Exercise and Type 1 Diabetes
Regardless of the type of diabetes you have, regular physical activity is important for your overall health and wellness.
With type 1, it’s very important to balance your insulin doses with the food you eat and the activity that you do – even if you are just doing house or yard work.
Planning ahead and knowing your body’s typical blood glucose response to exercise can help you keep your blood glucose from going too low or too high.
Preventing Lows
Your blood glucose response to exercise will vary depending on:
- your blood glucose level before starting activity,
- the intensity of the activity,
- the length of time you are active,
- and changes you’ve made to insulin doses.
Sometimes people experience a drop in blood glucose during or after exercise, so it is very important to monitor your blood glucose, take proper precautions, and be prepared to treat hypoglycemia (low blood glucose).
To learn how different types of activity affect you, you should frequently check your blood glucose before, during, and after an exercise session.
Put a trial and error system into place. For example, increased activity may mean that you need to lower your insulin dose or eat some extra carbohydrates before exercising to keep your blood glucose in a safe range. Some activities may cause your blood glucose to drop quickly while others do not.
If your blood glucose levels are trending down before a workout, have a pre-exercise snack. Always carry a carbohydrate food or drink (like juice or glucose tabs) that will quickly raise your blood glucose. It may take a while to figure out what works best for you.
If your blood glucose level is less than 100 mg/dl before you start your activity, try having a small carbohydrate snack (about 15 grams) to increase your blood glucose and reduce your risk for hypoglycemia. This is especially important if you anticipate that your body’s circulating insulin levels will be higher during the time you exercise and if you will be exercising for longer than 30 minutes.
If you use an insulin pump, you may be able to avoid adding an extra snack by lowering your basal insulin rate during the activity.
If you have repeated problems with your blood glucose dropping during or after exercise, consult your doctor.
To learn about how to treat low blood glucose during exercise, go to Blood Glucose Control and Exercise.
And check out the page Hypoglycemia (Low Blood Glucose) to learn more about the symptoms of hypoglycemia.
When Your Blood Glucose is High…
Blood glucose can also run high during or after exercise, particularly when you do a high-intensity exercise that increases your stress hormone (i.e., glucose-raising hormone) levels.
If your blood glucose is high before starting exercise, check your blood or urine for ketones. If you test positive for ketones, avoid vigorous activity.
If you do not have ketones in your blood or urine and you feel well, it should be fine to exercise.
Source http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/fitness/exercise-and-type-1-diabetes.html