Is this the case with exercise to correct high bs

Hi @james122

You say your bg increases when you stop exercising, have you tried doing a basal test to make sure the rise isn't due to insufficient basal insulin?

My insulin corrects reasonably quickly. Are you injecting in a site that is lumpy? The absorption is much slower. Inject before food. I use my fitnesspal to tell me how many carbs in about to take onboard. Also try and cut your carbs down, then you won't need so much insulin to bring it down in the first place.


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I am T2 on just a minimum dose of Metformin and diet for diabetes management it is very different for me but I am very reluctant to become too dependant on exercise as my primary means of blood glucose control as any minor injury could result in my control being lost.
As T1 you of course have more flexibility.

If it's really high (10+) I do a combo of 0.5-1 unit of insulin and then gentle exercise.

The exercise makes the insulin work quicker.

I agree that you should do basal testing for a couple of days to check that your basal isn't set too low.

If your spikes are after meals you can look at experimenting with the timing and/or quantity of bolus.

I highly recommend reading "Think like a pancreas" if you haven't already. Every T1 should be issued with a copy IMO!!

If I'm in double figures a correction dose does take at least 90 minutes (often longer) to have any effect - when your blood sugar is high you are insulin resistant, so it will take ages for a correction to do anything.

I do this all the times myself, and it depends on WHY you have high sugars.

I know that if i eat a meal, and mess up my carb count and go high i can take a walk (about 2-4km) and in 20-30 minutes my levels are straight back to 5s, If i bolus it takes an hour before i see them move at all.

Now the problem would be the WHY are your sugars high. If i eat a whole bunch of food and they go up and I go for a walk they will go down, but if that food is not finished digesting (Peanut Butter is my usual culprit, or other slow GI foods) then yes, about 30 minutes after the walk they go back up.

As mentioned above you should ensure your basal insulin is correct, and if so then you should note any possible reasons for why they would be high prior to your choice of lowering them. In the case of my PB problem i usually go for a walk, and when i get back i set a temporay basal rate on my pump to adjust for the PB increase that i know will follow haha This way they stay in the 5s and 6s instead of climbing back up.

Play around with different methods, keep good records of what you do and how it works, and soon you will have it sorted much better.

Jaylee said:

Hi,

Just a thought.? Depending on the "exersise". Could "liver dump" have something to do with it??

I know sometimes, with a fasting level of 4.8, a swift coffee & out with the dog before work. Keeping something in my pocket just incase.. (though one would assume I was heading for a drop?) I get back an hour later not needing it. (Can't do breakfast.)
Test again before driving to work. & I'm 6mmol!
"Fight or flight" response...

Click to expand...

Perhaps... I find i get a raise with coffee though. I usually take 1 splenda packet with my coffee, so either black coffee is raising my sugars that 1-2mmol/L or its 1 single packet of splenda. It shouldnt be either, but it is certainly happening every day lol

I have read that some people can see a rise with caffeine so now i take 0.2u for my coffees and it stays level. Do you drink your black or with a sweetener ?

I take the same breakfast and exercise every morning and the BG can differ wildly so I never use exercise for control

I just stopped with the peanut butter and almond butter for that matter and limit my nuts to just a few. They not only raise me but make me insulin resistant.

Cardio doesn't generally reduce BG unless >45mins.