As temperatures begin to rise, you may have trouble keeping your blood sugar levels within a healthy range.
But does a hot climate actually lower your blood sugar levels or does it feel like that?
This article explains the relationship between hot climate and hypoglycemia levels.
What causes low blood sugar levels?
Taking insulin can lower blood sugar levels.
If this happens, it means that you have taken too much insulin for the food you ate.
Hypoglycemia can also occur if you forget to eat or experience hormonal changes that can make insulin more sensitive and make your blood sugar levels more likely to tolerate.
When people with diabetes take insulin, it is an incessant balance between determining the amount of insulin needed for the activities they do with the food they eat. This can be difficult!
If you have diabetes, it is common to experience hypoglycemia levels. It is part of everyday life.
The average person with type 1 diabetes experiences two episodes of hypoglycemia per week.
If you do not take insulin exogenously for diabetes management, you may experience hypoglycemia levels from the period of fasting, a low carbohydrate diet, large exercise, and regular hormonal changes.
However, you are not prone to hypoglycemia levels, and experiencing hypoglycemia is less likely to become severe.
What are the symptoms of hypoglycemia?
It is essential to know the signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia levels. These include:
- Shakakkes
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
- confusion
- sweating
- Rapid heart rate
- Nervous
- Hungry
- It’s hard to concentrate
- I’m irritated
Symptoms of severe hypoglycemia include:
- Unclear speech
- Confused thoughts
- Unconscious
- Crucifixion
- Panel
- In rare cases, death
If someone you know is experiencing severe hypoglycemia, call 911.
Glucagon is administered to prevent coma and death.
This is considered a medical emergency that requires immediate attention and professional medical assistance.
Does summer fever lower blood sugar levels?
Heat and humidity may appear to crash blood glucose levels, but this is only possible if your system has active insulin.
However, fever can cause blood vessels to dilate.
This increases the absorption of insulin, lowers blood glucose levels, and in some cases, a collision of blood glucose.
If you are on board a boat and outside the heat and humidity where active insulin is present, you may be more likely to experience hypoglycemic levels.
This can also occur when you take a hot tub, sauna, hot shower, or when your body temperature rises from exercise.
Prevents hypoglycemia during fever
There are several important ways to help prevent episodes of hypoglycemia from occurring in the heat.
While it may not be possible to prevent all hypoglycemia, it may be helpful to use the following strategies:
- It is best to stay away from the heat and humidity during the hottest months of the day
- When you are in hot water such as a hot tub or shower, make sure your system does not contain much insulin
- If you can eat extra snacks before you get into the fever, it will help you maintain your blood sugar levels to eat things with fat and protein
- Drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration
- Always double-check the amount of insulin you are injecting twice before you take it
- You count carbohydrates so you have a better sense of how your snacks and diet affect your blood sugar levels
- Wear continuous glucose monitors that can closely track blood glucose levels and treat hypoglycemia before it becomes dangerous
- Avoid drinking alcohol known to cause hypoglycemia
- Store extra snacks nearby to treat emergency hypoglycemia levels and carry glucagon wherever you go
What is dangerously low blood sugar?
Hypoglycemia can be dangerous at all levels. However, some people can function normally when their blood sugar levels are low, while others cannot.
Anything below 40 mg/dl is considered a severe hypoglycemia level, and is at a higher risk of seizures, diabetes coma, and death.
This severe hypoglycemia requires immediate treatment with fast-acting glucose (such as orange juice or sugar).
If the person has hypoglycemia below 40 mg/dL, call 911 after administering glucagon.
What should I do if I can’t raise my blood sugar level?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends treating hypoglycemic levels with rules of 15-15.
This involves eating and drinking 15 minutes of carbohydrates, and testing your blood sugar levels after 15 minutes to see if it’s rising.
CDC recommends repeating the process until your blood sugar levels are in a healthy range.
If you can eat or drink, continue doing this until your blood sugar levels rise.
Examples of snacks with 15 grams of carbohydrates include:
- 4oz of juice or regular soda
- 1 tablespoon sugar, honey or syrup
- 3-4 glucose tablets
- Glucose Gel Tube
However, if your system has a lot of insulin, or if you are unable to chew or swallow, you should administer emergency injection glucagon and call 911 for medical assistance.
Is hypoglycemia fatal?
Unfortunately, yes.
Many people who lose consciousness and fall into the diabetic coma from hypoglycemia experience brain damage and sometimes death. This happens rarely, but it happens.
This is why it is important to treat hypoglycemia quickly before it becomes dangerous.
Always check your blood sugar levels while eating, before exercise, before exercise, before exercise, before exercise, before exercise, and after exercise, especially in the hot weather and summer heat.
How can you stay healthy in the summer heat?
It is possible to maintain good health in the summer heat.
The following tips may be helpful:
- Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated (dehydrated makes you more likely to experience high blood sugar)
- Always wear sunscreen
- Please wear a hat
- Stay in the shade
- Monitor your blood sugar levels, especially before, during and after exercise
- If possible, try using air conditioners to exercise indoors.
- Always carry an emergency low snack
- Always carry glucagon with you
- Wear light, breathable clothing
- Store your medicines, especially insulin, in a cool place (do not leave insulin in a hot car)
- Maintains diabetes supply, including continuous glucose monitor (CGM) and insulin pump supply, in a cool, dry place
