As I explained recently, I was delighted to find how rapidly aerobic exercise could bring down my blood glucose measurements, and that I could actually do 20 minutes on a stationary bike, even though I can’t walk that long. Research supports this idea, and provides more useful data points for our community.
SciTechDaily: Diabetes Defense: Study Unveils the Power of Evening Workouts
The results of the study show that accumulating more moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in the evening, i.e. between 6 p.m. and midnight, appears to have a positive effect on glucose regulation in men and women who are overweight or obese. In addition, the benefits of physical activity are greater in people who have some form of impaired glucose metabolism, such as elevated levels of glucose, glycated haemoglobin and/or fasting insulin resistance index. The results were similar for both men and women.
Something that people should test for themselves, and collect data on.
WebMD: Exercise and Type 2 Diabetes
When you do something quickly, like a sprint to catch the bus, your muscles and liver release glucose for fuel.
Exercise usually lowers your levels. If you take insulin or diabetes meds, a boost in workout intensity or length can mean you’ll have to adjust your snacks, medication, or both. Talk to your doctor about what’s right for you.
The big payoff comes when you do moderate exercise for a longer time, like a hike. Your muscles take up much more glucose when you do that. This helps lower your blood sugar levels. If you're doing intense exercise, your blood sugar levels may rise, temporarily, after you stop.
That is, your liver may convert more stored glycogen into glucose to release into the blood.
Experts say people with diabetes should shoot for:
150 minutes or more of aerobic exercise each week. Studies have shown that regular aerobic exercise can make insulin work better and lower blood sugar long-term. And it makes you less likely to have health problems linked to diabetes, like heart disease.
Two or three sessions of strength training each week. The more muscle mass you have, the better your body can handle blood sugar. Working muscles first use stored sugars and then blood sugars for energy. Muscle also burns more calories than fat. Lifting weights, sit-ups, pushups, and resistance exercises will help.
I would have to be very careful doing that. 20 minutes of aerobic exercise can lower my blood glucose from 165 to 60, so that I would have to take a glucose tablet or two to get to normal—90-120.
American Diabetes Association: Blood Glucose and Exercise
There are a few ways that exercise lowers blood glucose (also known as blood sugar):
- Insulin sensitivity is increased, so your muscle cells are better able to use any available insulin to take up glucose during and after activity.
- When your muscles contract during activity, your cells are able to take up glucose and use it for energy whether insulin is available or not.
Personal Note
My last Freestyle Libre 3 glucose sensor failed totally. It wouldn’t register above 55 no matter what I ate, and much of the time it wouldn’t give any readings at all. Then a little later my CGM app told me that I needed to replace it. So I did, and found that my glucose level was actually 350. One good glucose shot got me down to normal. Now I need to go to the Abbott site to tell them of the sensor failure. They will send me a kit with a free replacement, and everything I need to send them the old sensor for testing, with a prepaid label.
The frequency of such problems has been decreasing as they learn more about what can go wrong and how to prevent it.