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Sunshine and its effects on you

jtg1964

jtg1964

Active Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Pronouns
She/Her
Good morning
The weather is beautiful. I'm going abroad in June.Type 1 on insulin anyone had any issues sitting out in the sun. I'm playing golf aswell whilst out there...feeling a bit apprehensive.
Jill
 
Good morning @jtg1964; my experience is that warmer weather reduces my natural insulin resistance, so any insulin on board works better and more effectively. Thus a noticeably increased tendency to go low. Dehydration can worsen this effect; but also dehydration can make one's sensor less reliable. I think when getting dehydrated our brain looks for any source of water and the interstitial cells (where your sensor is located) are an easy target - hence potentially unreliable sensor readings.

It is all manageable, despite the T1 and insulin dependency. Sensible, steady, activity levels will help; stay shaded wherever possible. Expect to need less insulin because of the increased golf and less because of the constant warmer weather, by day and night. I don't know what insulins you are taking, but ask your Consultant and/or DSN for guidance on dose adjustments. Get a Frio bag to keep your meds cool; don't blindly trust hotel room fridges - overwhelmed or frozen insulin will be unusable.

Enjoy. I regularly travel to the Mediterranean, but have the benefit of staying with our son - so I can plan, pace and broadly control how such trips progress.
 
I definitely have more hypos on warmer days, I think partly because of the heat and partly because I tend to be more active on nice days. I'm lucky I can put a lower temporary basal rate on my pump to counteract it somewhat, and I just make sure to keep checking in on my levels.
 
I think it depends how you feel with the heat.
If you like it, it will probably reduce your BG
If you dislike the heat, the discomfort may increase your BG.
Obviously, playing golf is exercise so likely to reduce your BG regardless of the weather.

I suggest you prepare for all eventualities - take plenty of hypo treatment and plenty of insulin. The insulin may need something like a Frio wallet to keep it cool when on the golf course in the heat of the day
 
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I have lower blood sugars when it's warm and particularly when I'm in the sun. I find I need less insulin and I carry more glucose and snacks with me. It's definitely manageable and a good excuse for an ice cream when on holiday (don't shoot me down everyone, the odd treat does no harm in my opinion, life is to be enjoyed!)
 
If it’s really hot, I find my insulin can be absorbed a bit quicker and I can go low. However, some days when it’s super-hot I go high. The moral is to be prepared for both.

@Natalie123 Why would anyone have a go at you for eating an ice cream? It’s fine 🙂 I quite often have ice cream when it’s hot. Indeed, when I was first diagnosed more than 30 years ago, ice cream was one of the desserts they gave me in hospital. Eat and enjoy!
 
It's more about heat than sunshine, I find. I've had to reduce my basal quite a bit since the warmer weather arrived and I'm finding that what I would class as "normal activity", eg changing the bed, sends me low quite quickly.
I never sit in the sun - my OH has had way too many skin cancers for it to be worth risking.
 
Natalie123 said:
(don't shoot me down everyone, the odd treat does no harm in my opinion, life is to be enjoyed!
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No need to feel that there would be disapproval for having an ice cream. We just need to match the insulin needed. Yesterday we did a long walk (for us) which the first for ages. At lunch time I had the first pasty I have had for years. The seller looked up the carbs for me (60!!!!) and I enjoyed every mouthful. When we stopped by the ice cream van later on my levels were hovering around 6.5 and I had had no spike. The ice cream was lovely too, and finished the walk on 4.8 having had a wonderful day.
As you say life is to be enjoyed.

I know we are also juggling the changes in absorption due to the warmer weather, the amount of exercise we are doing, the fat content of what we eat, … but these we can learn with some trial and improvement, and an ice cream is worth sorting out any adjustments for.
 
Natalie123 said:
It's definitely manageable and a good excuse for an ice cream when on holiday (don't shoot me down everyone, the odd treat does no harm in my opinion, life is to be enjoyed!)
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As others have said, there is nothing wrong with ice cream.
In fact, if anyone did "food shame" you on this forum, they would be shot down.
Food is often a topic on the forum for obvious reasons. However, this often comes with the reminder than Type 1 is managed with insulin. It is not managed by diet - a healthy diet for someone with Type 1 is the same as a healthy diet for someone without diabetes.

