safe. Regular yoga practice improves blood flow in the body, lowering the risk of cardiovascular problems later in life.

Harvard Medical School researchers conducted a systematic analysis of evidence from previous controlled trials and studies in 2014. They discovered that those who practiced yoga had a lower BMI, blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and cholesterol levels than those who did not exercise at all. Yoga has also been recommended by the British Heart Foundation for people with heart disease.The explanation for this is that daily yoga practice can help people who have had heart surgery relieve stress and anxiety while also lowering their risk of depression.

What style of yoga is the best for diabetes?

Practicing yoga can have a great impact on your overall quality of life. Control glucose levels under the supervision of a physician during the program, and always take appropriate medication as directed. Yoga should be practiced for 40 to 60 minutes in the morning and evening, according to one's ability and strength with the recommended series of postures. The time it takes to maintain a pose should be progressively increased from five seconds to a minute, or even longer, depending on the person's posture and ability. During the posture maintenance period, keep your attention on breathing.

Although yoga therapy has been shown to have health benefits in many studies, it is not approved as a diabetes treatment. Consult your doctor and diabetes healthcare team before beginning any yoga lessons, and stick to your regular diabetes treatment schedule. Diabetes will never be cured by yoga. It will, however, lower your blood sugar levels, boost your mood, reduce your waist size, and strengthen your cardiovascular and muscular systems.

Building relationships with other people can be the best medicine, whether you have diabetes or a loved one who does. Interested in learning more? Feeling like sharing your own experience and advice? Join our community group on Facebook, "Winning Type 2 Diabetes Together" to learn together, support one another, and build a healthy future together.