Having diabetes and playing pickleball or engaging in any type of exercise can have a dramatic effect on blood sugar levels. It’s very important to keep your blood sugar levels in check while exercising. Start preparing one hour prior to playing to ensure you are ready to handle unfavorable sugar levels. Here are some helpful tips that work for me. Note: this is not medical advice and prior to starting any exercise routines you should consult with your personal physician.
Carb up!
Raise your target blood sugar before you start playing, because you usually drop 50-100 points over the course of a 1-hour medium-intensity workout. If you’re below this range before playing, eat a power bar, yogurt, or any other snack to raise your blood sugar. Experimentation is key as to what snacks work best.
Exercise Basal Rate!
It is also important to note that wearing an insulin pump during pickleball play is ideal for precisely managing blood glucose levels. An Insulin Pump – coupled with a continuous glucose monitoring device (CGM) – makes it possible to anticipate and monitor fluctuations, and easily balance out glucose intake and the dose of insulin that needs to be administered to stay within optimal levels. Your optimal level during play is based on your personal preference, but many like to keep it around 150. Keeping an eye on your glucose levels and using the CGM ensures you stay within that level and with the pump, you can quickly adjust as needed.
With the Tandem T-Slim pump you can create a new Personal Profile to use during exercise. Based on your own needs and “experimenting”, you’ll want to set this basal rate lower than your normal one. Start at 50% and increase or decrease as needed to keep your levels at your optimal number. Additionally, you may want to disable the Control-IQ to keep the pump from automatically giving a bolus during play.
Many have reported little success with using build in Exercise and sleep activity with the T-Slim pump. Try these, as they may work for you. Again, experiment with your basal rate and other settings to find what works best for you.
Be Aware of the “Rebound” effect!
When you exercise, your body uses glucose as fuel. When glucose is depleted, your body turns to glycogen stores for energy. One place Glycogen is stored is in muscles and that comes from carbohydrates in the foods you eat and drink. Strenuous exercise depletes the glycogen stored in your muscles, causing the body to metabolize fat for energy. This may contribute to a sudden drop in blood sugar after exercise. After pickleball play is over I immediately reactivate my normal basal rate and turn the Control-IQ back on. The pump may deliver a bolus dose if your levels are high, which can cause glucose levels to drop. Be cognizant of this and monitor glucose levels closely. I call this the “Rebound” effect.
Final Note!
Remember, we are not all the same and what works for one will not always work for all. Work with your doctor and try different settings, foods, and routines to find what works for you. Exercise is a key ingredient to properly managing your diabetes.
We control our diabetes; diabetes does not control us!