. . . . . my bs seems to drop like a stone
You'd expect that:
There are a few ways that exercise lowers blood glucose:
- Insulin sensitivity is increased, so your cells are better able to use any available insulin to take up glucose during and after activity.
- When your muscles contract during activity, it stimulates another mechanism that is completely separate of insulin. This mechanism allows your cells to take up glucose and use it for energy whether insulin is available or not.
This is how exercise can help lower blood glucose in the short term. And when you are active on a regular basis, it can also lower your A1C. However, you obviously don't want it going too low, or worse still, having a hypo.
Keep in mind that low blood glucose can occur during or long after physical activity. It is more likely to occur if you:
- Take insulin or an insulin secretagogue
- Skip a meal or don’t eat something within 30 minutes to two hours after stopping
- Exercise for a long time
- Exercise strenuously
If hypoglycemia regularly interferes with your exercise routine, talk to your DN/DB about adjusting your treatment plan. They may suggest eating a small snack before you exercise or they may make an adjustment to your medication(s). For people engaging in long duration exercise, a combination of these two regimen changes is usually necessary to prevent hypoglycemia during and after exercise.
I must thank the American Diabetic Association for their opinions on exercise and BG.
