Cold chills and hot flashes occur for a variety of reasons ranging from menopause and medicinal reactions to panic attacks and fevers. With diabetes, you can develop sweaty hot flashes followed by chills when your blood sugar drops too low. Whether you have Type 2 diabetes or elevated blood sugar levels that could lead to the disease, regular exercise plays a role in managing diabetes as long as you know your own warning signs and follow your doctor’s instructions.
Aerobics
Exercise decreases your risk of developing heart disease, a common side effect of diabetes, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. Aerobic exercise is especially helpful to maintain a healthy weight and keep your blood sugar levels in check. Running, jogging, cycling and aerobic workouts also increase your heart rate and cause you to sweat. Aerobic exercise also increases your sensitivity to insulin. Checking your blood sugar before and after exercise can help you distinguish sweating from exertion and cold chills and hot flashes from abnormal blood sugar levels.
Low Impact
Reduced blood flow to your extremities is another side effect of diabetes that may interfere with your exercise routines. Excessive pounding and pressure can complicate diabetes-related nerve problems in your feet. Let your doctor know if you feel tingling or numbness in your feet and check regularly for bruising or other signs of nerve damage in your feet. When problems develop, it’s better to switch to low-impact exercises such as rowing, swimming and cycling. Chair exercises also keep you off your feet while reducing the risk of becoming overheated and chilled.
Strengthening
You shouldn’t undertake any form of exercise if your blood sugar is above 300 mg/dl or lower than 100 mg/dl, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. To prevent the chills and sweats from dropping blood sugar levels during exercise, you should start slowly and increase the resistance and intensity of your workouts as you gain strength. Lifting weights builds and tones muscles and improves circulation, but can lead to other complications in addition to sweating and chills. Lifting weights that strain your muscles to fatigue can strain weakened eye muscles that worsen as your disease progresses. Instead of straining muscles, increase the number of repetitions you perform and check your blood sugar levels between sets.
Warning
It’s imperative to pay attention to how you’re feeling while you’re working out, especially in cold or hot environments because insulin often reacts differently in extreme temperatures. Stop exercising if you suddenly start sweating even more than usual and you feel shaky or dizzy. Keep a power bar or protein drink nearby in case your blood sugar drops to dangerous levels. Watch for signs of dehydration, another common side effect of diabetes that affects your blood sugar levels. Drink water continuously while exercising because by the time you feel thirsty, you may already be dehydrated.
