Tingly toes and low blood sugar

[Jenn]

The other day I was running what is right now a long run for me, 6 miles. Around mile 3 or 4 the
toes in my left foot started tingling, like they had "fallen asleep." I walked for a bit and it was
better, but I wasn't sure why this would happen. Any insight anyone? Also, is it common for runners
to have low blood sugar? Just curious ... Thanks for your replies, have a good weekend!

[Wayne Conway]

Yes and Yes. Narrow toe boxes and deteriorating form toward the last of a long run (clawing with
toes especially) can tingle your tootsies. I've had the tingles at the beginning of runs also when
I've laced my shoes a little too tight. Feet tend to swell when running, so that could be another
possibility (along with socks or shoes that are too small). Inadequate fueling prior to (or during)
a long run can result in lower than normal blood sugars. That being said, diabetes complications can
have all the same symptoms you mention(I'm Type II myself). Not trying to alarm-just a thought.

Jenn wrote:
> The other day I was running what is right now a long run for me, 6 miles. Around mile 3 or 4 the
> toes in my left foot started tingling, like they had "fallen asleep." I walked for a bit and it
> was better, but I wasn't sure why this would happen. Any insight anyone? Also, is it common for
> runners to have low blood sugar? Just curious ... Thanks for your replies, have a good weekend!

--
Random number generation is too vital a task to be left to chance.

[Kaz Kylheku]

JARunner02@yahoo.com (Jenn) wrote in message
news:<275b62dc.0309191046.1a8b5af2@posting.google.com>...
> The other day I was running what is right now a long run for me, 6 miles. Around mile 3 or 4 the
> toes in my left foot started tingling, like they had "fallen asleep." I walked for a bit and it
> was better, but I wasn't sure why this would happen. Any insight anyone?

Probably cut off circulation, or some compression or irritation of the nerve. Check your shoes;
are the laces too tight? Are your shoes well fit? Are your muscles very tense? Is your gait
cramped or relaxed?

> Also, is it common for runners to have low blood sugar?

Not after mere six miles, unless you have an eating disorder or some other problem like diabetes!

[Hi]

On 19 Sep 2003 11:46:17 -0700, JARunner02@yahoo.com (Jenn) wrote:

>The other day I was running what is right now a long run for me, 6 miles. Around mile 3 or 4 the
>toes in my left foot started tingling, like they had "fallen asleep." I walked for a bit and it was
>better, but I wasn't sure why this would happen.

Pinched nerve, possibly in your back. See a chiropractor if it persists or gets worse.

>Any insight anyone? Also, is it common for runners to have low blood sugar?

No.

[Hi]

Hmm, maybe I stand corrected. Although it's unlikely it's the toe box in your shoe unless they are
new, or your foot suddenly grew or the shoes shrunk. Perhaps it's normal for diabetic runners to
have low blood sugar, but it's never happened to me or anyone I know of, nor have I read it on
here before.

On Fri, 19 Sep 2003 21:39:02 GMT, Wayne Conway <wfccxsi@tulsacoxmail.com> wrote:

>Yes and Yes. Narrow toe boxes and deteriorating form toward the last of a long run (clawing with
>toes especially) can tingle your tootsies. I've had the tingles at the beginning of runs also when
>I've laced my shoes a little too tight. Feet tend to swell when running, so that could be another
>possibility (along with socks or shoes that are too small). Inadequate fueling prior to (or during)
>a long run can result in lower than normal blood sugars. That being said, diabetes complications
>can have all the same symptoms you mention(I'm Type II myself). Not trying to alarm-just a thought.
>
>Jenn wrote:
>> The other day I was running what is right now a long run for me, 6 miles. Around mile 3 or 4 the
>> toes in my left foot started tingling, like they had "fallen asleep." I walked for a bit and it
>> was better, but I wasn't sure why this would happen. Any insight anyone? Also, is it common for
>> runners to have low blood sugar? Just curious ... Thanks for your replies, have a good weekend!

[Radioactive Man]

On 19 Sep 2003 11:46:17 -0700, JARunner02@yahoo.com (Jenn) wrote:

>The other day I was running what is right now a long run for me, 6 miles. Around mile 3 or 4 the
>toes in my left foot started tingling, like they had "fallen asleep." I walked for a bit and it was
>better, but I wasn't sure why this would happen. Any insight anyone? Also, is it common for runners
>to have low blood sugar? Just curious ... Thanks for your replies, have a good weekend!

Any exercise generally lowers blood sugar, sometimes after an initial spike. I am type 1 diabetic
and use insulin, so I am very much prone to this condition while running and even more so while
swimming. Keep in mind that in most cases, hypoglycmia (low blood sugar) is a side effect of
diabetes medications (both insulin and pills), thus is not common among non-diabetics.

In my case, the first symptom of hypoglycemia is a fairly sudden loss of speed and power, followed
by jitteryness. Every time I've checked my blood sugar with these symptoms, it has been in the 50's
or 60's. If you believe you have a problem with hypoglycemia, then you should purchase a blood
glucose monitor and test when the symptoms occur. Go to a general store and get one of the cheapest
models, which should not cost much over $30 for the monitor and supplies. If you find you're having
frequent or severe episodes of hypoglycemia, see a doctor. Just be sure to provide him/her with all
the data - what you ate, how far and fast you ran, and what were the resulting blood sugar levels.

