To help prevent and treat lows, always carry snacks or drinks with carbs (like glucose tablets or fruit juice) that can quickly raise your sugar levels. And remember, it may take some time to figure out what works best for you to stop or treat low glucose. Diabetes Research, Education, Advocacy. ADA| https://diabetes.org/health-wellness/fitness/exercise-and-type-1|https://diabetes.org/health-wellness/fitness/exercise-and-type-1 Below are simple guides to help you navigate the prevention and treatment of low blood glucose.
Simple Guide for Preventing Low Blood Glucose During Exercise Andrews, R. Type 1 diabetes and exercise. https://extod.org/downloads/Exercise-and-Diabetes-7.11.19-1.pdf|https://extod.org/downloads/Exercise-and-Diabetes-7.11.19-1.pdf
If your glucose levels drop below 126 mg/dL (7.0 mmol/L) during exercise, it’s usually a good idea to eat fast-acting carbs (about 3-20 grams) to stop it from getting too low. Keep checking your glucose closely and eat more carbs every 20-30 minutes, as needed. Moser O, Riddell MC, Eckstein ML, et al. Glucose management for exercise using continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) and intermittently scanned CGM (isCGM) systems in type 1 diabetes: position statement of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) and of the International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes (ISPAD) endorsed by JDRF and supported by the American Diabetes Association (ADA). Diabetologia.|https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33047169///
Simple Guide for Treating Low Blood Glucose During Exercise
If glucose levels drop below 70 mg/dl (3.9 mmol/L) during exercise, fast-acting carbohydrates (approximately 10-30 grams) are generally recommended to treat the low. Continue to monitor glucose closely (based on the number and trend arrows) and repeat every 20-30 minutes, as needed.
Examples of snacks with around 15 grams of fast-acting carbohydrates: Treating Low Blood Sugar. ucsfhealth.org. Accessed July 10, 2024. https://www.ucsfhealth.org/education/treating-low-blood-sugar|https://www.ucsfhealth.org/education/treating-low-blood-sugar/
The snacks mentioned above are quickly absorbed and will raise glucose levels fast. Foods with more protein or fat usually don’t raise glucose levels quickly, so they should be avoided if you’re trying to prevent or treat lows.Adolfsson P, Taplin CE, Zaharieva DP, Pemberton J, Davis EA, Riddell MC, McGavock J, Moser O, Szadkowska A, Lopez P, Santiprabhob J, Frattolin E, Griffiths G, DiMeglio LA. ISPAD Clinical Practice Consensus Guidelines 2022: Exercise in children and adolescents with diabetes. Pediatr Diabetes. 2022 Dec;23(8):1341-1372. doi: 10.1111/pedi.13452. PMID: 36537529; PMCID: PMC10107219.|https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10107219//Riddell MC, Gallen IW, Smart CE, Taplin CE, Adolfsson P, Lumb AN, Kowalski A, Rabasa-Lhoret R, McCrimmon RJ, Hume C, Annan F, Fournier PA, Graham C, Bode B, Galassetti P, Jones TW, Millán IS, Heise T, Peters AL, Petz A, Laffel LM. Exercise management in type 1 diabetes: a consensus statement. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2017 May;5(5):377-390. doi: 10.1016/S2213-8587(17)30014-1. Epub 2017 Jan 24. Erratum in: Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2017 May;5(5):e3. do.|https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28126459//
* If you use an automated insulin delivery (AID) system, you might need fewer carbs to prevent or treat lows. The AID system lowers insulin delivery when your glucose starts to drop.