Regarding exercise and diabetes–
It won’t keep diabetes away, but it helps your body deal witht the sugar circulating in your blood.
Exercise causes the lean muscles to demand sugar, so, instead of the sugar (created by the food you eat), staying in circulation, in your blood and other body fluids, causing a stickiness and damaging cells and organs, eyes and limbs, it gets used, or ‘burned up’, by the muscles which use it to create energy. Then, if there’s not enough circulating, the body draws it from stored fat.
It’s a complicated process. And sometimes, when exercising, diabetics can’t pull, or convert, the stored fat fast enough, or as fast as the muscles need it if the exercise is prolonged or highly aerobic. That could lead to hypoglycemia.
Therefore, a diabetic should test their blood sugar if they feel light headed, and if going out for a long walk, run or hike, always take along a sugar snack to nibble on and water to keep hydrated.
There are a lot of good sites and books for diabetics to study and learn about what is happening to them, pertaining to exercise, foods, fluid intake and medicines. Because the organs that normally cause such actions/changes to be dealt with automatically are no longer functioning properly, you need to understand what your personal condition is, how controlled the blood sugar is, by medication, diet and exercise, etc., and take the initiative to get back in control by your own training and learning all there is to know about being a diabetic.
Your question puts you on the right track, whether for yourself or another. Ask questions, study and be in control through knowledge of the condition.
On Friday I went to the doctors and they checked me for diabetes. The reading was 4 and they told me it was normal and I didn’t have diabetes. Today I went this morning and it was 4. Then I went back home and ate a packet of chips and 2 slices of bread then they checked again and the number climbed to 7. The doctor said I have high blood sugar. Im really worried now.
Thats normal after eating. Take it at least two hours after eating !
I know that exercise lowers blood sugar. I exercise in the morning after checking my blood sugar. I then check after I exercise. I take long acting insulin once a day in the morning – it is my understanding that as long as my blood sugar is at least 85, it is ok to take my insulin. I have a latte in the morning with 12 ounces of fat free milk shortly after and eat about 45 mins after. At what blood sugar level should I be concerned about taking my insulin? -Is 85 even too low? Also, with exercise – can I trust the reading I take after? Will it go down much after that or is the reaction to exercise fairly immediate? I am new to this whole diabetes thing and am just trying to learn the ropes. I have a medical team but I also find this community to be very informative so I thank you in advance for your response.
A true ‘low’ isn’t, for most people, 70 or below. Many t1’s wont consider it ‘low’ until 65. You should STILL take your ‘long acting’ insulin even if your blood sugar IS low when you test in the morning, because your blood sugar WILL continue to rise, even if you don’t eat, until your insulin begins to work- and even then, it’s long acting, so it’s not as though it’ll all crash in on you.
If you’re experiencing symptoms of a hypo, or are under what you consider ‘dangerous’, eat or drink something- and your drink counts for that purpose. But again, take your insulin.
Working out can result in hypoglycemia, low blood sugar, as you know. You should test at some point during or after your workout, especially if you notice any symptoms, and keep glucose tablets with you. For some people, reactions can be delayed, but that’s something you’ll have to figure out on your own- this is where the meter is your best friend.
What do you have to eat?
Yes, you CAN acquire diabetes through your diet. You don’t have to eat anything in particular–you can acquire it because you eat too many calories–period.
You do NOT need to inherit the gene.
Eating too much sugar does not, in and of itself, cause diabetes.
But by being overweight–because you eat too much sugar, or too much fat, or because you don’t exercise–you greatly increase the chance that you will develop Type II diabetes.
I want to know how bad my insulin resistance really is =(
Sounds high, lose the sugar.
