I have a very weird and probably stupid question. Haha!
So basically - I am not one to get extremely severe hypo’s. They are usually between 3.5 and 3.8. Of course no Hypo ever feels ‘okay’, I absolutely hate the feeling and tend to eat every single thing I can find to fight off the lingering affects. However, the other day after returning from Thailand and not having any Jelly Beans handy, I hate a horrible mid-night Hypo and had to run to the kitchen and chuck sprite down my throat. It got me thinking.
How fast or slow does a Hypo change? I’m not sure how to put it into words. But for example; If I was in a Hypo without the ability to contact anyone for help (assuming I don’t have any Hypo-food) And the only source of sugar was too far away. Would there be a huge difference between running and walking? Ahhhhh. So dumb. But sometimes I feel so desperate that I would run for sugar, but surely that would lower my BG’s at an increased rate? But then I wonder if the longer it takes to get to sugar while walking the same distance - could it do the exact same or even lower it faster?
I only ask because while I try to get my blood sugars back into a healthy range I tend to experience Hypo’s too often until I find balance. But I don’t want to be caught out one day and have some serious problems. What is the relationship between Hypo’s and Exercise if you have removed your pump or don’t have a Long lasting insulin running in the background?
I find that the drop from running or walking will be steeper if there’s any bolus insulin-on-board floating around. I don’t take my pump off to run or walk but will sometimes turn it down, depending on how far I’m going to go. Faster runs seem to push my BG up due to adrenaline? A lot of times after running lower for the duration of the run, it seems as if my BG goes up after I’m done. I always bring some sort of sugar with me when I am running and like to test every 3-4 miles to make sure the CGM is reading accurately.
Wow thank you for that insight! I find it so painful to keep jelly beans in my pocket so I always leave it in my car, hence my question! Haha, but maybe I will invent a pocket that can comfortably stay in my pocket! Haha. I didn’t actually think about the adrenaline, you are very right. I guess the bottom line is to not let myself get into that situation. But its good to know anyway!
RE pockets, I have what I refer to as my “Batman Utility Belt”, the brand is Amphipod. They are sort of "modular, in that you can get different pockets to fit various needs, clip on bottles, etc. I usea binder clip to make a stanchion around which I can loop the pump tube and it’s very handy. The belt is stretchy and fits me snugly without chafing too.
I love your questions! Equations would answer them well.
Running for sugar lowers it faster than walking. Problem is, you cannot outrun a hypo drop if that drop is fast & deep.
Pure glucose raises it faster than other things. No digestion time. Thailand has glucose tablets 4 gm each. That makes you think you’re taking medicine, not food. Then you don’t reach for more since it’s (ugh) medicine.
Higher basal raises it so those hypos don’t get more frequent and deep to the point of unawarness.
My experience has been that when hypos happen and happen, unawareness sets in. Gotta raise that basal and live there.
The relationship between hypos and exercise is that more exercise = more hypos even with pump removed or none running in background.
Test often my friend. Every half mile is not too often to learn how much faster the BG is going down with time of running.
I’m on MDI and was running before I was diagnosed. I recently felt confident enough to start again. I walk steep hills in the area quickly and then end my routine with a short run (I’m not a serious runner but what little I do I enjoy). I always wear a bracelet that states that I’m type 1 and carry a roll of lifesavers in my pocket. The fear of having a hypo in the street held me back for a long time, but I’ve found that after a year with this thing I’m still very sensitive to them coming on and can catch them long before things get bad, and exercise is really important to my mental and physical health, so I started running again “for real.”
@acidrock – yeah the thing with BG going higher with a lower amount of insulin (in this case meal insulin) happened to me for the first time yesterday. Normally, it goes down. (i.e. testing before I ran vs. testing after I ran)
Re ‘outrunning’ hypos, you can get a free bg boost by sprinting, like 100% for a couple of intervals. I’ve resorted to that a few times when I left jellybeans on the counter, etc. Not 100% safe but what is?
