Hi all, I have read that some diabetics have raised blood glucose levels after exercise, and it's the body reacting to the exercise as in fueling itself, is this harmful at all? does anyone know roughly how long it should take to come back down afterwards? Thank you in advance for any replies.
Type 2 Raised Blood Glucose after exercise
- Thread starter Jax21
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Ronancastled
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- Type of diabetes
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These spikes are becoming more documented since the advent of CGMs.
Here's a non-diabetic doctor who noticed his spiking during running.
https://twitter.com/DocRunner1/status/1163546529715621888
I suppose the body has to fuel the muscles, makes sense really.
Now if this is a natural process you have to doubt it's doing any long term harm.
That's my feeling on it anyway.
Here's a non-diabetic doctor who noticed his spiking during running.
https://twitter.com/DocRunner1/status/1163546529715621888
I suppose the body has to fuel the muscles, makes sense really.
Now if this is a natural process you have to doubt it's doing any long term harm.
That's my feeling on it anyway.
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In Response
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One constant with diabetes is that we are all different. There is no universal reaction to exercise and no universal standard time for blood sugars to come down if they go up.
Some exercise could cause your blood sugars to go up but many cause it to go down. And, usually, the longer term affect is a lower blood sugar.
In general, short stop/start exercise and resistance training, like HIIT and weight, can make your blood sugars go up. Longer constant exercise like walking, running, cycling, dancing, make our blood sugars go down.
My understanding is that there are two main diabetes related things at play here
- our body because more efficient at using insulin when we are exercising so our blood sugars go down
- our liver releases extra glucose to give us the extra energy so our blood sugars go up. This will mean that we have less glucose supplies in our liver for the next 48 hours. Hence, the longer term reduction.
There is also things like stress on your body - for example, a long constant bike ride on the flat on a pleasant day will probably cause my blood sugars to go down whereas a ride up a steep hill in the wind and the rain will make my blood sugars go up. However, if I got used to riding uphill in the wind and rain, it would have less impact.
IN most cases, the additional benefits of exercise outweigh the potential rise in blood sugars so I encourage you to move and learn what your body does.
Some exercise could cause your blood sugars to go up but many cause it to go down. And, usually, the longer term affect is a lower blood sugar.
In general, short stop/start exercise and resistance training, like HIIT and weight, can make your blood sugars go up. Longer constant exercise like walking, running, cycling, dancing, make our blood sugars go down.
My understanding is that there are two main diabetes related things at play here
- our body because more efficient at using insulin when we are exercising so our blood sugars go down
- our liver releases extra glucose to give us the extra energy so our blood sugars go up. This will mean that we have less glucose supplies in our liver for the next 48 hours. Hence, the longer term reduction.
There is also things like stress on your body - for example, a long constant bike ride on the flat on a pleasant day will probably cause my blood sugars to go down whereas a ride up a steep hill in the wind and the rain will make my blood sugars go up. However, if I got used to riding uphill in the wind and rain, it would have less impact.
IN most cases, the additional benefits of exercise outweigh the potential rise in blood sugars so I encourage you to move and learn what your body does.
Thank you. i was just a bit shocked after a steady not fast/stressful walk to combine some exercise and some shopping, a round trip of an hour in total and got a higher reading. It's happened three times now, but an hour and a half after getting home it had gone back down by 1.3. Think I will keep up the exercise walks and just keep an eye on the levels, as it wasn't mad high just higher. So yes good points you make so thank you, maybe after some weeks keeping on at this I will see a difference as my body gets more used to longer walks etc.
Yes and it wasn't dangerously high, just higher which shocked me a bit...however will keep at the walks and see if my body gets more used to it and this changes etc. Thank you.
