Higher BS readings after exercise

gaelicstorm26

Has anyone else had increased BS readings after higher intensity workouts?

When I walk (between 1.5-3 mph) my BS afterwards will typically be around 80-100. I have upped the intensity of my exercise by exercising on the elliptical (so going between 5-6 mph) and then doing some moderate strength training. Afterwards my BS will be between 130-160.

After doing some reading, it seems that your BS can increase in the first hour to two hours after higher intensity workouts because of the body's stress response. Ok...got it. So now on to the important question, is it safe?

I see my endo on Tuesday afternoon so I'm definitely going to inquire, but I thought I might check around to see if anyone else has experienced this and if your doctor(s) thought it was problematic or were ok with a temporary BS spike as exercise and building lean muscle should help my BS in the long run.

TIA!

pennell12

Good question. I have experienced the same thing!

KenSmith108

That's why my endo only wants 30 minutes light exercise.
After about an hour of exercise my liver dumps carbs & the bg# goes up and it messes up my log.
When he checks my log he finds the hi#s & there's always an extra long exercise entry before it.
Sometimes I think I have a listening problem.

pennell12

KenSmith108 wrote: »

That's why my endo only wants 30 minutes light exercise.
After about an hour of exercise my liver dumps carbs & the bg# goes up and it messes up my log.
When he checks my log he finds the hi#s & there's always an extra long exercise entry before it.
Sometimes I think I have a listening problem.

Smart endo! I figured this out the hard way when I decided to go all out with heavy exercise. Walking is just fine

CrisEBTrue

Oh yeah.
I'd love to lose another 50 lbs, but I think that's a pipe dream. I was told I'm better off concentrating on my BS levels, rather than thinking so much about weight loss.

gaelicstorm26

I will update everyone with the answer I get tomorrow.

Honestly, I'm going to be really disappointed if my activity is restricted. Walking is ok, but higher intensity exercise is much more fun for me. I don't it as much for weight loss as I do to help keep my cholesterol, blood pressure, and anxiety in check.

stephenrhinton

My understanding is that most of the dangers and complications of diabetes are from a build-up of tiny damages over time. So, in an of themselves, spikes aren't a real danger. As long as your 'normal' levels are in a good range, the spikes don't last long enough to do serious damage. That being said ...there does come a point where high enough BGL can make you dizzy, or feel faint, etc. So there can be increased danger of that if your 'resting' level is already high and you do something that spikes it even further.

KenSmith108

stephenrhinton wrote: »

My understanding is that most of the dangers and complications of diabetes are from a build-up of tiny damages over time. So, in an of themselves, spikes aren't a real danger. As long as your 'normal' levels are in a good range, the spikes don't last long enough to do serious damage. That being said ...there does come a point where high enough BGL can make you dizzy, or feel faint, etc. So there can be increased danger of that if your 'resting' level is already high and you do something that spikes it even further.

The damage in the veins of my eyes is like a tire tube. Every hi is like taking a stroke on a pump, pumping it up till it leaks or bursts. Then they have to lazer the damage closed.

gaelicstorm26

I'm so sorry to hear that, Ken!

My spike after my workout was 156.

I also just have generally strange stuff going on...like being able to eat a large bowl of ice cream and having a reading of 101 two hours later, or eating pasta and then getting a reading of 96, stuff that would have spiked my sugar a few months ago. **shrug**

gaelicstorm26

I just thought I would give an update regarding my endos take on this.

Based on my age (33) and my average BS readings and the fact that I'm working out at about 80% of my target heart rate, he is ok with my blood sugar spikes as they are actually lowering my readings for the next 12-14 hours and putting almost all of my post-meal readings right around 100.

He said that he is fine with the spike because of three things: 1) the intensity of the workout so he would anticipate a stress response from the body, 2) the fact that my spikes are under 180, and 3) that the spikes are lowering my blood sugar overall and reducing my weight, which he feels will be super beneficial to me throughout the years.

Hopefully this makes sense. We had a really long discussion about it. Overall, he is very happy with my weight loss and my eating.

winnie141

That makes total sense! Your lucky to have an awesome doctor! When I was on insulin I had the same issues, especially when I lifted free weights (low weights, more repetitions) my blood sugars would go pretty high, but would lower within 20 minutes if that makes sense. I was able to eventually get off of insulin because of my workouts! So keep up the good work!

zcb94

^Wow! That does make sense now. As we discussed on another thread, any and all stress on the body will cause a temporary spike. I guess that includes exercise, while your muscles are using stored glucose.

titinil

gaelicstorm26 wrote: »

I just thought I would give an update regarding my endos take on this.

Based on my age (33) and my average BS readings and the fact that I'm working out at about 80% of my target heart rate, he is ok with my blood sugar spikes as they are actually lowering my readings for the next 12-14 hours and putting almost all of my post-meal readings right around 100.

He said that he is fine with the spike because of three things: 1) the intensity of the workout so he would anticipate a stress response from the body, 2) the fact that my spikes are under 180, and 3) that the spikes are lowering my blood sugar overall and reducing my weight, which he feels will be super beneficial to me throughout the years.

Hopefully this makes sense. We had a really long discussion about it. Overall, he is very happy with my weight loss and my eating.

Thanks for the update. That's what I thought, but it's good to have it verified by an endocrinologist.

gaelicstorm26

It's definitely good to get the endo's blessing on this. I don't want to make guesses when it comes to my health...especially with something that I need to successfully manage for many years to come (the endo thought I should live to 103, hehe).