• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Is it just me that feels better running at around 7?

S

staffsmatt

Well-Known Member
Messages
320
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
OK quick question, does anyone else feel a lot better when they are running between 6 and 9 (basically aiming for 7)?

I went on the DAFNE course in February this year and since then have been trying my best to run between 7 and 5, correcting when I'm over 8 and not having anything extra to eat if I'm 4.x (which i always would have done) etc... and I've felt pretty lousy. I've not been going low a lot, certainly not by the 3.5 DAFNE definition of low and would think 4 months would have given my body time to adjust to the lower levels of glucose.

I've been diabetic for 32 years and have always felt well at between 7 and 9 / 10 and always felt unwell when I get to the mid to low 5's and always had HBa1C's in the 7's so for the past week or so I decided to say balls to it and run back at that and I've felt a lot better. So with a one year old to help look after, other family commitments and job responsibilities I'm going to stick to aiming for 7.

I'm not looking to get into discussions about the risk of complications running like this could cause, if you want to and can run at between 5 ans 6 all of the time, and feel well at that then more power to you, I'm just curious if there are other diabetics on here who feel better with different targets?

Cheers

Matt
 
The only time I felt ill was when I was actually bringing my levels down (from 31) but now I am quite comfortable anywhere between 4.5 and 8.5ish.

There's no point in having perfect control and feeling ill all the time, so you have to do what suits you. We are not all the same and I'm sure there are people who can cope with higher levels than the standardised norm, and some will feel better with lower levels than the norm.
 
Completely agree, to be honest my post was also aiming to give a bit of assurance to people in the same boat. It can be really depressing to read everyone else's posts saying that they're running at 5 all the time and so are less likely to go blind / have a leg fall off when you just can't do that yourself without feeling awful!
 
Think this is another example of we are all different. I feel fairly well between 4 and 7. Some days I can even feel fine down to around 3.4 though as a general rule as soon as I cross above 8 I start to feel rough. Anything double figures and I start to feel really quite horrible.
 
I don't feel "better" but can't tell any difference - I feel "normal" whether I am 4 or 14, which makes it hard to notice when I am spiking. I was 29mmol when diagnosed and apart from the usual symptoms (excessive thirst etc.) I actually felt fine!
 
pinewood said:
I don't feel "better" but can't tell any difference - I feel "normal" whether I am 4 or 14, which makes it hard to notice when I am spiking. I was 29mmol when diagnosed and apart from the usual symptoms (excessive thirst etc.) I actually felt fine!
Click to expand...


I'm in this camp, I can't tell whether I'm 4 or 14 from how I feel, I just depend on the BG readings.
 
6 is my magic, feel good number :-)

... Lower and I start to feel wobbly and anxious, higher and I start to feel that terrible; slow brain and lower mood... At around 6 I notice I feel significantly lighter in my mood and quicker thinking too. So 6ish is my happy place :-)
 
staffsmatt said:
OK quick question, does anyone else feel a lot better when they are running between 6 and 9 (basically aiming for 7)?

I went on the DAFNE course in February this year and since then have been trying my best to run between 7 and 5, correcting when I'm over 8 and not having anything extra to eat if I'm 4.x (which i always would have done) etc... and I've felt pretty lousy. I've not been going low a lot, certainly not by the 3.5 DAFNE definition of low and would think 4 months would have given my body time to adjust to the lower levels of glucose.

I've been diabetic for 32 years and have always felt well at between 7 and 9 / 10 and always felt unwell when I get to the mid to low 5's and always had HBa1C's in the 7's so for the past week or so I decided to say balls to it and run back at that and I've felt a lot better. So with a one year old to help look after, other family commitments and job responsibilities I'm going to stick to aiming for 7.

I'm not looking to get into discussions about the risk of complications running like this could cause, if you want to and can run at between 5 ans 6 all of the time, and feel well at that then more power to you, I'm just curious if there are other diabetics on here who feel better with different targets?

Cheers

Matt
Click to expand...
Yes, I'm with you on this one. I aim for around 7 and I think that's quite a realistic level. Much lower than that and I end up going hypo all the time. Once that happens I tend to overcompensate and then go too high blah blah blah. I think you have to live with it but not let it make your life miserable. It's a compromise. I've been type 1 for 35 years. Long time, like you, although I see you were only a year when diagnosed? That must have been tough.
 
As a parent to a little lad of around the same age I was when I was diagnosed I can definitely say it was harder for my parents than for me! Yeah I think that's a sensible approach, like I said I tried to reign my levels back a bit, mainly after my lad was born, it's just not gonna work for me though!
 
staffsmatt said:
As a parent to a little lad of around the same age I was when I was diagnosed I can definitely say it was harder for my parents than for me! Yeah I think that's a sensible approach, like I said I tried to reign my levels back a bit, mainly after my lad was born, it's just not gonna work for me though!
Click to expand...
Just aim for the mmol which gives you the 'best' feelings. At least DAFNE has shown you how to manage your diabetes. I did DAFNE in Sept 2013 after struggling with the treatment at my local hospital and was referred to Addenbrookes who put me through DAFNE soon after my treatment was restarted ..I learnt where King's Lynn hospital was going wrong and my HBA1c is now 6.6% (49) from 8.9% in 2013. I'm aiming to keep in the 6s. I now just do what I learnt on DAFNE regardless of what else I may be told by other medics..locally.
 
Feel **** below 3.5
Starting to feel **** above 9.0
Dexcom meter set to alarm me at 4 and 10
 
3.5 blimey, I'd be in danger of going seriously low if I let myself drift that low, goes to show how different we all are eh! Wish I could get my hands on a dexcom, on the waiting list for a libre at the mo.
 
staffsmatt said:
3.5 blimey, I'd be in danger of going seriously low if I let myself drift that low, goes to show how different we all are eh! Wish I could get my hands on a dexcom, on the waiting list for a libre at the mo.
Click to expand...
Just had an email two days ago, that next week I can order my Libre. Can't wait:). It appears the waiting list is about 4 months.
 
I'm type 2 on metformin, when I am in the low 4's I feel sick, shaky and I can't string a sentence together. I've only been diagnosed 6 months!
My mum is on insulin and always says when she feels good she then finds out her bg is around 7-9, then she gets disappointed…I prefer it when she is around that mark as she has had some serious hypos.
 
I feel bad below about 3.5 and above 8 - although it depends on your definition of bad - I feel shaky at the low end and have horrible hot flushes and short temper at the high end. To be honest though, it's not so much the level my BG is at the makes me feel bad but the speed at which it got there. Steep rises and rapid drops make me feel bad no matter what the level is. @staffsmatt - maybe when you get the Libre you'll be able to see whether it's your BG darting around making you feel bad or whether it really is the level.

Smidge
 
Back
Top