Swimming and Diabetes

Swimming is a great exercise and not exempt for people who have diabetes. The physical effect of regular swimming makes it a great exercise for relaxing the muscles, especially if you have prediabetes or have a high risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Swimming is a great way of managing diabetes because it requires lots of cardiovascular exercise.

Diabetes makes it difficult for the body to produce insulin that helps to carry sugar from the blood to the cells where they are needed for energy. However, imbibing a healthy diet and lifestyle helps to curtail these challenges.

In this article, we will be sharing how swimming and diabetes relate.

Is it Safe for Diabetic Patients to Swim?

Yes, it is safe for diabetic people to swim. Swimming helps to relieve stress, especially those that come with diabetes. Exercise can help manage your diabetes, but this depends on the type of exercise you practice.

Swimming helps to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes. It also helps to increase one's sensitivity to insulin and can help maintain a healthy weight as it contributes to weight loss.

People often worry that swimming can lower sugar too much, resulting in the risk of developing hypoglycemia.

For this reason, diabetic people who take medications such as insulin are advised to adjust their dosage on the day they intend to go for a swim. This can cause your blood sugar to be lower than normal.

Although the result is different for everyone, it is advisable that you contact your diabetes healthcare team for advice.

Also, when swimming, insulin sensitivity increases about 24 to 48 hours after swimming. So people who treat their diabetic conditions with insulin stand a large chance of developing low blood sugar.

Insulin sensitivity is determined by how much the body uses insulin to reduce your blood sugar level. For this reason, people with low sensitivity need higher insulin than those with high sensitivity.

Conclusion

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Conclusion

Managing swimming and diabetes is easy. Swimming is an excellent form of exercise for diabetic patients as it helps to regulate the blood sugar level.

However, it can also result in low blood sugar, so you have to be careful if you take medications like insulin. Also, ensure to consult your doctor before swimming, especially in an open pool.