For years we were told as Type 1s that our bs was high after exercising because of Adrenalin...well here is another explanation you might like. Read Diabetes Health article regarding this subject.
Actually, this is the same explanation - to quote: “Strenuous exertion requires high energy expenditure, and the sympathetic nervous system helps achieve this by exciting endocrine organs such as the adrenal gland. The adrenal gland releases the stress hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline into the blood, which then stimulate the liver to release glucose at a faster rate than normal. When this rate exceeds the rate at which glucose is absorbed by active muscle tissue, BG rises.”
This is also well covered in the Colberg book “Diabetic Athlete’s Handbook”.
Colberg also points out that BG rises by release of glucose from the liver - but that this glucose will need to be built back up later, which is why you need to check for a delayed low BG up to several hours after the exercise.
It’s really not just adrenaline and stress either.
At 80% of maximum, you are tapping into glycogen stores, for sure, which will release a cascade of any number of different catabolic hormones that will stimulate the breakdown of glycogen to glucose. Adrenaline just happens to be the one most associated with the “fight or flight” response. This is as much an emotional and psychological response as it is a physical one because it has to actually prepare the body for action instantaneously. The history of athletics is full of inspirational and tear jerking speeches written just to get the adrenaline pumping before an athlete steps onto the field of battle. Or, you can jump into a room and yell “boo” and get this response from most people.
Physical activity itself, on the other hand, absolurtely has to elicit some kind of reponse to release enough glucose to keep up with activity above the aerobic/anaerobic threshold. There are a bunch of major an minor hormones that do that.
Yep…had a very big problem with excercise induced high BG’s and had read the Colberg book. I have been able to control BG’s post excercise while on symlin. I dose with a dual wave and usually set the wave at 2 hours, eat…warm up and then engage in exercise. Now I don’t see the spike.