Doing all kinds of exercise is good for your health regardless of its nature and intensity. It can be anything from going on a bicycle ride, hiking to playing tennis and basketball. The good news is that exercise can help to lower blood glucose levels and keep it under control.
Exercise tips
These tips can help you avoid diabetes problems during exercise:
- Test your blood glucose levels before you start. You may also want to test during, and after exercise.
- Take the right dose of insulin. The doctor might recommend adjusting our insulin dosage for exercise or sports. If you’ve got a pump, you might need to take that off.
- Bring snacks and water.
- Always have your supplies and hypo treatment nearby.
- Tell your teacher or coach so they know about your diabetes.
Take control. Don’t be shy if you need to take a break to eat a snack, drink water, or go to the bathroom. You should also take a break if you feel any signs that something is wrong.
What to watch for
Make sure your blood glucose levels aren’t too high or too low before doing an activity.
The doctors will help you to learn what blood glucose levels make it a good or bad time to exercise. They will also tell you what to do so that you can get back in the game. If you notice any signs of feeling unwell, you must stop exercising and follow your diabetes management plan.
We may have low blood sugar if we are:
- Sweating;
- Feeling lightheaded, shaky, weak or anxious;
- Feeling hungry;
- Having a headache;
- Having problems concentrating; or
- Feeling confused.
We may have high blood sugar if we:
- Feel very thirsty;
- Have to pee a lot;
- Feel very tired; or
- Have blurry vision.