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Light headedness

22929

Member
Messages
5
Location
Ellesmere Port United Kingdom
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi, When I go out walking after approx. 20mins I very often find myself getting light headed, as I have only just been told I am Pre-diabetic I am not sure if this is connected to my condition or not, I was wondering if anybody else suffered like this and how to overcome it, It does go once I have finished my exercise.
 
I don't know the answer but I do know that a few years ago I suffered from lightheadedness and I was found to have low blood pressure. One course of medication restored it to what is now a consistently normal level.
 
I am concerned about pre-diabetic (hopefully only that) but have put off my next dr appt after last blood test (some other medical stuff came up but kinda think I'm just avoiding it if I'm honest and I only realized that today) but I am testing blood sugar and trying to see effect of different foods and also exercise. I've had a couple of times where trying something and if BG has been around 12-13 so I've jumped on the exercise bike to lower it and because, well I just should be anyway but I've been slack, and it's dropped in 20 mins to low 3's and very shaky and thought I was going to pass out. I'm not sure if it's because I dropped quickly when my body is probably used to it being higher than it should and it was too quick? I haven't had trouble at other times cycling though. I know I'm not going to actually hypo but it was very unsettling and I'm glad I was in my lounge room. So I've actually been exercising before eating and seems better - that's just for me anyway, and if I'm going to eat fruit I'll eat at the start of a cycle. Not sure if this is good but it's working and it's a start for me. I'm actually surprised at how effective exercise is to drop my BG immediately - I think it's helped me to see some benefit straight away to keep motivated and not give up.
 
Are you on any medication e.g to lower blood pressure? It does sound like exercise is causing your BP to drop
 
It might be your blood sugar levels changing when exercising ..
If this is the case and please check with your health practitioners , it is a good idea to have a slow releasing snack before exercise, like a banana , or a digestive biscuits .. Jelly babies to .. It's about eating to exercise taking care of your bodies fuel .. ( not for all )
When you say lightheaded , do your eyes go blurred as well ...can be a sign of low blood sugars when exercising ..
This may also happen just when out walking when you dont really think you are exercising much ..
If your blood sugar is low it might need a bit of help .. Best wishes ..Kat .. I hope you find the answer you need ..
 
Hi
Hi Kat thanks for taking the time to reply, the lightheadednes occurs after about 10/15 mins and my eyes go blurred as well, I will try eating something before I go out to see if that cures/helps to solve it Dave
 
22929 said:
Hi

Hi Kat thanks for taking the time to reply, the lightheadednes occurs after about 10/15 mins and my eyes go blurred as well, I will try eating something before I go out to see if that cures/helps to solve it Dave
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Your very welcome , it's a very fine balancing act , and no two days are the same ..or people ..
But blurred vision and dizziness when exercising as you describe .. Is your body telling you to eat ..your exercise fuel ...
With low numbers you don't want them to drop lower when exercising .. If that makes sense .. It's about feeling better not worse , but not always easy ...
It depends what your hba1c test is really .. And what your numbers do over a period of time .. It's about getting the feeling right and taking action .. Kat
 
Hi everybody, Just to let you know following the advice you gave me in regards my light headedness and blurred vision whilst out walking has worked, I now have a banana prior to going out and this seems to have corrected the short walks but then it starts returning when I have gone about 3 miles or an hours walking. Should I take some glucose tablets/jelly babies when it starts coming back or more fruit! I tend to walk between 3/6 a day if I can.
 
Well take all with you .. Before , during and after .. Exercise .. See what your body likes best ..
But please check with your GP to
That's quite a bit of exercise on lower numbers already , so exercise can make your numbers go up or down . Best wishes .. Kat
 
I would be wary of setting up a cycle of high and low blood glucose around exercise. The more you strain your body's capacity to handle those highs and lows, the more likely you are to transition towards diabetes.

My advice would be to eat proper meals, reasonably regularly, using slow release foods like protein, fat and low GI carbohydrates.

I try to snack on nuts or cheese before I feel a low, which heads it off at the pass, as it were.
 
Forgot to mention , have you had two tests to confirm your pre diabetic .. Sometimes these are done within a few weeks of being told you are pre diabetic .. Just provides clarity .. Numbers can fluctuate in some people .. Or other causes maybe the answer ...
As you have just been told .. It might be worth having another test soon ... Some health practices offer this ..best wishes ..Kat
 
Yes I had the feeling but after reducing my weight it died away. Don't worry
 
Hi Kat100, Thanks for that, I have been to see the doctor yesterday and had blood tests done to see if it is anything to do with diabetes or some other problem. "Awaiting results"
 
22929 said:
Hi Kat100, Thanks for that, I have been to see the doctor yesterday and had blood tests done to see if it is anything to do with diabetes or some other problem. "Awaiting results"
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Glad you have had the tests good luck , let us know how you get on , if you would like to ..take care Kat
@22929
 
Hi. I have had this for a year and was unsure what was going on. Had many ct scans and other tests. Have finally figured it out to be hypoglycaemia. It seems any exercise at all causes dizziness and if I continue I also get a really bad stomach. The bad stomach happens when bs -2.5. I hope this helps. I am seeing a dietitian to try and figure out how to lose some weight yet not go hypoglycaemic when exercising. It is challenging.
 
From what I have heard the NHS dieticians are pretty useless and give the wrong advice regarding diet. I like the advice in the Blood Sugar 101 book and website but I do think we are individual and what works for one might not work so well for somebody else.
 
I am new to the forum but I have suffered with this for the past 20 years and some days it is worse than others. I take seeds, nuts and a tiny bit of dried apricot with me and find these work well. If I get the symptoms and my vision is bad too then I just eat a small amount and find somewhere to sit down quietly for 5 minutes and calm my body down because there will be an adrenaline rush and then I just carry on for only about 30 minutes maximum from start to finish because I cannot walk any longer than that due to ME/CFS.
I do think its important to listen to your body but sometimes it can be difficult to know what is going on!
 
Hi,
Just a suggestion, but you might find it interesting to check out the Reactive Hypoglycaemia section of the forum.
No idea if it will be relevent to you, but just in case...
 
Hi @prolfe
If you are consistently getting hypos, read the RH forum.
Helicobacter pylori is a gut bacteria which has links with hypoglycaemia, I have read.
If you have ulcer like symptoms, this may be the cause.

If you are going hypo because of exercise then try lighter exercise but do it longer. Walking should not give you a hypo. Are you eating regularly enough? I have to eat every three hours to prevent hypoglycaemia

I went through all the tests like you but your doctor's knowledge may be lacking.
 
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