Since I have not been able to run, my insulin needs have increased. My basal rates are higher than they were because I am not exercising. However, I've noticed something: I feel like I have better control of my numbers now that I am not exercising, which is weird.
There were many nights when my blood sugar would increase between 2 and 4 am, at which point my CGM would alarm and wake me up. I would test and often be higher than what was on my sensor. But then on other nights I would be fine. It was a mystery to me.
When I look at my blood sugar trends over 24-hour periods, I see only small increases or decreases in my numbers - which i like. I have not been high at night once since I have stopped running. In fact, my trend lines are so straight I often wonder if they are correct. But, when I test in the morning my pump has been right on, which leads me to believe that they are accurate.
I began thinking about why this was...was running part of my nighttime trouble? I am a late afternoon/early evening runner, so did the time effect my blood sugars? I recently read on Phil Southerland's blog that he takes 3 units of insulin right after his run to avoid going high. Maybe I was going high later on because of my run? However, that just doesn't seem right to me.
Hmm...I'll keep wondering what the deal is. In the meantime, I am hoping that my blood sugars remain level.
My life as a runner, perfectionist, athlete, 20-something, and type 1 diabetic.
I remember reading a study that showed that doing a hundred-meter dash as fast as possible before doing moderate or intense exercise reduced the occurrence of post-exercise glucose elevation.
ReplyDeleteIt can't hurt to try, unless you're as out of shape as I am, but I really don't think that's the case!