Post Time: 2025-09-01
Exercise-Friendly Blood Sugar Management for Athletes with Diabetes
When it comes to managing blood sugar levels, athletes with diabetes face unique challenges. On one hand, regular exercise can help lower and stabilize blood glucose levels, while on the other hand, poor blood sugar control during workouts can lead to serious complications.
Maintaining a Healthy Blood Sugar Range During Exercise: The Importance of Pre-Workout Preparation
Before engaging in any physical activity, it's essential for athletes with diabetes to understand their ideal pre-workout blood sugar range. Aiming for 120-140 mg/dL is generally considered safe and optimal for exercise performance (1). However, this may vary depending on individual factors such as type of diabetes, medication regimen, and personal preferences.
Monitoring techniques are crucial in achieving a healthy pre-workout blood glucose level. Using a glucometer or continuous glucose monitor (CGM) can provide accurate readings within minutes. Additionally, monitoring urine ketone levels is essential to prevent diabetic ketoacidosis during exercise (2). Aiming for low-to-moderate intensity workouts at this optimal range will help minimize risks associated with hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia.
The Role of Nutrition in Exercise-Friendly Blood Sugar Management
A well-balanced diet plays a critical role in maintaining healthy blood sugar levels. Focus on consuming complex carbohydrates, protein-rich foods, and unsaturated fats to provide sustained energy (3). Foods high in fiber such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables help slow down glucose absorption into the bloodstream.
Incorporating regular physical activity can have numerous benefits for individuals with diabetes, including improved insulin sensitivity and weight management. However, exercise must be managed carefully to avoid fluctuations in blood sugar levels.
Understanding How Exercise Impacts Blood Sugar Levels
Physical activity affects blood sugar levels by stimulating muscle contractions that release glucose from the muscles (4). This is especially important during intense workouts when the body's demand for energy increases significantly. When choosing an optimal pre-workout window, athletes should prioritize regular physical activity and maintain a well-balanced diet to avoid significant changes in their overall blood glucose range.
Tips for Stabilizing Blood Sugar During Exercise
Athletes with diabetes can take several steps to stabilize blood sugar levels during workouts:
- Regularly check your CGM or glucometer before, after, and sometimes even mid-workout
- Incorporate regular physical activity into daily routines
- Monitor urine ketone levels regularly
- Aim for low-to-moderate intensity exercises at optimal pre-workout blood sugar ranges.
Incorporating these strategies can help minimize risks associated with fluctuating blood glucose levels, promoting healthier outcomes and sustained performance during workouts.
medskl.com is a global, free open access medical education (FOAMEd) project covering the fundamentals of clinical medicine with animations, lectures and concise summaries. medskl.com is working with over 170 award-winning medical school professors to provide content in 200+ clinical presentations for use in the classroom and for physician CME. Endocrinology – Hypoglycemia Whiteboard Animation Transcript with Robyn Houlden, MD Hypoglycemia is a fact of life for most people with diabetes on does peanut butter raise your blood sugar glucose lowering medication. However, it is an uncommon clinical problem in other patients. There is no plasma glucose level that defines hypoglycemia. Instead, hypoglycemia is confirmed by documentation of Whipple’s Triad: Symptoms of hypoglycemia Low plasma glucose Symptom resolution when glucose administered Hypoglycemic disorders used to be classified as fasting or postprandial. However, a more useful classification is based on whether the patient is seemingly well or Ill. Causes in the ill patient include: drugs alcohol critical illness cortisol deficiency non-islet cell tumours Causes in the seemingly well patient include: insulinoma, functional β-cell disorders autoimmune hypoglycemia accidental, surreptitious or malicious ingestion of glucose lowering medication Always ask about neurogenic/autonomic symptoms such as tremor, palpitations, anxiety, sweating, hunger and tingling, and neuroglycopenic symptoms such as visual change, confusion, unusual behaviour, weakness, seizure, and coma. In the ill patient, ask about: an error with a glucose lowering medication medications with known risk of hypoglycemia alcohol addiction with periods of not eating hepatic, renal or cardiac failure; or sepsis, trauma or burns symptoms of adrenocortical insufficiency or malignancy In the seemingly well patient, ask about: timing and relationship to food frequency, duration episode prevention, treatment weight gain (eating to prevent hypoglycemia) blood glucose during an episode relatives with diabetes or access to antihyperglycemic agents at home or work a family history of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN-1) previous Roux-en-Y surgery In the ill patient: Draw plasma glucose during symptoms of hypoglycemia Review medications Assess hepatic, renal and cardiac function Investigate for adrenocortical insufficiency or nonislet cell tumour if suspected. In the seemingly well patient, elevated blood sugar pregnancy if you are able to observe a spontaneous episode, measure plasma glucose, insulin, C-peptide, pro-insulin and beta-hydroxybutyrate. If you can’t observe a spontaneous episode, recreate the circumstances in which symptomatic hypoglycemia is likely to blood sugar chart for type two diabetes occur with a fast of up to 72 hours or after a mixed meal. With an insulinoma, most patients will experience hypoglycemia within 24 hours of fasting. Despite having a plasma glucose < 3 mmol/L, plasma insulin, C-peptide, and proinsulin levels will be inappropriately elevated. Insulinomas are rare tumours and most are benign, small and solitary. They should be localized through imaging, and surgically removed. Remember that evaluation and management of hypoglycemia is recommended only when Whipple’s triad is documented. Choose investigations based on whether the patient appears seemingly well or ill.