Type 1 Diabetes and Exercise

1. Type 1 Diabetes and Exercise Lacy Granzow

2. What is it? • disorder of the immune system that makes it difficult for the body to produce insulin • Without insulin, the body cannot convert sugar from food into glucose • excess sugar builds up in the blood stream and may eventually cause severe damage to organs and premature death

3. strikes children primarily and also adults suddenly • requires supplemental insulin along with carefully regimented diet and exercise to manage properly • Autoimmune and genetic

4. immune system attacks and destroys cells in the pancreas • These cells, called beta cells, are contained within small islands of endocrine cells called the pancreatic islets. • Beta cells normally produce insulin, a hormone that helps the body move the glucose contained in food into cells throughout the body, which use it for energy.

5. Beta cells • When the beta cells are destroyed, no insulin can be produced and the glucose stays in the blood instead where it can cause serious damage to all the organ systems of the body • multiple injections daily of insulin or having insulin delivered through an insulin pump is needed

6. Hypoglycemia-blood sugar can drop below about 60 or 65 milligrams per deciliter. • Symptoms are some shakiness, feeling of hunger, maybe a little racing of the heart but if they eat something it goes away right away.

7. Hyperglycemia- if blood sugar gets up above 180 to 200, then it exceeds the capacity of the kidneys to reabsorb the glucose and glucose begins to spill into the urine • Symptoms include tingling around the mouth, rapid heartbeat, dizziness or shakiness, feeling disoriented or confused, having a hard time focusing or concentrating, clumsiness, headache, pale color, mood or behavior changes, as well as seizure or coma in severe cases

8. High Intensity exercise • Can cause dramatic elevations in catecholamines, free fatty acids and ketone bodies, which impair muscle glucose utilization • Raises blood glucose levels- hyperglycemia • Can last about an hour and can be reversed with fast acting insulin

9. Nerve Damage • caused by decreased blood flow and high blood sugar levels • Nerve injuries may affect nerves in the skull, also known as cranial nerves, nerves from the spinal column and their branches, and also the nerves that help your body manage vital organs, such as the heart, bladder, stomach, and intestines. • Damage to these nerves in your heart and blood vessels may cause you to feel light-headed when you stand up, have a fast heart rate and notice angina. • Exercising with chest pain can be very uncomfortable and is not advised. The chest pain is a sign that nerves to the heart may be damaged and exercise can make this worse.

10. Foot Ulcers • As a result of nerve damage, individuals may have increased risk for developing foot sores, or ulcers. • Foot ulcers are the most common reason for hospital stays for people with diabetes. • It may take weeks or even several months for foot ulcers to heal. • Foot ulcers are partly caused by damage to the nerves in the feet and too much pressure on one part of the foot and exercise will only add more pressure on the feet causing the ulcer to not be able to heal or possibly become worse.

11. Retinopathy • The retina is a group of specialized cells that convert light as it enters though the lens into images. The eye nerve or optic nerve transmits visual information to the brain. • Pressure damages the small vessels and leads to loss of vision

12. Why exercise? • The number one reason for people with type 1 diabetes to exercise is to help lower blood glucose levels. • During exercise the muscles pull glucose from the bloodstream and use it to continue to exercise, this in return lowers the amount of glucose in the bloodstream and therefore lowering blood glucose levels.

13. Benefits of exercise • exercise program is followed and maintained it can increase insulin sensitivity making it much easier for the body to regulate blood glucose levels • Keeping levels steady can help increase the amount of exercise that can be done, which in return can help manage weight.

14. Quality of life • Improving the quality of life and sense of wellbeing • When exercise can reduces the risk for complications and that reduces the stress on the body not only physically but mentally • The individual will worry less about the disease and this will improve mental health and reduces stress on the body and lead to even more health benefits.

15. Types of Exercise • aerobic exercises include walking, running, and swimming are good • Strength training is beneficial because stronger muscles will help you burn more calories at rest, get around better, have better balance, and strengthen your bones • It is important to stretch after exercise because regular stretching will make you more flexible and help prevent muscle soreness from aerobic and strengthening exercises.

16. Precautions for exercise • Blood glucose levels must be closely monitored • If an individual has diabetic eye problems, lifting heavy weights can put extra pressure on the blood vessels in your eyes causing more damage. • High-impact exercises can cause more severe damage to the nerves in the feet. If nerve damage has caused numbness in your feet, it is recommended that a low-impact aerobic exercise like swimming instead of running is used to gain the benefits of exercise.