Last Updated on June 23, 2025 by Lauretta Iyamu, PharmD
Before planning an exercise program as a person with diabetes, you should know how physical exercise affects your insulin production and blood sugar levels. In this article, we’ll discuss the effects of exercise on insulin production.
Exercise and Insulin Production
If the amount of insulin circulating in the bloodstream is insufficient, glucose cannot get into the cells to provide them with enough energy. This results in an accumulation of glucose in the bloodstream. The result is that your muscles don’t get the glucose they require, and your blood glucose increases.
Additionally, if you exercise when your blood sugar is too high, you run the risk of ketoacidosis. Ketoacidosis is a diabetes condition that can be life-threatening.
If the insulin in your system is too much, your brain will mistakenly sense that there is sufficient sugar available for your muscle, so it slows its production of sugar.
At the same time, your muscles are using all or most of the available sugar, which makes your blood sugar level drop.
This effect is not good either for your health.
As much as possible, you should prevent yourself from falling into hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia while exercising.
Remember always to take the necessary precautions. For example, always test your blood sugar immediately before or after exercise. Also, test your ketones before you begin exercising.
Ketones are substances your body produces when it starts to burn fatty acids. Check your ketone if your blood sugar is above 240mg/dl. It would be best if you did not exercise until this problem was corrected. If you are diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, you should not exercise if your blood sugar is 400mg/dl or greater.
References
- Bird SR, Hawley JA. Update on the effects of physical activity on insulin sensitivity in humans. BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med [Internet]. 2017 Mar 1 [cited 2022 Dec 21];2(1):e000143. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5569266/
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