The body is not at 100% strength all the time; therefore, you may experience low blood sugar after a tough workout . This phenomenon is known as hypoglycemia, and it normally only affects people with diabetes.
Diabetes is not a disease to ignore due to its high chances of encouraging the formation of different conditions and health complications. For this reason, it is essential that you take the necessary precautions so that your sugar levels remain as stable as possible, otherwise the consequences can be serious.
For these reasons, we show you how to prevent low blood sugar after exercising .
How do sugar levels drop with exercise?
The body receives most of its energy from a special source, sugar, better known as glucose, which comes from carbohydrates in food. The body's way of regulating these sugar levels is with the help of a hormone, insulin, which allows the transport of glucose out of the bloodstream and into the cells.
In this way, when you exercise, your body reduces its sugar levels because it increases its sensitivity to insulin and its use, which allows your muscles to obtain more glucose. Also, when training, the cells are able to absorb more glucose, which ultimately lowers blood sugar.
On the other hand, physical activity depletes the glycogen stores in the body and it can take up to 24 hours to recover all that energy, depending on the intensity of the training. This means that although blood sugar levels do not drop immediately, there is a risk of hypoglycemia in people with diabetes for 24 hours after an exercise session.
Fortunately, those who do not have diabetes have no chance of hypoglycemia, although symptoms of low blood sugar may be visible.
How to recognize hypoglycemia after exercising?
Identifying the symptoms of hypoglycemia can be a difficult task, as some of them are consistent with the regular effects of being physically active; for example, sweating or a fast heartbeat. However, although the signs of hypoglycemia vary from person to person, we can name a few that everyone experiences regularly:
- Sudden hunger
- Sweat
- Fatigue and a fast heartbeat
- Weakness or tremors
- Dizziness and confusion
- Pale skin
- Mood swings and irritability
- Blurry vision
Raise blood sugar levels after playing sports
According to experts, the important thing is to raise blood sugar levels to avoid complications, carrying out the following instructions:
- Consume 15 g of simple carbohydrates, such as glucose tablets, sweets or fruit juice).
- Wait 15 minutes for the body to metabolize carbohydrates into glucose.
- If after 15 minutes the symptoms do not seem to improve, you should recheck your blood sugar levels. In case they are still low, it is advisable to take another 15 g of carbohydrates and wait 15 minutes. If symptoms persist, then you should consult a trusted doctor.
Exercising with diabetes
If you live with diabetes, you know that your body cannot produce enough insulin or use it in the correct way, causing your sugar levels to rise without much difficulty. Therefore, those with this condition usually take special medications to regulate sugar levels , the bad thing is that some of them can make the sugar drop too low during or after training .
Some medications, such as SGLT2 inhibitors, do not affect sugar levels during exercise, but others such as insulin or sulfonylureas can lead to hypoglycemia.
The best way to prevent these problems is to check your levels just before you start training and immediately after you finish. In the event that these are less than 100 mg / dl before starting, you should eat a small snack or drink fruit juice.
conclusion
Diseases such as diabetes are conditions that you have to learn to work with and live with, since they are usually for life. This does not mean that you stop exercising because you have diabetes, but rather that you must learn a few tricks so as not to harm your body in the process.
Remember to always check with your GP if you have questions about it.
References
- Fiona, M. 10 Symptoms of Low Blood Sugar After Exercise. For Livestrong. [Revised December 2019].
