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Type 1 Swimming and insulin

S

SareN

Active Member
Messages
44
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
I am a lada diabetic on insulin, I used to swim quite regularly, not competitive but for leisure. I generally swam a mile per session.
I was diagnosed a diabetic in February but found out i was lada during lockdown and started insulin in June. Control is very good at the moment.
I do a lot of exercise and seem to know how to handle my blood sugar to avoid lows. However i am very nervous about swimming as I've heard it can really drop blood sugar fast but would love to get back in the water.
Any swimmers out there on insulin who could give me some tips? I.e. Best time to do it? (For other exercise I find that two hours after eating seems best as minimal insulin on board) what is a good starting blood sugar? (Nurse told me above 8 for all exercise but I've quickly learned this is not necessary for all types - e.g. hiit spikes me, yoga stays level)etc
I have the libre with miao miao, is libre accurate whilst in the pool?
I guess I just need to try it! But just a little anxious

Any help is appreciated
 
SareN said:
I guess I just need to try it! But just a little anxious
Any help is appreciated
Click to expand...

Can't give informed insulin advice as I'm a leisure swimmer only and don't think I've ever spent more than an hour in a pool.

But I'd agree with the idea of swimming before rather than after a meal so as to minimise insulin on board.

I also have a long standing policy of telling the life guard that I'm diabetic and telling him/her where I've left my glucose tablets by the side of the pool. I've never yet been hypo while swimming (and I've been swimming as a T1 for 50 years) but if I get into trouble I want the lifeguard to know my situation.

Enjoy your swimming.
 
I swam on a swimming squad after starting insulin. I have to not have any short-acting up to two hours before the session and I stay level (occasionally I go high) Mornings before breakfast and just on long-acting insulin is a great place to start.
 
Last edited:
Hi. Yes just be careful about having a Bolus just before the swim as you can never be quite sure you have the dose right. Starting with BS around 8 or above sounds a good idea and when I go to the gym I aim for that. I also have a wristband with 'Insulin Dependant Diabetic' on it when I'm in the gym
 
Thanks everyone, I think I'm going to go for it this week whilst the weather is still nice.
 
Just thought I'd follow up with how I got on in case it helps anyone else in the future.

So I braved a 30min swim today after yoga. I had last taken fast acting insulin at 9am, 4.5 hours prior but had two malted milk biscuits prior to getting in the pool as blood sugar was 6.1 and I wasn't sure how I'd react.
Looking at the CGM, I had a little drop and then stayed pretty steady in mid 5's but then went up to 8 after.
All in all I consider it a good first attempt.
 
That’s really encouraging, thanks for sharing, I feel very nervous about doing any exercise out and about for fear of hypo.
 
I was exactly the same when I first went onto Insulin but exercise has always been a massive part of my life so I'm determined to get it right.
Whenever I try something new I make sure I am at least two hours after injecting any fast acting Insulin....some exercises seem to spike me (weights, hiit etc), others a nice steady drop (walking, leg exercises) and some like yoga have little effect at all.
I make a note of what happened and then perhaps tweak it slightly next time if I went to high or too low. I have a CGM which makes it much easier and also have my lucozade in reach.
 
It’s interesting reading all these posts re swimming. Pre Covid (still not been back) I attended a training session class twice a week. It started at 7 and ran for an hour. I tried every which way to manage and found that I had to inject to stop the morning rise, but also ate my usual 10 carb yoghurt and raspberry breakfast. I then had to inject when I got home to stop it go even higher. The Adrenalin involved always rose me high without these measures. We are all different and the type of exercise we do is different. We have to experiment and make it tailor made to us.
One thing though. Always have hypo treatments on edge of pool where you are swimming. Inform staff you are diabetic on insulin and wear a medical alert bracelet/necklace. Then go forth and enjoy.
 
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