Manage Your Diabetes This Summer | Nashville Healthcare Center

People often look forward to the summer months because warmer temperatures means more opportunity to engage in outdoor activities. People with diabetes don't have to miss out on summer fun, but they do need to exercise caution to ensure that outdoor fun doesn't cause any unnecessary complications.

Discover five tips that you can use to better manage your diabetes during the upcoming summer months.

1. Stay Hydrated

When you spend time outdoors, becoming dehydrated is easy. Diabetes and dehydration often go hand-in-hand, so staying hydrated should be a top priority.

When your body doesn’t produce enough insulin to regulate sugar levels, your kidneys have to work overtime to expel excess sugar in your urine. This process can deplete fluid levels in your tissues, making you more prone to dehydration than someone who doesn't suffer from diabetes.

Keep a fresh supply of water available at all times, and drink often throughout the day to prevent dehydration as you enjoy the great outdoors.

2. Keep Your Medicine Cold

Most diabetics rely on insulin injections to help manage their disease. Insulin needs to be kept cool in order to function properly. Improper storage of your medicine during the summer months could compromise the efficacy of your insulin.

Plan ahead to make sure that your medicine can remain cool while you are out enjoying your favorite summer activities.

Pack your medication, glucose meter, and diabetes test strips in a small cooler to protect them from the summer sun. This will guarantee that your medication will work as it should to help regulate your blood sugar levels.

3. Protect Your Feet

One of the unfortunate side effects of diabetes is a reduction in blood flow to the feet. The reduced blood flow can make it more difficult for minor cuts or scrapes on the feet to heal.

Small lacerations can easily turn into major ulcers or infectious wounds for a person with diabetes. If you want to avoid having your feet become compromised during the summer months, be sure that you protect your feet against injury at all times.

Never walk barefoot across the hot sand or pavement. These hot surfaces can burn the skin on your feet, which leaves you susceptible to infection. If you do notice any slight injuries, make an appointment with your physician to receive treatment quickly.

By wearing proper footwear at all times (including while spending time in the water), you can avoid any major foot problems this summer.

4. Test Your Blood Sugar Level Frequently

You are probably accustomed to checking your blood sugar levels throughout the day, but you should increase the frequency of your testing during the hot summer months.

Heat has a tendency to wreak havoc on the body's sugar levels. Hot weather can lead to dehydration, which increases the concentration of sugar in the blood. Warm outdoor temperatures can also cause blood vessels to dilate.

Dilated vessels absorb insulin more readily, which can contribute to low blood sugar. You will need to test your blood sugar frequently when you spend time outdoors in hot weather so that you can adjust your medication dosage and eating habits accordingly.

5. Stay in Touch With Your Body

Heat exhaustion is a common complaint during the summer months. Many of the symptoms of heat exhaustion — like sweating, light-headedness, and dizziness — are also symptoms of low blood sugar.

You need to make an effort to stay in touch with your body when engaging in summer activities so that you will be able to recognize the difference between the two. You could end up at the emergency room if you attribute your symptoms to the heat and fail to consume some carbs to increase your blood sugar.

Contact Nashville Healthcare Center today for help keeping your diabetes under control this summer.