Warren County Guide to Physical Activity

Beating the HIGH’s and LOW’s of Blood Sugar!

 Exercise is natural medication!

Exercise is a key part to a diabetes treatment plan and helps keep blood sugars in a healthy range.  However, check your blood sugar before and after exercise because people with diabetes can experience low blood sugars during and after exercise.  If you haven’t eaten food 90 minutes prior to exercise, eat a snack. Some symptoms to watch for when exercising or when not exercising are listed below.

 High blood Sugar symptoms:

Thirsty                              Headache                       Slow healing wounds  

Blurry vision                           Nausea                      Urination 

Causes:                                  

Too much food, too little medication, sickness, infection or stress, less exercise than normal

 Treatment:

Check urine for ketones, drink plenty of sugar-free liquids, call your doctor.

 Low Blood Sugar symptoms:

Tired                                 Irritable                                Confused          

Headache                          Weak                                     Dizzy

Sweaty                              Shaky                                                 

 Causes:  too little food, too much medication, extra exercise

 Treatment:

Check blood sugar.  If you can’t check but have low blood sugar symptoms, treat anyway!

Follow the rule of 15:

1.      Eat 15 grams of carbohydrate

2.      Wait 15 minutes

3.      Retest blood sugar

 If blood sugar is still low and you still have symptoms, repeat Rule of 15.  Food should be eaten within the next hour. 

15 gram of carbohydrate examples:  3-4 glucose tablets, 15g glucose gel, ½ cup juice or regular soft drink, 1 cup milk, or 3 hard candies chewed up and swallowed.