Physical Exercise & Activity


Exercise is a good idea for people with diabetes (as it is for people without diabetes) because it improves your general health.

You can exercise as often as you like, and participate in a wide variety of sports and activities. For some more dangerous sports, eg diving, you may need to take specialist advice.

A person without diabetes does not have hypos during exercise. Their body automatically reduces the amount of insulin released. This process does not occur in people who have diabetes treated with insulin. Also, increased activity of any sort will speed up the rate at which you use glucose, as it is burned up for energy. Therefore, it is important to plan ahead to prevent unnecessary hypos during your activity.

Exercise that is very much more than you are used to (either more vigorous or more prolonged) may keep your blood glucose low for up to 18hours afterwards. This is due to your body replacing the glucose it had stred in its muscle, which was used during the exercise. This does not just apply to sport. It also applies at other times of increased physical activity, eg spring cleaning, moving house, shopping, sex or gardening.

Things to consider when contemplating physical activity or exercise:
  • Always carry rapid-acting CPs.
  • Monitor blood glucose before ans after any physical activity or exercise.
  • Give hypo treatment if blood glucose is below 3.5mmol/l before exercise.
  • Consider the timing of when any insulin has been given.
Hypos can be prevented either by reducing your insulin or increasing your carbohydrate intake before, during and/or after the exercise.

Insulin Adjustment
It is not possible to give exact dose reductions. You need to determine the effect of exercise on your blood glucose by self-monitoring and adjusting your insulin dose.

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