Levels go up after sport

[onlytwintip]

Hi,

I'm new to this forum and have had type 1 diabetes for about 7 years now. Whenever I am faced with an weirdly high level I can normally, after a bit of thinking, come up with an explanation and try to avoid it later on. Though this past week I've been very confused. I have started running about half an hour every evening, and I know sport makes your levels go down so having a level of 3.3 (a bit low) I ate a piece of bread with chocolate then went on my run. About half an hour after my run (so an hour after eating) my level was at 4 mmol. This is when the weirdness happens. Two hours after that having eaten nothing my level has shot up to 18mmol. I mean if anything I was expecting to be low...
I am on an insulin pump and the insulin was going through fine (I figured that out by waking up in sweats having over-corrected )

Has anyone else ever experienced this? I have never heard of it before and am a bit confused...

Thanks

 

[kareeta]

Hi there

I can only say that I experience the exact same thing. Unfortunately I have used trial and error , i.e injecting and not eating before, not injecting and not eating, various methods but never seem to avoid the high.

The only thing i haven't tried is strength training (weights) to see what difference that makes. I usually go on my treadmill or do a dvd , of which the latter makes me the highest

Sorry I can't be of any help
Karen

 

[alaska]

I ate a piece of bread with chocolate then went on my run

Hello

Can I ask how much chocolate you had with the bread?

Edmund

 

[noblehead]

Accumulation of the delay in the chocolate hitting your system and your liver dumping glucose as you were low at 3.3mmol/l, next time opt for fast acting glucose such as glucotabs, jelly babies, Kendal mint cake or lucozade for example, when your levels are back up to normal levels only then have the bread.

Next time wait until your levels have stabilised before going out for a run and take some glucose with you.

Nigel

 

[spideog]

I had the same effects happening a few years ago when I had started running again after doing nothing for years. It doesn't happen any more though, but not certain why.

 

[onlytwintip]

First of all, thanks for the replies
I think I did in fact over eat before the run and hence ended up with a hyper. I went for another run yesterday which went very smoothly, simply made sure my level was fine before I left, ate a banana and then headed off and nothing weird happened to my levels.
I guess I am quite paranoid of having a hypo when doing physical exercise though as I find the symptoms quite hard to notice over the symptoms of being knackered from the run.

Cheers,

Harry

 

[Mikescott]

Hi
this is the sink or swim theary, this happens when i play football, even when i start execrise on a good level o 6.5 1 hour after my levels will be 14, aerobic and Anerobic exercise will effect your levels in different ways
When lifting or doing house work your blood drops quickly as this is anerobic excerise
When running, swimming,playing football this is aerobic and your blood rises as you are craeting adrenalin, blood will fall after this exercise, this can carry on for many hours after so always reduce your bolus rate after dinner, ratio will vary for me 15g = 1 unit fast acting and a basal reduction from 8 hours
Never do aerobic execrise if your blood is 14+ as keytones may occur though sport

If you are low before exercise also be above 6 before starting and if you are neveroius of falling low alway eat a slow releasing carb food and check freqently

its trial and error i am afraid :|

 

[TamsinB]

Hi there! Sorry this reply is probably too late; I've only just joined the forum!

I've had diabetes for 19 years and been on a pump for 2 months. I run on a regular basis, usually about 30-45mins several times a week.

My diabetes team recommends that I reduce my basal rate to approx. 70% starting an hour before my run and ending an hour after. This helps ensure I'm not too low before starting exercise and don't need to snack beforehand. If you do want to snack, bananas are great.

High sugars after exercise can often be put down to your liver releasing glycogen. I suspect that your sugars were too low to exercise on, the fat in the chocolate would have slowed the absorption of carbs (which is why a rapid-acting snack like juice is better) and you would have been running with insufficient energy stores. In this case the liver releases emergency stores of glycogen to boost sugar level which produces a sharp peak. This in turn exhausts your liver's supply of glycogen which needs to be replaced, as your body restores the glycogen supply in the liver you will most likely go low as any carbs ingested go to the liver.

The best way to avoid this peak and fall is to ensure your sugars are high enough before and during your run. Likewise, you shouldn't exercise when high (over 13) as you might not have enough insulin on board. Insulin releases the energy from carbs, without enough insulin you can't access the energy from food and your liver may release glycogen thus making you go even higher and risking ketones.

Hope this helps!

 

[onlytwintip]

Thanks a lot for the reply guys. Very much appreciated