Ok. So I just got back into the gym this week after about a 3-4 week layoff. I'm not exactly sure if it's just my body getting used to it or if it's combined with a few highs from the last couple of days, but before my break, if I did 30 minutes of cardio, ie. Push myself on the elliptical for 30 minutes, my BS would drop sometimes drastically. I would have to eat a considerable amount to offset the drop. The last two days that just hasn't been the case.
Like I said I've experienced some highs in the past few days from my own stupidity, although I thought I had that completely under control until last night. Even last night, I thought it was good, until it started to rise more and more later in the night, and I had a morning BS of around 200(100 pts off where I want it).
Hopefully this is just a fluke, but if you have any thoughts feel free!
Just out of curiosity have you tested pre-workout to see what your numbers actually are?? It could be many things, however if you are pushing yourself as hard as you normally are you should still see "drops" in your sugar. If you are going in there with higher sugars you won't see the drops you are used to. It could also be the spacing of time. Are you going to the gym at the same time or have you started going earlier later? Eating at a different time? It could be a few things that are giving you the results you are getting now.
I play basketball .. and although I have no idea what a BS of 200 would be here in Australia [if you were that in my measurements I think you'd be dead] I experience many highs after I play. Then the next morning when I woke up [I play at night time] I'd be hypo / low! It was very confusing. With the help of my endo, we figured out that it was the adrenaline that caused me to shoot up so high. But adrenaline causes a rapid high, then as it wears off slowly you get low. Now, I don't eat before I exercise but have at least 1 serve of carbs about an hour after I play, even though I'm always over 12 [again, I don't know what that is in your numbers, but you're supposed to be under 8]. For the past 6 months this has meant I wake up within range.
Basically, I reckon you should check adrenaline out as a cause for highs in exercise.
My favorite quick conversion tool is at: http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/A1Ccalc.php I like it because it lets me see what the A1C average would be for the number as well as the converted value... I know there are a few of these out on the web but hopefully it helps! :)
Thanks for posting that link again, A-D. I remember it from a post waaaaay back (haha, as if Juvenation's that old) but I couldn't locate it a while ago. So I'm glad you brought it up again - I'll be smart and copy it this time.
- Alyssa
PS I broke 400 on my posts-count. Now I've got to beat your count :)
I've had a similar issue before. Typically when I go on a 4-5 hour bike ride, what happens with my blood sugar is predictable. I try to start the ride somewhere around 150-160, and almost every time when I test 1.5-2 hours in, I'm down around 100 and I eat something like a banana or a GU packet or something along those lines. From that point on through the end of the ride, I eat another banana/GU packet/glucose tablet/something with carbs every 45 minutes to an hour and my blood sugar hovers right around 100 through the whole thing.
One day though, my blood sugar was around 240 when it was time to start the ride. I headed out anyway figuring it would drop as it usually does, but for some reason it didn't at all despite not eating anything and doing the usual level of exercise. I think it may have even gone up when I tested two hours in. My only guess is that something went wrong when I took my lantus the night before or something along those lines, but I'm still not totally sure what it was.
In general, exercise should cause some kind of drop though assuming you didn't eat something sugary prior to starting. :)
Circuit or interval style anaerobic activity is likely to raise your blood sugar as are some other high intensity workout approaches so testing and monitoring carefully when exercising is always a wise approach (especially when getting into a new program).
Exercise itself does not mean your blood sugar will drop.With the workouts I do, my “during” exercise insulin requirements seem to be pretty similar to my non-workout periods, however, my total daily dosage drops dramatically when I’ve been exercising for any period of time…
Exercising when you are 240/250+ with ketones can be dangerous and you need to be extra careful to stay hydrated.It is likely that if you started exercising in that range you did, in fact, drive your sugar up and your insulin was probably acting as it should.
Last but more importantly, I want you to understand how deeply jealous I am of the time you have for your bike rides! LOL – I just got a new cycle and I’ve only gotten about 40 minutes of road time…