Question:
My girlfriend is Type 1 and we are puzzled by the effect that exercise
sometimes has on her blood sugars. On most occasions after doing physical
work such as gardening her BG level is low but after horse riding it's quite
often very high. This is particularly true if she has taken part in a
competition or been on a demanding ride and we wondered if it might be
something to do with adrenalin. Can anyone advise us on this?
Answer:
I don't generally have this problem with exercise, but here's my two
cents on the matter.
Stress could play a role. Gardening is not stressful, but physical
"competitive" activity is. Hormones can also play a role (i.e. monthy
hormones--it's a woman thing). Has she discussed this with her doctor?
There are many factors like adrenaline, type of exercise, and stress. A
doctor
told me long ago that for some people the same activity could go both ways.
For example, horse riding may generally take your low if you were in range
but may take you higher if you were already high. I've seen all kinds of
responses to kayaking, which is one of my liesure activities. Diabetes is
hard to control becuase we think we can control it. There are too many
variables for us to generalize too much. My advice is for diabetics to take
control and be aware of where your Bg is and where it is going. Keep
checking and correcting. Its the best we can do for now.
