Poorly controlled diabetes could lead to a number of serious and potentially deadly problems including blindness, kidney disease, heart disease and foot amputations. Optimal blood sugar control requires you to adopt a combination of habits all linked to lowering glucose levels with exercise forming a cornerstone of your strategy. While exercise provides numerous benefits for diabetes, certain instances call for avoiding it altogether or avoiding certain types of activity in the presence of certain complications.
Working With Your Doctor
If you have diabetes, you should always consult your doctor before beginning exercise. This is especially important if you also have other chronic health conditions like high cholesterol or high blood pressure or a family history of heart disease. Taking natural measures to help control your blood sugar, such as exercise, might require you to reduce dosages of blood-sugar lowering medications. Additionally, you might need to alter the timing of your doses to prevent blood sugar from dropping too low during exercise. Your doctor can offer guidance in both these areas -- do not make changes to medications on your own.
Pre-Exercise Blood Sugar Levels
If you take insulin or other medications to lower your blood sugar, you need to take a reading before you exercise to ensure it is in a safe range for physical activity. An ideal pre-exercise range falls between 100 and 250. If you test lower than this, eat a carbohydrate-rich snack before working out to boost your glucose level. Readings between 250 but under 300 might indicate you can exercise depending on certain factors such as whether you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes and the level of ketones you have in your blood -- substances present when your body uses fat for energy in the absence of sufficient insulin to utilize glucose for energy. Your doctor can offer guidance on ketone level testing and appropriateness of exercise. Do not exercise at all if your blood sugar reads above 300 and do not resume exercise until you get back to a safe range.
Blood Sugar Levels During Exercise
The American Physical Therapy Association says you should stop exercising if your blood sugar dips below 70 -- you should check blood sugar during exercise if you plan on working out more than one hour. Signs of low blood sugar include dizziness, nausea, shaking, confusion, irritability and sweating. Always carry a fast-acting carbohydrate snack like glucose tablets, 4 oz of soda or fruit juice, or a few pieces of hard candy.
Diabetes Complications
The presence of diabetes-related complications require extra precautions. If you have diabetic retinopathy, a condition that weakens the blood vessels in the eye, certain types of exercise could aggravate it. Diabetes expert Dr. Laurence J. Hirsch cautions against movement that can cause a rapid rise in blood pressure such as activities that require a quick change of direction or quick bursts of movement and weight lifting. If you have kidney damage, keep systolic blood pressure below 180 and avoid weight lifting and vigorous aerobic exercise.
Other Precautions
Do not exercise within three hours of drinking alcohol. To avoid blood sugar dropping too low, exercise when you have lower levels of insulin in your system -- the American Physical Therapy Association recommends waiting about three to four hours after an injection. Hydrate yourself well before, during and after exercise -- dehydration can affect blood sugar levels.
References
- Angelo State University: American Physical Therapy Association Guidelines for Diabetics
- Mayo Clinic: Diabetes and Exercise: When To Monitor Your Blood Sugar
- BD Diabetes: Exercise and Diabetic Retinopathy
- National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse: What I Need to Know About Physical Exercise and Diabetes
