Hi All,
In light of the current 'HEATWAVE'. I thought this might help shed a little light on how insulin is absorbed...Hope this helps,
The absorption of insulin from the injection site can be influenced by a number of factors. Heat will increase the absorption. If the room temperature increases from 20c to 30c (68-95f), the speed of absorption of short acting insulin will increase by 50-60%. Taking a bath or a sauna at a temperature of 85c (118f) may increase the absorption by as much as 110%!. In other words, you could be at risk of hypoglycaemia if you inject short acting insulin shortly before taking a hot bath. A temperature of just 42c (108f) in a shower, spa, bath or jacuzzi may double the insulin level in your blood, while a cold bath 22c (72f) will decrease the absorption of insulin. Massage of the injection site for 30 minutes has been found to give higher insulin levels and lower blood glucose, with both short and long acting insulins.
The skin temperature is also important. In one study, the same insulin injection gave twice the concentration in blood after 45 minutes when a skin temperature of 37c was compared to that of 30c (same room temperature) In the same study, individuals with a thicker subcutaneous fat layer (10 mm) had lower insulin doses than those with a thin subcutaneous fat layer (2 mm).
Stay cool....
Heidi
🙂
In light of the current 'HEATWAVE'. I thought this might help shed a little light on how insulin is absorbed...Hope this helps,
The absorption of insulin from the injection site can be influenced by a number of factors. Heat will increase the absorption. If the room temperature increases from 20c to 30c (68-95f), the speed of absorption of short acting insulin will increase by 50-60%. Taking a bath or a sauna at a temperature of 85c (118f) may increase the absorption by as much as 110%!. In other words, you could be at risk of hypoglycaemia if you inject short acting insulin shortly before taking a hot bath. A temperature of just 42c (108f) in a shower, spa, bath or jacuzzi may double the insulin level in your blood, while a cold bath 22c (72f) will decrease the absorption of insulin. Massage of the injection site for 30 minutes has been found to give higher insulin levels and lower blood glucose, with both short and long acting insulins.
The skin temperature is also important. In one study, the same insulin injection gave twice the concentration in blood after 45 minutes when a skin temperature of 37c was compared to that of 30c (same room temperature) In the same study, individuals with a thicker subcutaneous fat layer (10 mm) had lower insulin doses than those with a thin subcutaneous fat layer (2 mm).
Stay cool....
Heidi
🙂