Exercise

[Jlewis]

So I exercise a lot but I've heard that exercise can sometimes raise blood sugar levels but I've heard inconsistent things so just asking what people think

 

[Rich1889]

Purely depends on the type of exercise, intensity and duration!! I run, play golf and also play weekly five aside and all have very different effects on my BGs. The football gives me spikes but ultimately always comes down post exercise. Just changes how and when I fuel myself. Have a look on runsweet.com as a really useful resource

 

[Freema]

well if you raise your adrenaline by exercising this can also raise insuline levels and also make the liver transform more protein into glucose.. it all depend on the individual, many can exercise a lot without that effect... you´ll just have to measure your blood glucose to see if there is a raise where there has been no food reason for the raise...

but all in all I think that the advantages of exercise by far outlast the backside of raising blood glucose a bit... but of cause if one is extremely diabetic a little raise can do a big difference... I think my levels are affected by my exercise.. my blood should many times be much lower when I exercise and right after exercising compared to how little carb I have eaten that day and to were my level were in the morning before I left home, but my longterm gain is so great that I just keep ignoring that fact

 

[Jlewis]

Also just to add I am not on any insulin I'm simply taking tablets right now

 

[catapillar]

So I exercise a lot but I've heard that exercise can sometimes raise blood sugar levels but I've heard inconsistent things so just asking what people think

I'm sure you have heard inconsistent things. That's because the effect of exercise on blood sugar will vary between type of exercise and will vary between individuals. If you want to know what it's doing to you, you're going to have to test your blood sugar to find out.

 

[Goonergal]

I find that strenuous exercise will raise my blood sugar, but it soon comes down - and to below my starting level. More gentle exercise brings it down. As others have said the long term benefits of exercise should outweigh any temporary rises.

 

[daisyduck]

Ditto @Goonergal .. plus if I exercise over 45 minutes at a time my BG will raise.. up until then it lowers ?

 

[Jlewis]

Well I bit the bullet today and tried it out and it worked well I did an hours Muay Thai session which is very physically tough then straight after did an hour and a half karate class which isn't as tiring but still a bit and my levels dropped from 6.8 to 3.3 so no problems with it rising anyway

 

[qe5rt]

Pardon my laziness but i'm going to quote myself from another topic

A rule of thumb to remember is:

Short burst of high intensity activity -> like lifting a heavy weight for 1-3 repetitions will have little to no effect on your blood glucose.

Longer burst of moderate to high intensity -> lifting weights for +8 repetitions and several sets (think of a bodybuilding routine, or what most people do in a gym to "tone") or moderate intensity cardio (something you can do for extended periods like 30-60 minutes) will tend to raise your blood sugar.

Long moderate activity -> longer than 60 minutes which is usually moderate intensity throughout tends to give a rise and a drop and could require some form of carbs or sugars to continue.

Something else to keep in mind is that your body conceives exercising as stress triggering a release of cortisol. Long story short this can reduce insulin sensitivity in the short term. As your body becomes fitter this stress response will become less but in any activity you try to improve yourself so chances are that your will increase the intensity and this stress response will remain. It's a nuisance but the overall benefits of exercising outweigh the short term negative effects from it.

But as mentioned the best way to make sure is to test yourself after the activity and a couple of hours later too.