Why does my sugar sometimes spike after exercise?
Answered by the AskDoc Medical Team · Medically reviewed under our Medical Director, MBBS
Hard, intense exercise triggers adrenaline, which tells the liver to dump glucose for fuel. In diabetes the insulin response cannot fully catch that dump, so a sprint session or heavy lifting can briefly raise sugar instead of lowering it.
Gentle steady movement, walking, cycling, swimming, almost always lowers it.
The spike usually settles within an hour or two, and training still improves sugar control overall. Log the pattern and share it; sometimes timing of food or medicine around workouts needs a tweak.
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