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For people with diabetes, exercise is essential for controlling blood sugar levels and maintaining overall health. This is because regular exercise is effective in improving insulin sensitivity and managing blood sugar and weight. In addition, it is important to exercise regularly to prevent the reduction of muscle and basal metabolic rate and to prevent various cardiovascular problems.

However, sometimes, despite exercising hard, blood sugar levels rise. It’s an exercise to lower blood sugar, but when you see your blood sugar rise, you can’t help but understand. Why on earth does blood sugar rise after exercise?

Exercise helps control blood sugar, but too much exercise or exercising on an empty stomach can increase blood sugar Source: Getty Image Bank
Fast exercise or high-intensity exercise increases blood sugar… Check insulin dosage
If a diabetic patient has high blood sugar levels after exercising, it is a good idea to find out if he or she exercised while fasting for a long time. Fast exercise is known to help with weight loss, but diabetic patients often have increased blood sugar levels after fast exercise. Usually, if you exercise when your blood sugar level is high after a meal, your muscles will use the glucose in the blood as an energy source, causing your blood sugar level to drop gradually. However, if you exercise on an empty stomach and do not have enough glucose, the ‘glycogen’ stored in the liver will be converted to glucose and used as an energy source. Glycogen is a complex carbohydrate stored in the liver and muscles that is broken down into glucose when needed, temporarily increasing blood sugar levels.

If you exercise after eating and your blood sugar level does not drop but rises, check the intensity of your exercise. During high-intensity exercise, the body quickly uses glucose in the blood and requires additional energy sources. At this time, blood sugar levels can rise as the liver breaks down glycogen to provide glucose to meet energy requirements. In addition, during high-intensity exercise, the autonomic nervous system is activated and stress hormones such as cortisol and catecholamines are produced, which can naturally increase blood sugar levels.

Depending on the type of diabetes, blood sugar changes after exercise can vary. In particular, poor blood sugar control is more common in patients with type 1 diabetes receiving insulin therapy. If you do not take enough insulin before exercise, your blood sugar level may rise rapidly during exercise because the insulin cannot properly absorb the remaining glucose in the blood. To exercise safely, it is better to pay attention to postprandial blood sugar levels, drug dosage, exercise volume, etc., and exercise within a range that does not cause any abnormalities in the body.

Be very careful if your blood sugar is too high or too low… If there are problems, don’t overdo it.
The Korean Diabetes Association recommends that diabetic patients engage in aerobic exercise at a moderate intensity equal to 50-70% of the maximum heart rate for at least 150 minutes, at least 3 times a week. For strength training, it is recommended to do 3 sets of 8 to 10 times a day, 3 times a week, at an intensity of 75 to 85% of the maximum intensity (1RM). However, this is only recommended when blood sugar control is somewhat stable. In a state of high blood sugar that cannot be controlled even by taking medications such as hypoglycemic agents, dehydration due to exercise can increase blood sugar and cause complications such as acute ketoacidosis, so it is necessary to discuss to a doctor before exercising.

On the other hand, it is better not to exercise too strongly even when you are in a hypoglycemic state where your blood sugar level is too low. If blood sugar levels drop significantly during exercise, it can cause hypoglycemic shock. If you experience symptoms such as sudden fatigue, dizziness, hand tremors, cold sweat, extreme hunger, or a sudden increase in heart rate during exercise, you should immediately stop exercising and measure your blood sugar level. These are normal symptoms of hypoglycemia, and if your blood sugar is too low, it is helpful to rest and eat light snacks or juice which can quickly raise your blood sugar level.

If you have cardiovascular diseases such as high blood pressure or dyslipidemia as well as diabetes, or if you suffer from peripheral nerve problems, you should be more careful about exercise. Patients with cardiovascular problems may be at greater risk of dehydration or increased heart rate during exercise, so exercise intensity and duration should be adjusted to avoid overstressing the body. When there are peripheral nerve problems, sensation in the soles of the feet is likely to decrease. regular foot condition.