Although before being diagnosed with Type 1, my wife clarified that I was neither a morning, nor an evening person, yet I seem to remember having a lot more energy throughout the day.
This question may depend on many variables inextricably linked to our own personal context, but how have you fought to maintain or improve energy levels throughout the day?
My HBA1C is 53 (7) and TIR 74%. Although these numbers can certainly be improved upon, they are a vast improvement over the last 12 months.
Yet even on a good nights sleep of 9 hours, I can still find myself being hit with occasional zombie like feelings of sleepiness the day after.
I have been at this for 32 years so I have a little more practice. But it took me many years of struggle.
I have run 3 marathons and 2 mini triathlons. All post diagnosis at 21.
Being type 1 can work to your advantage because you can time it.
So I suggest you plan a morning to exercise. Then eat a moderately large carb heavy breakfast and also insulin to go with it.
Then bring come carb gels with you and lots of water.
Go on a run or a bike ride or do steps. Something as strenuous as you can manage.
Try to avoid letting your sugar getting too low so eat carb gel when you start moving down. So you won’t crash your energy.
Before you know it you will start feeling a surge of energy when you start off. You need to train your brain and your body will follow.
Give your body the right fuel, carbs and protein and insulin and you can do just about anything you want to do.
Low energy is a sign that your body needs some encouragement.
I agree with the previous posts, and your suspicions, that exercise certainly can improve your energy level, and keep you focused on a healthy lifestyle as well. My favorite exercise is running. It is easy since you don’t really need any special equipment or space, other than a park. And being outdoors gives the added benefit of absorbing vitamin D
And diet is definitely a huge impact. You are what you eat as the saying goes, so we all need to focus on healthy foods that provide as much nutrition as possible in their natural forms. Everyone has their favorite foods though so focus on healthy food that you like. For me, I’m a vegetarian but I also love all vegetables and fruit so I don’t have to try too hard. But I also love potatoes in all its forms and breads neither which I can eat much of, but I do allow myself some!!
Having BGs out of range, too, can really zap your energy level. It absolutely does mine. Your profile doesn’t show what sort of D regimen you are on, but a CGM will certainly help you maintain BGs in range, if you don’t already use one. When I began using a CGM about 5+ years ago, I was shocked at how out of range was at times when not typically doing a finger stick.
So exercise, healthy meals, and CGM would be a great way to increase your energy level. Use the CGM to keep you in range all day and night, and during your exercise, so you have more energy, and make it a part of your lifestyle. Good luck and hope you are feeling better.
As an old-timer (70 with 48 as T1D), I walk 8-12 miles per day over the course of 3 separate walks. Clearly not running, triathlons, and the like, but probably the best thing I do for myself. The dog is in charge of route selection and I’m in charge of carrying water for both of us and emergency supplies for me.
Many have found that it takes a while to figure out exercise timing, pre-exercise meal and timing, etc … and you don’t want to have serious BG excursions derail your plans.
Find something you enjoy, start out slowly … and if it is walking or running, make sure that you have proper footwear that is replaced sufficiently frequently that you don’t get sore or injured due to inadequate padding.
As you know your TIR, I’m guessing that you are already using CGM. That is ideal for starting an exercise program. And don’t get discouraged if you have outings where your BG plummets or skyrockets … learn from it and move forward.
There are a number of threads about exercise and CGM. Many experience CGM dropouts if they become dehydrated. For me, if I run low (a “coasting” low rather than a “crashing” low) my CGM readings stay pretty low regardless of what I eat … and then I later realize that I’ve over compensated. But, we are all different … but regular exercise and an appropriate diet are good for all of us.
I agree that exercise maybe the easiest answer. I am not a runner but I do walk. Even if you just get out each day and walk around the block to start, try it.
I walk around 8-10 miles a day, mostly due to work. But I also walk to and from work each day and have 2 Labradors that I must walk each day.
I always say getting a dog is the best reason to have to walk everyday. So if you have one, there is your reason!
And yes, I know having no energy and now you want me to get out and exercise?! What?! But I don’t think of walking as exercise. It is my stress release when I get off work. It is where I connect with the great outdoors and enjoy the ocean breeze and the ocean sounds. I enjoy the birds singing in the trees and the dogs barking in the yards. It is just a great way to relax.
So maybe just a walk in the evening with your wife to just talk and enjoy the scenery! Good luck and enjoy!
Exercise definitely helps, but I do know that people that came into my store tired, I would recommend getting a green drink. It usually helps with that tiredness feeling usually within 30-60 minutes of drinking/taking of a good one. After a week or two you should really start to feel better. Green powder or pill mixes can be chock full of nutrients. It’s not “I’m going to feel like running around the block” energy, but it helps stops that fatigue feeling. You can take it more than once a day (it’s good for you) and it doesn’t keep you up at night. You can drink it and still have the ability to go to sleep an hour later.
They are bulky so anything that says 1 or 2 pills is not enough. Think of it as a pile of broccoli with the water sucked out, you still have a good sized pile of powder there. You want to look for a higher amount of greens with either wheat grass or barley grass, or chorella as the base. You can get them as a pure powder, but not the best flavor for most. They all come in pills, but barley grass and wheat grass are usually 500mg pills, so you are then taking 6-10 pills. Chlorella comes in some really tiny pills easy to swallow, but then you have to take about 10-15 little pills.
You really do want at least 3,000 mg of power house greens to be the best. They have mixes that have some other wonderful ingredients, but make sure it still has 3,000mg of wheat grass, barley grass or chlorella as the base with maybe spirulina, kelp, alfalfa included as part of the 3,000mg. Examples would be Sunny Greens Total Greens in pills or powder, or Cleansing Greens. You might get away with 1500mg with some other good ingredients, but it will have more of an effect with more greens.
There are all sorts of mixes out there, some better than others. Mushrooms, berries, other veggies are all good for you. But for the energy help you need to make sure it has a higher level of greens.
It really does help, I used to order a gross at a time for my store of the Total Greens pills, they were the easiest way to take for most. People easily saw improvement in how they felt.
