You just got a continuous glucose monitoring device, and you’re seeing something unexpected. Your blood sugar levels are going *up* during high-intensity workouts. Can Intense Exercise Raise My Blood Sugar Levels? It seems counterintuitive, since exercise often lowers glucose levels, and may feel frustrating.
So, what’s the point of working out if it just makes those numbers go up? You may be confused or worried, and the question remains: Can Intense Exercise Raise My Blood Sugar Levels?
So, what’s covered?
- Blood sugar and exercise: How are they related?
- Intense exercise and blood sugar: Learn the best ways to keep them balanced.
- Blood sugar levels: Let’s tackle some common misconceptions and get to the facts.
- Diabetes and Medication with High Intensity Training
- Practical Steps If Exercise-Induced Glucose Rise
- FAQs about Can Intense Exercise Raise My Blood Sugar Levels?
- Conclusion
Understanding Exercise and Blood Sugar
Exercise, in general, helps our bodies use insulin better. This means your muscles can take up glucose more efficiently, both during and after your workout. Consistent physical activity can even lower your A1C, which provides an overall marker of blood sugar levels.
Physical activity affects your blood glucose; this varies depending on activity length. Physical activity can reduce your blood sugar for up to 24 hours or more after your exercise. This is due to an increase in your body’s insulin sensitivity .
Why Intense Exercise is Different
High-intensity activities can trigger a different reaction. Things like heavy weight training , sprinting, and competitive sports have unique side effects. These sorts of vigorous activities boost your body’s natural production of stress hormones like adrenaline.
Adrenaline tells your liver to release glucose , and so this raises levels. Adrenaline, intense exercise , and fasted exercise are some mechanisms for raising blood sugar. But, this is a temporary and normal thing.
Strategies for Managing Blood Sugar During Intense Exercise
So, blood sugar levels increase from the mechanisms we’ve described. There are certain techniques that you can use. Try incorporating some tips below.
| Strategy | Description | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Moderate Intensity | Opt for moderate-intensity exercise , aerobic exercises, or circuit training with lighter weights and more repetitions. | Avoids the excessive release of stress hormones that spike blood glucose. |
| Relaxation Techniques | Practice techniques like paced breathing, visualization, or meditation before and during workouts. | Minimizes the adrenaline effect, helping to keep blood glucose levels more stable. |
| Timing | Consider shifting workout times to later in the day, especially if you typically exercise in the early morning. | Avoids the “dawn phenomenon,” so the early morning rise in blood glucose leads to high levels during exercise. |
| Check Levels Often | If using a CGM, track trends. If on insulin, speak to your provider and consider pre- and post-exercise finger pricks if levels are low. | This helps prevent lows that can cause dizziness, fainting, or fatigue, so be proactive before something like this can ever happen. |
The Role of Nutrition
The food that you consume will affect blood glucose readings during and after exercising. Consuming large amounts of carbs can make your blood glucose increase during exercise. Some foods to avoid to prevent spiking glucose during training include things like breads, muffins, cereals, and candy bars.
Consuming the correct nutrients while avoiding simple carbs and added sugars will give a positive experience. This takes time to master, though. Speak with your doctor or certified diabetes educator (CDE) for a better understanding of the nutritional requirements you need. Adiabetes food hub can offer valuable resources for meal planning.
Consider having a small snack with protein and complex carbohydrates, like peanut butter on whole-wheat toast, before your exercise session . Be sure to monitor your carbohydrate intake.
Debunking Common Myths About Blood Sugar
You will read information out on the web, and it might have contradictory messages. Let’s get some clarity around common questions on the topic.
“Good” vs. “Bad” Exercises for Diabetes
There aren’t exercises that are outright “bad” for diabetes. It’s more accurate to say certain activities affect blood sugar. All movement types support the body; they have different effects.
Think of your body as an amazing support system. During vigorous activities, the liver produces glucose to give needed support. Remember that if you notice glucose levels increase, that does not mean something is wrong or it isn’t good for you.
Diabetes and Exercise: Always a Low?
