Type 1 Do Rollercoasters affect sugar levels?

[LilLoWilliams]

Hi,
This is potentially a really silly question but I thought I’d ask anyway just incase it is something I need to be careful about but I’m a newly diagnosed type 1 (only 4 and a half months) and my friends are arranging to go to Thorpe park for someone’s birthday. I wondered if there was anything I should be aware of when going on the rides. Do they affect my blood sugars in any way? Or should I just not go on the rides at all? Really just any advice for a big trip out like this as it’ll be my first one since being diagnosed so I’m a bit anxious about it. I have also got a freestyle libre 2 and wondered if the rides might affect that at all?
Thank you

 

[Antje77]

A rollercoaster only takes a minute, so even if they should make you drop or rise, you'll have plenty of time to react to that after the ride!
Just keep scanning away all day on your Libre to see what happens, and at the end of the day you'll have learnt stuff about your diabetes you didn't know before.

I've been to an amusement park a while back, and while I did notice a significant effect from the more scary rollercoasters, the unusual activity (you tend to walk a lot in those parks) plus the unusual food had a much bigger impact.
I'd try to look at it as an experiment to learn from, very useful.

Rolloercoaster could make you rise or drop, no way to predict without trying.
They could make you rise because the adrenalin can cause your liver to dump some extra glucose in your bloodstream.
The too scary rollercoaster I went in made me drop like a stone, I suppose that being terrified is very hard work and uses up a lot of glucose. It wasn't a problem: I spotted the drop on my Libre before I dropped into hypo territory and had a small bite to nudge it up a little.

Take a fingerprick meter and teststrips with you as well, Libre can be a bit slow to recognise fast changes in BG, or it can even decide your BG changes too fast for it to give a trustworthy result and it will tell you to scan again in 10 minutes.
And of course bring stuff to treat or prevent a hypo with.

But the most important thing is: enjoy!

 

[LilLoWilliams]

A rollercoaster only takes a minute, so even if they should make you drop or rise, you'll have plenty of time to react to that after the ride!
Just keep scanning away all day on your Libre to see what happens, and at the end of the day you'll have learnt stuff about your diabetes you didn't know before.

I've been to an amusement park a while back, and while I did notice a significant effect from the more scary rollercoasters, the unusual activity (you tend to walk a lot in those parks) plus the unusual food had a much bigger impact.
I'd try to look at it as an experiment to learn from, very useful.

Rolloercoaster could make you rise or drop, no way to predict without trying.
They could make you rise because the adrenalin can cause your liver to dump some extra glucose in your bloodstream.
The too scary rollercoaster I went in made me drop like a stone, I suppose that being terrified is very hard work and uses up a lot of glucose. It wasn't a problem: I spotted the drop on my Libre before I dropped into hypo territory and had a small bite to nudge it up a little.

Take a fingerprick meter and teststrips with you as well, Libre can be a bit slow to recognise fast changes in BG, or it can even decide your BG changes too fast for it to give a trustworthy result and it will tell you to scan again in 10 minutes.
And of course bring stuff to treat or prevent a hypo with.

But the most important thing is: enjoy!

Thank you for your thorough reply, your tips really helped and made the day a lot less anxiety inducing for me! Went yesterday, my levels were perfect all day and I had the best time so thank you again!

 

[Antje77]

Thank you for your thorough reply, your tips really helped and made the day a lot less anxiety inducing for me! Went yesterday, my levels were perfect all day and I had the best time so thank you again!

How wonderful to hear!

I expct this experience will also mean much less anxiety about doing other things for the first time since diabetes.
And I'm a bit envious over managing perfect numbers all day on such a day too!

 

[CJCoop]

Adrenaline release and stress hormones can/do affect glucose/glucagon release. So given the "thrill ride," you're looking at a potential . Of course I'm no expert but extrapolating from the effect cortisol and adrenaline have on glucose in other circumstances...

This was a nice question, not a silly one