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Low BG after cycling

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piw1uk

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Hi All,

Just got home after a long commute in the heat and felt bit rotten. BG was at 4, which is low for me.

I'd eaten daal and protein bits for lunch (600 calories), had an ice cream about 1.5 hrs before ( only second sweet / dessert since prediabetic diagnosis in May), 3 prunes before riding and loads of water. Can confirm not dehydrated (pee OK!!). I would have thought my BG should be up. Ride about 1hr 15.

Anyone else get this? Is it unusual to happen? Can heat/heat exhaustion affect BG?

Ta!

Paul
 
4 is a perfectly normal reading for someone who is presumably not on BG lowering meds. Exercise and the heat can make you more insulin sensitive and of course you will have been burning up glucose with the cycling, so that is a good result. Your liver has stores that it will release to bring you up if you go any lower, so being at that level should not be a concern.
 
piw1uk said:
Hi All,

Just got home after a long commute in the heat and felt bit rotten. BG was at 4, which is low for me.

I'd eaten daal and protein bits for lunch (600 calories), had an ice cream about 1.5 hrs before ( only second sweet / dessert since prediabetic diagnosis in May), 3 prunes before riding and loads of water. Can confirm not dehydrated (pee OK!!). I would have thought my BG should be up. Ride about 1hr 15.

Anyone else get this? Is it unusual to happen? Can heat/heat exhaustion affect BG?

Ta!

Paul
Click to expand...
The heat can certainly affect you but unless you are taking any medication then your liver should kick in and glucose will be released. You may not have been as hydrated as you thought given the extreme heat. It can sometimes be a lack of salt and electrolyte balance will be out of wack.
 
Cheers all. Maybe it was an electrolyte/hydrated thing.

Not on any meds, my average morning BG before any food or drink is 5.6mmol/l and generally when I bonk on the bike is when it's gone below 4, hence I thought 4 is low.

Luckily we don't get too many heatwaves so hopefully won't be a problem!!
 
Don’t worry about it. I got into the 3s after exercise but it quickly recovers naturally.
 
piw1uk said:
Hi All,

Just got home after a long commute in the heat and felt bit rotten. BG was at 4, which is low for me.

I'd eaten daal and protein bits for lunch (600 calories), had an ice cream about 1.5 hrs before ( only second sweet / dessert since prediabetic diagnosis in May), 3 prunes before riding and loads of water. Can confirm not dehydrated (pee OK!!). I would have thought my BG should be up. Ride about 1hr 15.

Anyone else get this? Is it unusual to happen? Can heat/heat exhaustion affect BG?

Ta!

Paul
Click to expand...
I've been a keen cyclist since long before I became diabetic and - like all keen cyclists - I experienced 'the bonk' many times. The small amount that you ate would have been a recipe for the bonk with me - but perhaps I'm just greedy.

Of course I don't know how low my blood sugar went at those times but it certainly felt very much like when I have a hypo nowadays (I'm on insulin). The difference is, though, if you're not taking medication such as insulin, your body will sort itself out (possibly with the aid of chocolate!).
 
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