Diabetes Tips for Warmer Weather
Living with Diabetes can be tough, however, it can make it much harder for the human body to handle extreme heat and high humidity. Temperatures that register 80°F or higher mixed with humidity, may seriously affect testing supplies, diabetes medications, and most importantly, your health. As Spring and Summer arrive, let’s discuss some tips for people living with Diabetes in warmer weather.
How to Minimize Your Risks
For those who manage diabetes, particularly people taking medications and insulin, here is a list of tips to minimize risk during hot weather.
Warmer weather can have an adverse effect on your glucose levels and may also increase the absorption of any fast-acting insulin. This means you may be checking your levels more frequently and may have to make more adjustments to your food and insulin intake as the day goes on.
Stay hydrated! Always drink more fluids than you need to avoid dehydration and try to stay away from sugary drinks.
Verify all inserts in your medications to see how warmer temperatures can affect them. Keep your medications on or near you when you’re away from home, and keep them protected from extreme heat.
Don’t store insulin in an area of direct sunlight or inside a hot car. It’ll stay cooler if it’s in a cooler, but be careful not to keep it too close to the cooling source. This way it’ll maintain its consistency and effectiveness.
Check your glucose meter and test strip packages for directions that mention summer heat and high humidity. Don’t ever leave them in a hot car, a pool deck, or on a beach.
Heat can severely damage pumps and other equipment. Don’t ever leave a disconnected pump or your supplies in direct sunlight.
Try to ensure all of your physical activity is in an air-conditioned area. Or you could exercise outside earlier or later in the day when it’s not so hot.
Following these tips or your doctors’ orders can help prevent diabetes-related illnesses or overheating in warmer weather.
Managing Your Diabetes in Maryland
If you need help managing your diabetes, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Bowie Internal Health. We are committed to treating any conditions you may have, as well as preventing further health complications through preventative care. For more information, please contact our office to schedule an appointment or ask any questions.