Many believe that if they have diabetes, exercise causes lower blood sugar numbers. That isn’t necessarily true. High-intensity training raises glucose.
It varies with personal body chemistry, physical activity, fitness level, and type of food consumed. Regular testing will begin to demonstrate the specific effects exercise has on individual bodies. Over time, the trends, needs, and how to address personal numbers will be much easier to predict.
Dealing with High Blood Sugar readings.
It’s smart to do frequent blood glucose checks , and pay attention to trends during specific exercises. People learn that when doing X-Y-Z, numbers increase/decrease in A-B-C predictable ways. From tracking, we make tweaks to address potential trends and optimize experiences during/after activities.
Strive for good glycemic control overall. TheAmerican Diabetes Association ® ( ADA) provides resources to help people with managing type 2 diabetes and reduce risk factors for diabetes complications .
Diabetes and Medication with High Intensity Training
If using medications such as insulin, it’s important to collaborate with a physician and understand options. Discussing effects, trends, and any negative concerns will be invaluable. A good doctor and certified diabetic educators (CDEs) make medication suggestions as needed and answer questions on these unique mechanisms and best practices for medications/timing.
You may need to adjust your insulin dose , possibly lowering your basal rate or taking less bolus insulin before high-intensity exercise . Always consult your healthcare provider before making any changes to your medication regimen.
Practical Steps If Exercise-Induced Glucose Rise
High intensity training , like sprinting, affects a diabetic quite differently than one without this condition. If you see rises during exercising, consider these.
Modifying Exercise Routine
Try circuit training and/or lighter weights. Keep notes so you learn the differences. Focus on lower impacts and shorter but multiple routines throughout the week and aim for consistency.
Mindfulness
Incorporate meditation or deep breathing before exercising—for sure after and maybe during as well. Focus on remaining relaxed to reduce those stress-hormone spikes. Some may find success by focusing on a consistent exercise time as well; if you are tracking blood sugar, be sure to write that down.
Timing
Some people’s glucose has “dawn phenomenon,” a rise between 4-8 am . This could mean blood sugar naturally runs a little high. Working out in the morning amplifies things, while waiting until the afternoon will not.
Talking With a Provider
Speak with a physician, especially those with type 1 or using rapid-acting insulins/diabetes medications. Adjust things that may induce that effect. Avoiding carbohydrates during the activity can support you in your physical routines as well.
FAQs about Can Intense Exercise Raise My Blood Sugar Levels?
How long does blood sugar stay elevated after exercise?
Blood sugar effects last for several hours, depending on many factors like personal conditioning and types of food consumed before/during/after. A general rule would be no more than 24 hours. Physical activity can lower your blood glucose up to 24 hours or more after the activity.
Be diligent to observe trends to start exercising safely . Keep an eye out for any specific diabetes complications related to consistently elevated levels.
Does exercise push up blood sugar?
Yes, intensity exercise can cause high blood sugar to increase. But remember that the rise is usually for normal/good reasons, not always a problem; for the non-diabetic, they have systems that regulate it.
For diabetic people, there is a need to collaborate and test various suggestions to address negative things. Regular blood glucose checks are helpful.
Why is my blood sugar high when I have not eaten anything?
There are many factors influencing blood sugar even with no food, with a common example being “Dawn Phenomenon.”
Things like that trigger glucose release during those early hours naturally; it may seem high. Workouts in early mornings magnify the effects as well, so speak to a physician about this. Consider an exercise plan that accounts for these fluctuations.
Conclusion
So, Can Intense Exercise Raise My Blood Sugar Levels? While counterintuitive for many, understanding this is key.
This will cause confusion and/or anxiety, as mentioned earlier in this article. Diabetes means needing more personalized and consistent tracking when using medicine, especially during interval training and other forms of high-intensity exercise .
Embracing smart and tested strategies is important; remember, your team—your body—has reasons for changes. Regular exercise improves blood glucose control over time, despite temporary spikes. Track, adapt, and optimize to continue enjoying the potential benefits of exercise, so it change lives for the better.
