# Beat Saber



## Leaderofthecats (Mar 22, 2021)

Does anyone else here play Beat Saber? 

Lots of people with diabetes are reporting excellent results for weight loss and blood sugar improvement, as a result of playing Beat Saber. 

A recent mod came out which uses blood pump results to create statistics about this, so there's suddenly loads of interesting data available. 

To me, it seems like an excellent option for interval or full burst cardio. 

Just remember to stretch your arms first!


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## Leaderofthecats (Mar 23, 2021)

And if you're T2, be careful of BS spikes!

I didn't know that was a thing until recently and just about crapped my pants because I thought exercise would lower my BS but after a tbf ridiculous 1.5 hour long Beat Saber session which I'm amazed didn't finish me off, it went from 10.5 mmol/L to 16.5 mmol/L

Much to my relief, an hour later it was 8.5 mmol/L... But nobody ever told me this was how exercise works, so it was a bit alarming at the time as Google says you're not supposed to exercise if your BS is over 13.8 mmol/L

This whole arrangement sounds like BS to me, but hey ho.


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## Thebearcametoo (Mar 23, 2021)

My eldest loves Beat Saber and it’s certainly a good work out judging by the state of him after he’s been playing for a while  I love that they’re looking at diabetes data

But yes exercise can cause a spike especially if it’s adrenaline fuelled and as Beat Saber uses upper body more than thighs and bum it’s working your cardio a lot but not using your big muscles in a way that (often) lowers BG a lot. It will help you manage your glucose levels overall but there may be short term spikes. Also if you’re dehydrated from sweating loads then you will read higher. Keep well hydrated and see if that helps.


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## trophywench (Mar 23, 2021)

(First time I've ever heard of it ......)


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## helli (Mar 23, 2021)

The important thing to remember about exercise is that it is not all equal.
_Some _exercise may cause your blood sugars to rise but some many cause them to fall. 

It depends on the type of exercise, how long you do it, how fit you are at _that _exercise and how intense you take it. 

My usual example is cycling
- if I speed along the flat as fast as I can, my blood sugars go down. 
- if I crawl up a steep hill in the pouring rain with the wind against me, my blood sugars go up
- if I pootle along the tow path chatting to my mates, my blood sugars stay the same
- if I do short hard sprints followed by rests, my blood sugars go up. 
- if I cycled more often and was fitter, I would not be crawling up the hill and my blood sugars may not be affected

So, just because Beat Saber makes your blood sugars rise, don't be put off all exercise.


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## Leaderofthecats (Mar 24, 2021)

Well, overall it caused a noticeable BS drop.
I forgot an important point, this was started 10 minutes after eating so usually I'd expect a BS rise - but it was lower than when I started. 
 I'm pretty chuffed with it tbh.


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## Leaderofthecats (Mar 24, 2021)

Dehydration! Why do doctors not tell people this kind of thing? That could well be my problem. After all that horrendous diarrhea taking Metaformin then trying to exercise to lower my blood sugar, it really wouldn't surprise me if I'm dehydrated. Before that I was being sick frequently, also exacerbated by Metaformin. 
Even eating nothing except steamed broccoli for a meal causes it to rise then it takes hours to drop and won't go lower than about 9 mmol/L usually. 

I'm going to try gentle trampolining and see about drinking lots of water. Thankyou for the suggestion.


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## Leaderofthecats (Mar 24, 2021)

I do lots of dancing about and using my not insubstantial backside as a metronome and such, and there are lots of squats and such especially on the FitBeat levels. I think my lower body gets at least as much exercise playing Beat Saber as it would while having a walk.

But ymmv.
I know a 20 year old guy who awkwardly stands almost totally still and just wiggles his arms to play, but it's not really my scene.

 I used to dance and pose even while playing Guitar Hero lol.


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## Leaderofthecats (Mar 24, 2021)

So this must be why you're not meant to give Metaformin to people who are dehydrated or have chronic vomiting, right? Because the explosive diarrhea and extra vomiting that my doctor hilariously didn't warn me about probably compounds high blood sugar caused by dehydration and just makes the situation worse?

So chugging drinks like water , herbal tea and those fancy cold tea infusions is likely to help matters somewhat? 
Is this something to do with diabetics having high sugar urine? Because we pee some of it out when the blood glucose is elevated? Is that how this works, please?


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## Leaderofthecats (Mar 24, 2021)

Oh my God, yes! 
You were 110% correct. 
You've saved me from so much hardship and borderline insanity. I must have been dehydrated. I had no idea it would have such a huge effect on blood glucose, I thought I'd start getting really thirsty or knackered or something before dehydration became any real issue ... but evidently not! 

What an absolute game changer. 
Thanks again!!!


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## Thebearcametoo (Mar 24, 2021)

Yeah keeping well hydrated is important and will help give you a more accurate idea of what your glucose levels are doing. And will go some of the way to counteract the metformin side effects  (do keep your DSN or GP in the loop if the side effects of the metformin are severe as there may be other formulations available or different medication).


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