[Knot]

On Sat, 20 Sep 2003 01:51:49 GMT, Radioactive Man <rm@rm.rm> wrote:

>On 19 Sep 2003 11:46:17 -0700, JARunner02@yahoo.com (Jenn) wrote:
>
>>The other day I was running what is right now a long run for me, 6 miles. Around mile 3 or 4 the
>>toes in my left foot started tingling, like they had "fallen asleep." I walked for a bit and it
>>was better, but I wasn't sure why this would happen. Any insight anyone? Also, is it common for
>>runners to have low blood sugar? Just curious ... Thanks for your replies, have a good weekend!
>
BTW, did this repeat itself? I would hope you aren't wasting our time on something that only
happened once.

[Wayne Conway]

Correcting anyone here never crossed my mind. My comments were (hopefully helpful)general responses
to a general question using knowledge gleaned from this group. As to the low blood sugar, I wasn't
referring to a hypoglycemic episode(as our old friend Rob Carr used to frequently mention). Merely
to levels which are considered below normal fasting levels (which hover somewhere between 100 & 120
mg/dl depending on the source).

Hi wrote:

> Hmm, maybe I stand corrected. Although it's unlikely it's the toe box in your shoe unless they are
> new, or your foot suddenly grew or the shoes shrunk. Perhaps it's normal for diabetic runners to
> have low blood sugar, but it's never happened to me or anyone I know of, nor have I read it on
> here before.

--
The generation of random numbers is too vital a task to be left to chance.

[Jenn]

No worries, I was not alarmed. Thanks for responding! My doctor thought I might have low blood sugar
at times when I have dizzy spells, and I think I read that running a lot uses up a lot of blood
glucose, too, and thought they might be related. What is Type II diabetes? What is considered proper
fueling, water, something like a power bar? I'm new to the longer runs. Thanks for the advice about
my toes I was a little concerned about that; I'll have to keep in mind my feet probably swell up
some. Thanks, have a good weekend :)

Wayne Conway <wfccxsi@tulsacoxmail.com> wrote in message
news:<WHKab.199$KJ4.99@news1.central.cox.net>...
> Yes and Yes. Narrow toe boxes and deteriorating form toward the last of a long run (clawing with
> toes especially) can tingle your tootsies. I've had the tingles at the beginning of runs also when
> I've laced my shoes a little too tight. Feet tend to swell when running, so that could be another
> possibility (along with socks or shoes that are too small). Inadequate fueling prior to (or
> during) a long run can result in lower than normal blood sugars. That being said, diabetes
> complications can have all the same symptoms you mention(I'm Type II myself). Not trying to
> alarm-just a thought.
>
> Jenn wrote:
> > The other day I was running what is right now a long run for me, 6 miles. Around mile 3 or 4 the
> > toes in my left foot started tingling, like they had "fallen asleep." I walked for a bit and it
> > was better, but I wasn't sure why this would happen. Any insight anyone? Also, is it common for
> > runners to have low blood sugar? Just curious ... Thanks for your replies, have a good weekend!

[Knot]

On 19 Sep 2003 21:10:13 -0700, JARunner02@yahoo.com (Jenn) wrote:

>No worries, I was not alarmed. Thanks for responding! My doctor thought I might have low blood
>sugar at times when I have dizzy spells, and I think I read that running a lot uses up a lot of
>blood glucose, too, and thought they might be related. What is Type II diabetes? What is considered
>proper fueling, water, something like a power bar? I'm new to the longer runs. Thanks for the
>advice about my toes I was a little concerned about that; I'll have to keep in mind my feet
>probably swell up some. Thanks, have a good weekend :)
>
You don't need powerturds or GA for runs under an hour to an hour and a half. Proper diet, training,
and some gatorade are all you need.

[Wayne Conway]

Type II Diabetes seems to be kind of a catch all for insulin producing individuals that can't keep
their blood glucose within normal ranges without intervention (intervention meaning diet and
excercise). The top culprit seems to be obesity and obviously diet. Seems that (for the sake of
simplicity) the body has trouble utilizing the insulin resources it has. Hypertension, cholesterol,
and tryglyceride problems are usually associated with the original diagnosis. For your distances, a
banana, bagel or small bowl of oatmeal an hour or so before a run should be more than sufficient. As
conditioning improves, pre-run fueling probably won't be a factor until you exceed an hour . After
that, it's a "whatever works for you". Sports drinks, powerbars, gels all have their good and bad
points. Experiment with socks, lacing etc. Focus on staying essentially erect and avoid the forward
lean that so often occurs at the point of fatigue. Hve fun.

Jenn wrote:
> No worries, I was not alarmed. Thanks for responding! My doctor thought I might have low blood
> sugar at times when I have dizzy spells, and I think I read that running a lot uses up a lot of
> blood glucose, too, and thought they might be related. What is Type II diabetes? What is
> considered proper fueling, water, something like a power bar? I'm new to the longer runs. Thanks
> for the advice about my toes I was a little concerned about that; I'll have to keep in mind my
> feet probably swell up some. Thanks, have a good weekend :)

--
Random number generation is too vital a task to be left to chance.