Objective: To explore the effect of nursing intervention based on self-regulation theory on self-management behavior and blood glucose control of diabetic patients. Methods: A total of 120 patients with diabetes admitted to Hefei Second People’s Hospital from January 2018 to October 2021 were selected as the research subjects and randomly divided into the control group (n=60) and the observation group (n=60). The control group was given routine nursing intervention, and the observation group was given nursing intervention based on self-regulation theory on the basis of the control group. The Summary of Diabetes Self-care Activities (SDSCA) questionnaire, Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 2 h postprandial blood glucose (2hPG) and glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels were compared between the two groups before and after intervention. Results: After intervention, the scores of diet, exercise, medication, blood glucose monitoring and foot care of SDSCA in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the observation group had higher positive coping score and lower negative coping score after intervention (P<0.05). After intervention, FPG, 2hPG and HbA1c levels in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion: Nursing intervention based on self-regulation theory can effectively improve the level of self-management behavior of diabetic patients, actively respond to diseases, and better control blood sugar.