Issue 168 Item 14 Hot Weather And Diabetes

Hot Weather And Diabetes

In very hot weather insulin is absorbed more quickly from the injection site, so to avoid hypos (hypoglycaemia – low blood glucose levels), you may need to monitor your blood glucose more frequently and adjust your diet or insulin dosage. Talk to your healthcare team about this.

Extremes of temperature can affect your blood glucose meter, test strips and insulin. Keep your meter and test strips as close to normal room temperature as possible and out of direct sunlight, but don’t refrigerate them as cold temperatures can also lead to misleading results.

Insulin, in this hot weather especially, is best kept in the fridge or cool bag (taking care that it does not freeze). When damaged by heat, clear insulin generally becomes cloudy and cloudy insulin becomes grainy and sticks in the side of the glass. Insulin that has been exposed to bright sunlight sometimes has a brownish colour. Do not use insulin that shows these changes.

If you are sunbathing, remember that sunburn is dangerous for everyone, so you should avoid spending long periods in the sun, and use a high factor sun protection cream. This is especially important if you have any numbness in the feet, as you may not realise that you are burning. Long periods of inactivity lying on the beach may raise your blood glucose; again, regular monitoring is important.

If your blood glucose is high you may quickly become dehydrated in a hot climate – so you will need lots of sugar-free fluids to keep hydrated.

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