Cycling to work

[Nomi]

Hey guys,

I decided to start cycling to work in an attempt to get fit. Today is the first day but I've noticed something funny with my bg levels.

When i left home my bg was 7.4, I usually eat breakfast as work and planned to do the same today. I checked my bg when I got to work and it had gone up to 11.5. Its only 3 miles between my house and work and whilst I could feel i'd done exercise, I wasnt breaking out in a sweat or anything so I'm not sure why it has gone up.
Anyway I had breakfast and took my insulin plus correction to get it back down to around 7 again.

I checked my bg again at lunch and it was 14.6 This i really don't understand as all i've been doing is sitting at my desk and I haven't eaten anything all morning since breakfast. I had lunch ( chicken plus salady bits and a pack of crisps) took my insulin plus more correction and i've checked it 2.5hrs later and its 12.4.

I really don't understand whats going on? can anyone explain this to me?

I have to cycle home again and I don't know whether to eat something carby before I go home to get lots of energy or to just risk it and correct my bg back down to 6/7 again?
I don't want to spend all day having to check and correct my bg levels, has anyone else experienced this?

Thanks

Nomi

 

[Abigaildemunnik]

Presuming your basal was all right before, it can happen the liver produces it's own sugar if there isn't enough in your system (like when you get active without eating first) where normally the body would self regulate of course ours doesn't so sometimes you can get highs. Check your bs about half an hour before you go home and if it's still high correct it to the higher end of your range and test again when you get home, good luck and we'll done for trying become more active ;-)

 

[noblehead]

Try eating breakfast before setting off to work with a small reduction in your insulin dose, I bet the results will be somewhat different.

 

[Auckland Canary]

As a regular cyclist I often notice strange events like this that sometimes don't often make sense. It could be down to stress as you may not have cycled for a while and also adrenaline from exercise can also push BS levels up even if you think you weren't doing that much. If you are not used to the exercise it can have this effect.

Keep trying it for a few days and try different doses and food amounts etc and you will notice a pattern emerging for the majority of time. It could be that you are just having a "diabetic body day" where everything seems to go SNAFU for no particular reason.

Keep persevering and PM me if you want any more advice as I cycle thousands of miles each year

 

[Wurst]

Same thing happens to me. I've been cycling daily to work now for around 18 months around 30 km per day. I have to have a bolus shot before I start the commute or i'm too high when I arrive. I eat breakfast when I get to work. Dawn phenomenon / hormones I put it down to.

Going back in the evening i often find myself on the low side, nothing critical but around 3.9 ish

 

[Nomi]

Thanks guys, I will keep persevering as see how I get on. Its good to know i'm not the only one!

 

[Malcbadsworth]

Thanks guys, I will keep persevering as see how I get on. Its good to know i'm not the only one!

I go spinning two mornings a week. I take my long acting insulin before going to gym. I find my levels go up after spinning I have breakfast and take my quick acting insulin. Levels usually come back to normal.
But if I go out on bike during the day my levels drop

 

[LucySW]

I really don't understand whats going on? can anyone explain this to me?

Nomi, It's the Dawn Phenomemon. This might help:

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/pesky-dawn-phenomenon.57672/.

Best, Lucy

 

[Nomi]

I'm not sure about the dawn phenomenon thing as I had a continuous BG monitor for a while and it showed my overnight/ morning levels were pretty stable. but that was before i started cycling. I read somewhere that if its high intensity exercise that can push BG levels up so maybe thats whats happening, it just seems odd that it contiues throughout the day. Maybe i'm just not getting my bolus right? Will continue and see how I get on

Thanks everyone!

 

[Auckland Canary]

Exercise is really about trial and error for each individual person. Hope you stick with it though as I find cycling such a great activity for both mind and body and will always encourage others to take it up. You may just need a few weeks of monitoring to find what works for you. And remember if your route is less than 5 miles........find a longer route!