Insulin sensitivity management in type 1s

[scaryblueberry]

I’ve been type 1 for 22 years and for most of it have had unpredictable but not too extreme ups and downs of insulin sensitivity. It seems that everything effects my insulin sensitivity inconsistently, which has always made it hard to maintain really good blood glucose control but it’s been possible to just get by without going hypo too much. Up until recently I have had an active life but lack routine and didn’t do any sports. I started doing 10 minute daily runs 2 weeks ago and it’s caused a huge increase in insulin sensitivity but not consistently. I’m hypo half the time and needing huge amounts of sugar to treat them and I’m in the process of figuring out new insulin amounts. The weird thing is that since I started doing this regular exercise my blood sugars also seem to rise quicker after eating. Is there other hormones that get affected by increased exercise that could account for this? Anyone else been through anything similar and got any tips? I am already reducing my background insulin gradually and slowly but I think it needs to be several units less and that’s all I’ve come up with so far.

 

[In Response]

I was adviced to reduce my basal by 25% for 24 hours after exercising and return it to "normal" on other days. This helped me moderate highs and lows.
I have not experienced insulin resistance after eating. Could that have anything to do with not rotating sites?

 

[KK123]

I’ve been type 1 for 22 years and for most of it have had unpredictable but not too extreme ups and downs of insulin sensitivity. It seems that everything effects my insulin sensitivity inconsistently, which has always made it hard to maintain really good blood glucose control but it’s been possible to just get by without going hypo too much. Up until recently I have had an active life but lack routine and didn’t do any sports. I started doing 10 minute daily runs 2 weeks ago and it’s caused a huge increase in insulin sensitivity but not consistently. I’m hypo half the time and needing huge amounts of sugar to treat them and I’m in the process of figuring out new insulin amounts. The weird thing is that since I started doing this regular exercise my blood sugars also seem to rise quicker after eating. Is there other hormones that get affected by increased exercise that could account for this? Anyone else been through anything similar and got any tips? I am already reducing my background insulin gradually and slowly but I think it needs to be several units less and that’s all I’ve come up with so far.

It could just be your body going into a right nark because you're making it do something alien to it. With exercise generally (and I run a lot), it can take 6 weeks or more of a new exercise before it beds in. You seem to be doing all the right things and you may find that in a few more weeks your overall insulin requirements are less and remain less. Because I have a fairly regular exercise routine which has been the same for years, my insulin regime remains fairly stable but on actual exercise days I use a little less to compensate as mentioned by In Response. Of course you don't want to have to always be eating to compensate for exercise lows so it really is trial and error but being only 2 weeks into it is probably not long enough for your body (and insulin needs) to adapt. Sorry, I don't know the answer to the question of why your levels rise more quickly now after food. x

 

[scaryblueberry]

I was adviced to reduce my basal by 25% for 24 hours after exercising and return it to "normal" on other days. This helped me moderate highs and lows.
I have not experienced insulin resistance after eating. Could that have anything to do with not rotating sites?

Thanks that’s a useful ballpark figure

 

[scaryblueberry]

It could just be your body going into a right nark because you're making it do something alien to it. With exercise generally (and I run a lot), it can take 6 weeks or more of a new exercise before it beds in. You seem to be doing all the right things and you may find that in a few more weeks your overall insulin requirements are less and remain less. Because I have a fairly regular exercise routine which has been the same for years, my insulin regime remains fairly stable but on actual exercise days I use a little less to compensate as mentioned by In Response. Of course you don't want to have to always be eating to compensate for exercise lows so it really is trial and error but being only 2 weeks into it is probably not long enough for your body (and insulin needs) to adapt. Sorry, I don't know the answer to the question of why your levels rise more quickly now after food. x

I’d not realised it takes so long for bodies to adapt to exercise, good to know, thanks

 

[scaryblueberry]

After another couple of weeks I’ve realised the patterns of blood sugar craziness still follow my usual monthly cycle of blood sugar chaos but In a more extreme way. This makes it no easier to manage but it does reassure me that all the exercise is doing is making already more insulin sensitive times more extreme. For example. Yesterday I went for my now usual 10 minute morning run plus a swim in the afternoon on my cycles most insulin sensitive day. (Exactly when this day happens is always unpredictable but it does happen every month at roughly the same point within a few days leyway either side) Now I have spent 16 hours since swimming constantly fighting hypos with lots of carbs and reducing my insulin intake by 75%. I had a dinner last night of 110g carbs and made the mistake of injecting 3 units of insulin for it. ( normally I’d inject 12 units for that if I ever ate that much) Anyway ive been hypo all night and needed to be feeding myself sugar constantly since… in total about 60g worth. It’s exhausting especially because normally there will be a very sudden shift each month post insulin sensitive day to very little insulin sensitivity and I need loads of insulin again. It’s scary to go from needing hardly anything to lots and daring to give myself that because if I get it wrong it can be quite extreme especially now with the added exercise element. My question is: if my body can have a day of such insulin sensitivity is there ways that I could make that the norm rather than the exception (regulating other hormones that raise blood sugar) as it would be much easier to manage if I had to take less insulin on a regular basis. Has anyone else thought of this sea? Is it a viable idea or is it a wishful delusion?

 

[bulkbiker]

After another couple of weeks I’ve realised the patterns of blood sugar craziness still follow my usual monthly cycle of blood sugar chaos but In a more extreme way. This makes it no easier to manage but it does reassure me that all the exercise is doing is making already more insulin sensitive times more extreme. For example. Yesterday I went for my now usual 10 minute morning run plus a swim in the afternoon on my cycles most insulin sensitive day. (Exactly when this day happens is always unpredictable but it does happen every month at roughly the same point within a few days leyway either side) Now I have spent 16 hours since swimming constantly fighting hypos with lots of carbs and reducing my insulin intake by 75%. I had a dinner last night of 110g carbs and made the mistake of injecting 3 units of insulin for it. ( normally I’d inject 12 units for that if I ever ate that much) Anyway ive been hypo all night and needed to be feeding myself sugar constantly since… in total about 60g worth. It’s exhausting especially because normally there will be a very sudden shift each month post insulin sensitive day to very little insulin sensitivity and I need loads of insulin again. It’s scary to go from needing hardly anything to lots and daring to give myself that because if I get it wrong it can be quite extreme especially now with the added exercise element. My question is: if my body can have a day of such insulin sensitivity is there ways that I could make that the norm rather than the exception (regulating other hormones that raise blood sugar) as it would be much easier to manage if I had to take less insulin on a regular basis. Has anyone else thought of this sea? Is it a viable idea or is it a wishful delusion?

Sounds like you might be a great candidate for a very low carb diet.. low carbs, less insulin required less margin for error and fewer hypo's?
The Dr Bernstein" law of small numbers" protocol?