Managing blood sugar levels is a critical aspect of living with diabetes. While medications and dietary choices play a significant role in this management, the impact of exercise cannot be underestimated. Exercise has the potential to both lower and, in some cases, raise blood glucose levels, making it a powerful tool for individuals with diabetes. Here, we'll explore the intricate role of exercise in managing blood sugar levels with diabetes, along with some guidelines for creating an effective exercise regimen.
How Diabetes Affects Blood Glucose Levels
Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder that significantly impacts blood glucose levels, with distinct mechanisms in both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. In Type 1 diabetes, the immune system attacks and destroys insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. As a result, individuals with Type 1 diabetes lack the ability to produce insulin, a hormone essential for regulating blood glucose. This deficiency leads to consistently high blood sugar levels, as there is no insulin available to help glucose enter blood cells. In Type 2 diabetes, the body's cells become resistant to the effects of insulin, making it challenging for glucose to enter the cells efficiently. Additionally, the pancreas may not produce enough insulin to compensate for this resistance. Consequently, blood glucose levels rise because glucose remains in the bloodstream. Both types of diabetes mellitus necessitate careful management to maintain blood sugar levels within a healthy range and reduce the risk of complications associated with chronic hyperglycemia.
Why the Type of Exercise and Intensity Matters
How your body responds to exercise depends on the type of exercise you do and how intense it is. Exercise can help you maintain healthy glucose levels, but it can also lead to low blood glucose or elevated blood glucose levels. Although exercise is beneficial for individuals living with diabetes, it's important to understand how it impacts individuals with type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes.
Exercise That Can Lower Blood Sugar
Aerobic exercises, also known as "cardio," can help lower blood pressure and cholesterol. However, these types of exercises lower blood sugar as well. That's because whenever you perform an aerobic exercise, your body uses the most immediate glucose sources for energy. This, in turn, causes lower glucose in the bloodstream. In fact, when you do aerobic exercise, your body can absorb up to five times the amount of glucose than it can at rest. This helps lower your blood sugar levels and avoid dangerous spikes. Plus, aerobic exercise lowers blood glucose levels for hours after you're done, which means you have more control for longer.
Exercises That Can Raise Your Blood Sugar
Some types of workouts can also raise blood glucose levels. According to the American Diabetes Association, a spike in blood sugar after a workout is generally caused by increased adrenaline production. Certain exercises, like heavy weightlifting and competitive sports, can cause your body to produce adrenaline, which stimulates your liver to release glucose. However, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and resistance exercise with high levels of intensity can also raise your blood glucose levels temporarily. This is commonly referred to as post-exercise hyperglycemia, which can be dangerous if left unchecked. In order to help control blood sugar levels after strenuous exercise, an aerobic cooldown is recommended. Ideally, your cooldown should be walking or light dynamic stretching for about 10 minutes immediately following exercise. This can help control your blood sugar levels in the hours after exercise. However, you should always test your blood sugar levels before and after exercise to ensure you're within a healthy range.
It should also be noted that even though some types of vigorous exercise can increase blood sugar, anaerobic exercise like strength training still provides several benefits to people with diabetes. Always talk to your doctor before making changes in your exercise regimen and if you have any questions or concerns about your diabetes management plan.
Another reason that your blood sugar may rise during exercise is due to the food that you eat to fuel your workout. Although carbohydrates are essential for providing your body with the fuel it needs to endure intense exercise, too many carbs will affect your blood sugar. Try to find a balance between healthy carbs and lean protein consumed prior to physical activities to avoid dangerous spikes and dips. If you're not sure how certain foods impact you, check your blood sugar before and after eating.
How to Keep Blood Sugar Stabilized During Your Exercise Routine
Hypoglycemia is a risk for individuals with diabetes who do aerobic exercise, but the benefits usually outweigh the risks—especially since there are ways to help reduce the chances of dangerously low blood sugar levels. To help, always check your blood glucose levels before starting any exercise. If levels are low, consider making a healthy, balanced meal that has plenty of slow-digesting carbohydrates. This can help provide your body with fuel for your workout and reduce the risk of experiencing negative effects of exercise. It's also recommended to have some glucose tablets with you in case you begin to feel any effects of low blood sugar. Depending on your situation, you may also want to discuss continuous glucose monitoring with your doctor to help you maximize diabetes management.
If, at any point during your workout or after exercise, you experience symptoms of hypoglycemia, follow the 15-15 rule. Basically, you'll want to check your blood sugar, and if it's 100 mg/dL or lower, you should eat about 15 grams of carbohydrates to help blood glucose levels rise. Then, wait 15 minutes and check again. If it's still lower than 100 mg/dL, have another 15 grams of carbohydrates and repeat the process every 15 minutes until your blood sugar level is stable and at least 100 mg/dL or higher.
When you're planning to increase exercise intensity, there are a few things you can do to help reduce the risk of increased glucose production. First, try to practice deep breathing techniques that can be done during your workout or in between sets of anaerobic exercises. This can help reduce adrenaline production, thus improving blood sugar control. Another option is to play around with the timing of your workouts. There seems to be a rise in glucose that occurs naturally between the hours of 4:00 and 8:00 a.m., so early, high-intensity workouts may not be the best combination. Therefore, the best time to exercise might be later in the day. Your doctor may also recommend different medications for glucose control, as rapid-acting insulin or other medications can contribute to an increase in blood sugar during exercise. Finally, manage your food intake and, if you don't want to risk a rise in blood sugar, stick to moderate exercise such as light weights with higher repetitions.
How Exercise Impacts Insulin Sensitivity
Despite the complex relationship between exercise and blood sugar levels, long-term benefits exist. Exercise improves blood sugar control, which can help reduce your reliance on certain diabetes medications. Unfortunately, this is more noticeable for people with type 2 diabetes, as those with type 1 diabetes will still need to stabilize insulin levels with medication. However, over time, exercise helps improve your body's insulin sensitivity, which makes its utilization more effective. This means people with type 1 diabetes may not need to take as much insulin, and the effects of exercise and type 2 diabetes could equate to not needing to take insulin at all. However, always talk to your doctor about diabetes treatment plans and the benefits of exercise for your circumstances.
How Much Exercise is Enough?
According to the American Diabetes Association, individuals with diabetes should adopt an exercise regimen that includes the following:
- 150 minutes/week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity
- 3 days/week of aerobic activity with no more than 2 consecutive days without exercise
- 2-3 sessions/week of resistance exercise on nonconsecutive days
- 2 sessions/week of full-body flexibility activities
Although you'll always want to check with your doctor before adopting a new exercise regimen, having a general idea of how many minutes of exercise is beneficial can help you start to plan ahead. Additionally, always remember to continually monitor your blood sugar levels throughout the day so you can take medication as needed. To help simplify your diabetes management and reduce the risk of complications, consider using continuous blood glucose monitors from Byram Healthcare. We also provide diabetes support and educational resources for comprehensive care.
