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Exercise with high bg

samantha13

samantha13

Well-Known Member
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Hi all. I always thought a good walk wuld bring down a high bg reading but a fellow diabetic has mentioned that she heard its dangerous to exercise with a high bg. Can anyone shed any light?


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Well, depends what you consider "high". You should check prior to exercise and be at least 7. Also depends what exercise you do, how long for and how strenuous but cardio in particular generally will bring BG down. If you go for a very long walk, test half way. If your BG is very high to begin with, this is a different problem that needs insulin or med adjustment possibly but only after speaking to your nurse or doctor. Most would agree though that exercise is very beneficial to anyone, regardless of diabetes.


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I always thought a good walk wuld bring down a high bg reading but a fellow diabetic has mentioned that she heard its dangerous to exercise with a high bg.
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That's because it's a bit more complicated than that, and this is why I think oversimplification like the Big Blue tests are hardly helpful.

Simply put, it depends on why blood sugar is high at the start of the exercise - high BG could be due to an absolute insulin deficit (DKA), in which case exercising is a bad idea; on the other hand, high BG due to drinking a litre of Lucozade will not be dangerous.

If you are a T1 diabetic with BG of 14 mmol/l then you should increase your insulin.
 
These are pretty standard 'rules' from the Mayo clinic.

Lower than 100 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/L). Your blood sugar may be too low to exercise safely. Eat a small carbohydrate-containing snack, such as fruit or crackers, before you begin your workout.

100 to 250 mg/dL (5.6 to 13.9 mmol/L). You're good to go. For most people, this is a safe pre-exercise blood sugar range.

250 mg/dL (13.9 mmol/L) or higher. This is a caution zone. Before exercising, test your urine for ketones — substances made when your body breaks down fat for energy. Excess ketones indicate that your body doesn't have enough insulin to control your blood sugar. If you exercise when you have a high level of ketones, you risk ketoacidosis — a serious complication of diabetes that needs immediate treatment. Instead, wait to exercise until your test kit indicates a low level of ketones in your urine.

300 mg/dL (16.7 mmol/L) or higher. Your blood sugar may be too high to exercise safely, putting you at risk of ketoacidosis. Postpone your workout until your blood sugar drops to a safe pre-exercise range
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http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/diabet ... se/DA00105
I think these are good general rules but obviously you would have to temper them with your own experience.
Personally taking any sort of insulin immediately before a walk would cause me problems since I require only a trickle of insulin during exercise and my levels always plummet, well, it has from the 12s but the 'rules' say that's OK.
At 14mmol/l you're just in the caution zone.
 
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