Enjoy your ice creams ... and pasties and cakes and, if you want, drinks.
 
helli said:
I think it depends how you feel with the heat.
If you like it, it will probably reduce your BG
If you dislike the heat, the discomfort may increase your BG.
Obviously, playing golf is exercise so likely to reduce your BG regardless of the weather.

I suggest you prepare for all eventualities - take plenty of hypo treatment and plenty of insulin. The insulin may need something like a Frio wallet to keep it cool when on the flif course in the heat of the day
Click to expand...
I do love the heat.My issue is im on Novomix 30 at the min so I'm not so in control. But thank you for your suggestions.
 
With your mixed insulin your absorption is still likely to different in the warmer weather. Just keep a watch on things whilst there and have snacks to hand at all times.

You may well need to try to keep your timings of meals the same as you do at home. Is that possible with your holiday booking? When we were on a river cruise we changed the dinner booking as they had put us on a late sitting. I like to eat around 6:30 to allow the insulin and food to have done its stuff beofre I go to bed.

Any news on when they will switch you to basal/bolus regime?
It will definitely make life more flexible.
 
Hello
We are staying in a villa which we always go to. We eat in mostly. I know the 3 restaurants near by so I know the food I can eat ifcI go out.
I've a review next week.
I think my issue is I'm not a big eater and I struggle with snacks that are healthy and convenient. I have to balance keeping a healthy heart.
 
jtg1964 said:
Hello
We are staying in a villa which we always go to. We eat in mostly. I know the 3 restaurants near by so I know the food I can eat ifcI go out.
I've a review next week.
I think my issue is I'm not a big eater and I struggle with snacks that are healthy and convenient. I have to balance keeping a healthy heart.
Click to expand...
It sounds like you are going to have a great time.

As you are not a big eater, the basal /bolus regime would work well for you. You eat whatever you want, or not eat at all on that system.

Let us know how you get on with both the review and the holiday.
 
SB2015 said:
It sounds like you are going to have a great time.

As you are not a big eater, the basal /bolus regime would work well for you. You eat whatever you want, or not eat at all on that system.

Let us know how you get on with both the review and the holiday.
Click to expand...
Thank you. I will ask at my review re basal/bolus and up date you.Thank you everyone .
 
Even with the relatively modest increases in temperature recently I’ve noticed a significant uptick in full-sugar drink consumption recently that I’m putting down to the warmer weather and being more active.

Hopefully Deep Thought (my pump) is updating settings and things will settle soon.

I’d imaging you may well need snacks on a sunny golfing holiday @jtg1964

And sunscreen!!
 
jtg1964 said:
Thank you. I will ask at my review re basal/bolus and up date you.Thank you everyone .
Click to expand...
That sounds most sensible @jtg1964.

Because your current insulin doses are relatively small as a combined insulin mix, I presume once separated into the flexibility of basal and bolus, each type will result in even smaller doses. Therefore it is important to discuss at your review whether you might be given 1/2 unit pens, for both insulins.

For a hypothetical example, if you are planning a 5 unit dose of either insulin, then an increase or decrease of even just one whole unit would become a 20% change. With a 1/2 unit pen, then the hypothetical dose reduces to a 10% change - which is more friendly when you are possibly tweaking and refining dose adjustments. That does not in any way exclude a 50% or 60% adjustment, but the 1/2 unit possibility sustains the flexibility.

You might think this is obvious - which it is, really. But we frequently read on this forum about Newbies struggling to manage small doses with whole unit pens and their BG management being hampered by the lost flexibility and unable to "tweak" their doses. Solely because their starting point has been with prescribed insulins coming with disposable whole unit pens, rather than with reusable 1/2 unit pens and the cartridges that go with those reusable pens. I don't know if the NICE Guidance routinely advises Health Care Practicioners (HCPs) to start folk new to insulin with disposable single unit pens. But I would at least have the discussion and thereby sow the seed in the mind of whoever is authorising the insulin prescription changes and their repeats.
 
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