Which kinds of exercise raise / lower blood sugar?

[Teasel Too]

Thanks for any info on exercise which raises blood sugar vs types that lower it?

 

[ianf0ster]

Hi @Teasel Too Unfortunately this seems to vary from person to person and may also vary depending upon the time of day.
So it's bets to test for yourself with a BG meter.

 

[Oldvatr]

As a rule of thumb, insulin and adrenaline are sworn enemies. Raise adrenaline, and sugars will tend to rise, lower adrenaline and glucose storage function restarts.

So some exercises like walking, hiking, swimming, and resistive stress exercises like weights and lifting at a gentle activity level seem to lower bgl, but competitive sports and intensive activities tend to let bgl levels rise.

 

[Oldvatr]

As an adjunct to my previous post, i have not seen any scientific research on what the effect of sex has on blood sugar levels,

 

[KennyA]

As a rule of thumb, insulin and adrenaline are sworn enemies. Raise adrenaline, and sugars will tend to rise, lower adrenaline and glucose storage function restarts.

So some exercises like walking, hiking, swimming, and resistive stress exercises like weights and lifting at a gentle activity level seem to lower bgl, but competitive sports and intensive activities tend to let bgl levels rise.

An hour's football sometimes raises my BG, sometimes lowers it - on fingerprick evidence only. A CGM might be more informative.

I usually have eaten little or nothing in the previous 18 hours when playing, so both the starting and finishing levels have nothing to do with food and are liver-chosen.

 

[Westley]

For me high intensity activities with an anaerobic element that make my heart race, such as weightlifting, make it go up, while a steady slow to brisk walk (particularly uphill) reliably brings it down.

Not sure what's the dividing line or if there's a level of intensity that can be neutral in effect on BG (and for sure it would be dependent on the individual and their current fitness). I've also been interested in this question recently too, since I'm trying to minimise use of insulin or extra glucose during workouts, and have been watching my graphs during to try and figure out more.

I also recently saw some research on how the calf muscles apparently are less able to store glycogen, so exercising them tends to reduce BG more than other muscle groups.

A potent physiological method to magnify and sustain soleus oxidative metabolism improves glucose and lipid regulation - PMC

Slow oxidative muscle, most notably the soleus, is inherently well equipped with the molecular machinery for regulating blood-borne substrates. However, the entire human musculature accounts for only ∼15% of the body’s oxidative metabolism of ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[Teasel Too]

For me high intensity activities with an anaerobic element that make my heart race, such as weightlifting, make it go up, while a steady slow to brisk walk (particularly uphill) reliably brings it down.

Not sure what's the dividing line or if there's a level of intensity that can be neutral in effect on BG (and for sure it would be dependent on the individual and their current fitness). I've also been interested in this question recently too, since I'm trying to minimise use of insulin or extra glucose during workouts, and have been watching my graphs during to try and figure out more.

I also recently saw some research on how the calf muscles apparently are less able to store glycogen, so exercising them tends to reduce BG more than other muscle groups.

A potent physiological method to magnify and sustain soleus oxidative metabolism improves glucose and lipid regulation - PMC

Slow oxidative muscle, most notably the soleus, is inherently well equipped with the molecular machinery for regulating blood-borne substrates. However, the entire human musculature accounts for only ∼15% of the body’s oxidative metabolism of ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

That study looks great, I don't exactly understand the language but it seems to be saying that exercising your calf muscles is good for blood sugar and blood fat levels?

 

[Teasel Too]

Thanks everyone, understand we're all different, shall see if aerobic is better for me than anaerobic.

 

[Deleted member 527103]

Generally,
- longer aerobic lowers BG
- stop start exercise like HIIT and sometimes team sports like football, raise BG
- restistance training such as weight lifting raises BG
- any stress or discomfort (e,g, being severely out if breath, fighting against a strong wind, fear such as when rock climbing) raises BG.

A good example of this is me an cycling. This is an exercise I do a fair amount and I am reasonably fit.
Depending on the situation, cycling can have no effect, lower my BG or raise it.
Pootling along a flat canal tow path on my bike whilst chatting to my mates, has little impact on my BG.
A fast ride along empty country roads, lowers my BG
Straining up a steep hill in the pouring rain against the win, raise my BG.

 

[Outlier]

Any kind of exercise raises my BG.

 

[SimonP78]

Any kind of exercise raises my BG.

Even going for a gentle walk? Does it eventually start dropping if you do exercise for long enough to get over whatever initial spike you may get?

 

[KennyA]

In the interests of science, I ran a test series today (n=1) around my football.

Background: no food since 1800 Sunday. In strong ketosis. Fairly strenuous 60 min game, around 20C ambient temp.

Before: 5.5
Half-time: 5.4
Fulltime : 5.0

All results well within acceptable meter variance so not much to see here.

Game finished 3-3.

 

[6 toes]

Mine BG is bonkers at moment I do a 16/ 8 fast so even if I go for a walk my levels from when I wake in morning and slowly drop then when I break my fast they start to return to normal 2 hours after.

Wonders of being a diabetic.

 

[pumper1969]

My experience is that when playing squash, I need an initial boost in carbs to get ke through the first 10 minute drop in BG, but then the intensity causes a spike in BG so I then have to give myself a small insulin boost half way through the match. All down to trial and error and there is no formula that works all the time, depends on the match, the heat, etc but the principle is pretty consistent.

 

[GuidingSenses]

I do a gentle gym routine 3 times week. Try to have high bg levels before I start. 15 mins bike no resistance lowers my bg considerably then 30 mins low resistance weights lowers then levels. If I go manic with the bike I go too low and end up eating jellybabies in the gym so defeats the whole thing. Often if I’m just walking my bg goes too low especially if I started the walk with bg ‘in range!’

 

[Deleted member 527103]

To add to my comment above. If you are unused to exercise, any exercise will put a strain on your body causing BG to rise. As your body gets used to it, the impact on your BG will change..
This will mean that your BG reaction can continue to change as you get fitter.

 

[RickV]

Hi all.
Gentle walking (due to my bad knees) and DIY etc, always lowers my glucose and quite rapidly, so I always have Jelly Babies to hand.

 

[Outlier]

Even going for a gentle walk? Does it eventually start dropping if you do exercise for long enough to get over whatever initial spike you may get?

I don't have the ability to do intense exercise, but I walk briskly for 1 sometimes 2 hours every day, and there are some gradients involved. I don't have a CGM but if I test straight after my walk, my BG is always high and doesn't come down for a couple of hours. It would be mild exercise to many, but it is very hard for me.

 

[Titch68]

As a rule of thumb, insulin and adrenaline are sworn enemies. Raise adrenaline, and sugars will tend to rise, lower adrenaline and glucose storage function restarts.

So some exercises like walking, hiking, swimming, and resistive stress exercises like weights and lifting at a gentle activity level seem to lower bgl, but competitive sports and intensive activities tend to let bgl levels rise.

Now there is something no one told me till now! Thank you. Is the little things like that YOU don't get informed of. TILL NOW!

 

[chrispem]

What a great thread! I've been struggling to understand why after no breakfast and 1hr spent in the gym my BG is always around 2mmol/L higher than before I started. I'll now try varying the routine see what my meter says.