New Delhi’s pollution levels continue to be in the severe category forcing authorities to impose emergency measures, including traffic curbs and shutting schools. The drastic air quality is a result of a cocktail of factors, the chief contributors being vehicular emissions and smoke from crop burning in neighbouring states.

NASA’s Worldview satellite has captured how the toxic smog extends from Pakistan to the Bay of Bengal. The smog is coupled with a sharp rise in farm fires in North India, shows the satellite data.

NASA data shows that the number of farm fires has seen a sharp rise since October 29. The state saw a 740 per cent increase on October 29 with 1,068 farm fire incidents – the highest in a single day in the current harvesting season.

With the air quality index as high as 500 in some areas on Wednesday morning, New Delhi has topped the chart of the world’s most polluted cities for the last six days. Stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), a set of anti-pollution guidelines, has been invoked and diesel trucks and construction activities have been banned in the national capital.

The Supreme Court has asked the governments of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to urgently discuss with the Centre how to stop the farm fires. The court has said it cannot allow this to become a political battle, stressing that the choking air quality is responsible for the “murder of people’s health”.

Hyperglycaemia, or elevated blood sugar, is linked to pre-diabetes and diabetes. When blood sugar levels are elevated but not high enough to be considered diabetic, it’s called pre-diabetes. The hormone insulin, which your body produces to enable your cells to use the sugar in your blood to function, is often responsible for controlling your blood sugar levels. Insulin is therefore the primary blood sugar regulator.

Hyperglycaemia, however, can result from a number of causes that make blood sugar regulation difficult. Internal factors that contribute to elevated blood sugar levels include excessive glucose production by the liver, insufficient insulin production, or impaired insulin utilisation by the body. Insulin resistance is the term for the later. A sedentary lifestyle, certain drugs, food choices, and stress are examples of external variables. Read on as we share morning routine steps that can help you manage high sugar levels.

Morning routine steps that can help manage blood sugar levels:

1. Start your day with apple cider vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is recommended by some alternative practitioners as a means of mitigating the impact of morning blood sugar increases. While it could help with blood sugar regulation in the short term, apple cider vinegar does not “treat” diabetes.

2. Take your meds

If your doctor has given long-acting basal insulin, which is meant to maintain stable blood sugar levels during the night and in between meals, you might want to think about taking it in the morning before the day’s distractions take over. But what matters most is constancy.

3. Avoid sugar in your beverage

Beverages with added sugar usually have minimal nutritional value and are heavy in calories. Additionally, if you have diabetes, it’s advisable to stay away from these drinks because they quickly raise blood sugar levels. The only exception is if your blood sugar is really low. Drinks with added sugar, like soda, juice, and sports drinks, can be a useful remedy for rapidly boosting hypoglycaemic blood sugar.

4. Count the carbs you consume

This might be simpler for you to accomplish if you take insulin. After totalling the carbohydrates in each meal, you will modify your insulin dosage as necessary. Keep note of what you eat and your blood sugar level two hours after you finish for a few days. It will enable you to observe how various meals impact you.

5. Workout

You can improve your insulin sensitivity, attain and sustain a healthy weight by engaging in regular exercise. Your cells can use the available sugar in your bloodstream more efficiently if you have increased insulin sensitivity. Moreover, blood sugar is used by your muscles during exercise to provide energy and to contract.

6. Don’t skip breakfast

You’re off to a bad start in the morning if you miss breakfast. One of the reasons individuals tend to overeat later in the day is that skipping breakfast makes you hungry all the more. In actuality, missing meals and then bingeing later might result in blood sugar increases, even though eating regular meals will help keep your levels consistent.

Achieving treatment goals, limiting the need for diabetes drugs, and lowering the risk of concomitant illnesses and psychological discomfort all depend on making therapeutic lifestyle adjustments.

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.

Actor Patrick Dempsey has been named as the ‘sexiest man alive’ for 2023 by People magazine. He was revealed as the winner during the November 7 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, where the actor made an appearance during the late-night show. Mr. Dempsey, also a racing car driver, succeeds Marvel star Chris Evans, who was crowned the 2022 Sexiest Man Alive.

The 57-year-old actor is best known for playing neurosurgeon Derek Shepherd aka ‘McDreamy’ on the long-running medical drama ‘Grey’s Anatomy’. He is also known for his roles in movies like ‘Enchanted’, ‘Bridget Jones’s Baby’, ‘Made of Honour’, ‘Can’t buy me love’, ‘Transformers’, ‘Lover Boy’ and many more. 

”I’m glad it’s happening at this point in my life. It’s nice to have the recognition, and certainly my ego takes a little bump, but it gives me the platform to use it for something positive,” he told People.

When asked about his initial reaction to the news, he said, ”I was completely shocked, and then I started laughing, like, this is a joke, right? I’ve always been the bridesmaid. I’d completely forgotten about it and never even contemplated being in this position. So my ego is good.”

Notably, Mr Dempsey is married to makeup artist and beauty line founder Jillian and has three children. The actor said that his kids are going to keep him humble, saying they’re ”just going to make fun of me and pick on me and figure out every reason why I shouldn’t be.”. He added, ”Which is good, they keep me young.”

The actor, who is also a race car driver, will return to the big screen in the Michael Mann-directed biopic ‘Ferrari’ playing Piero Taruffi, an Italian Formula One driver. The ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ star also founded the Dempsey Center, a Maine-based organisation that supports cancer patients and their loved ones, in memory of his late mother Amanda.

Previous title holders of People’s ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ include Paul Rudd, Michael B Jordan, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, John Legend, Idris Elba, Chris Hemsworth, and Channing Tatum. The feature has been an annual event for People magazine.