• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Type 1 Cold weather

A

aimeeo

Active Member
Messages
34
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Anyone else's blood sugar levels rise in the cold weather ? Just noticed recently mine have been creeping up when I'm really cold
 
I am type 2 and I have also noticed over the past few days that my levels have been higher since we,ve have had the cold weather
 
Your blood vessels contract in the cold and one of the ways you can lower your blood pressure for several hours is to have a hot bath. I would assume this runs parallel with blood sugar.

NB - This is dangerous I have just learnt for Type 1.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
asparagusp said:
Your blood vessels contract in the cold and one of the ways you can lower your blood pressure for several hours is to have a hot bath. I would assume this runs parallel with blood sugar..
Click to expand...
I like the idea of having a hot bath, but I only have a shower in my bungalow
 
my numbers have also gone up the last two days.... turned the heat even more up, but maybe mine will be low tomorrow because I did excercise very very much today like 4.30 hours... so I´ll not be able to say..
 
Last edited:
aimeeo said:
Anyone else's blood sugar levels rise in the cold weather ? Just noticed recently mine have been creeping up when I'm really cold
Click to expand...
Hi @aimeeo
when the weather changes our need for insulin can increase --- looking for patterns in changes to your BG's over the past few weeks will be a starting point to making adjustments
my needs have increased approx. 6% in the last 3 weeks ( basal and bolus )
hope this helps
x
 
asparagusp said:
Your blood vessels contract in the cold and one of the ways you can lower your blood pressure for several hours is to have a hot bath. I would assume this runs parallel with blood sugar..
Click to expand...

I've had 2 hypos recently, during/after a hot bath! It left me a little woozy......
 
aimeeo said:
Anyone else's blood sugar levels rise in the cold weather ? Just noticed recently mine have been creeping up when I'm really cold
Click to expand...

My blood sugars are often much much better in the heat, but I can't say that my blood sugars are higher when it's cold. I would put it down to maybe staying indoors more, as I rely on exercise to keep my blood sugars down, so naturally I will hibernate when it gets cold!
 
Freema said:
my numbers have also gone up the last two days.... turned the heat even more up, but maybe mine will be low tomorrow because I did train very very much today like 4.30 hours... so I´ll not be able to say..
Click to expand...
'Train' - exercise? 4 1/2 hours?!
 
passittotheleft said:
My blood sugars are often much much better in the heat, but I can't say that my blood sugars are higher when it's cold. I would put it down to maybe staying indoors more, as I rely on exercise to keep my blood sugars down, so naturally I will hibernate when it gets cold!
Click to expand...
Lucky you when I excercise to get my numbers down as a type 2 with obviosly very high insuline resistance... even like today where I did burn 1500 calories in those 4,3 hours including a lot of strength training I only have a sligthly lower number in the next 3-4 hours , and here 6 hours later my number has gone from 6 to as low as 4.8mmol which is actually my lowest since diagnosed...not not very low when thinking of the enormous effort I have done to get that "low"
 
Last edited:
Freema said:
Lucky you when I train as to get my numbers down as a type 2 with obviosly very high insuline resistance... even like today where I did bur 1500 calories in those 4,3 hours including a lot of strength training I only have a sligthly lower number in the next 3-4 hours , and here 6 hours later my number has gone from 6 to as low as 4.8mmol which is actually my lowest since diagnosed...not not very low when thinking of the enormous effort I have done to get that "low"
Click to expand...

4.8, that's good! Right? I'd be happy with that :) 3 Years into my diagnosis, I still didn't really understand how it worked, I was just fixated on getting my numbers down and would test all the time and take insulin even when i wasn't eating, sooo badd! It got as low as.....wait for it.....0.4! :O
 
passittotheleft said:
4.8, that's good! Right? I'd be happy with that :) 3 Years into my diagnosis, I still didn't really understand how it worked, I was just fixated on getting my numbers down and would test all the time and take insulin even when i wasn't eating, sooo badd! It got as low as.....wait for it.....0.4! :O
Click to expand...
0.4 gosh that is dangerous well almost life threatening to a type 1 isn´t it ?

and yes it is so hard to accept to have this kind of desease..., but later in the future i think we will be cured instead... in maybe 30 years from now on... by transplants or other manipulations...maybe you´ll have the chance, I will be too old I think...or maybe they´ll experiment on the old ones first ;)
 
As a type 1 diabetic also I struggle with the cold and rising blood glucose levels - I have to make adjustments to my basal insulin requirements, have just increased by 10% as struggling to get a reading below 10mmol/l at the moment :(

Sorry but as a type 1 diabetic a hot bath is not relevant to me, my needs are hormone driven so type 2 advice doesn't work, I need more insulin, it's just getting it right that can be a real pain..
 
asparagusp said:
Your blood vessels contract in the cold and one of the ways you can lower your blood pressure for several hours is to have a hot bath. I would assume this runs parallel with blood sugar..
Click to expand...

@asparagusp this is incorrect advice, hot baths are not consistent with reducing bg levels, type 1 is a hormone related condition, we need to increase our insulin to reduce bg levels, personally I have to increase my basal levels at this time of year to get my bg levels back with my target range.

Please remember you are commenting on a type 1 thread here.
 
aimeeo said:
Anyone else's blood sugar levels rise in the cold weather ? Just noticed recently mine have been creeping up when I'm really cold
Click to expand...

Some of us type 1's find our basal needs increase in the cold weather and decrease in the warm weather, however there are some members that say their basal needs decrease in the cold weather and increase in the warmer weather.......such is life with type 1 diabetes :rolleyes:
 
asparagusp said:
Your blood vessels contract in the cold and one of the ways you can lower your blood pressure for several hours is to have a hot bath. I would assume this runs parallel with blood sugar..
Click to expand...
It's nor not about "blood pressure" but insulin sensitivity...
 
Freema said:
0.4 gosh that is dangerous well almost life threatening to a type 1 isn´t it ?

and yes it is so hard to accept to have this kind of desease..., but later in the future i think we will be cured instead... in maybe 30 years from now on... by transplants or other manipulations...maybe you´ll have the chance, I will be too old I think...or maybe they´ll experiment on the old ones first ;)
Click to expand...

At the time I was getting numbers like ...9,12, 14. So I would check my blood sugars in between meals and then try and correct my blood sugars by taking insulin, so I'd be at the right level by my next meal time. WRONG! It was an amateur mistake but one I learned from. O.4 was seriously low and very dangerous. I was having so many hypos that I lost the symptoms that come with hypos because my body got so used to it. I'm better now though.

I don't think I can live without my diabetes now to be honest, I would be in a constant state of anxiety (if cured), wanting to check my blood sugar level or worrying about food. Stockholm Syndrome ;) ? And they'd probably find a secluded part of the world to test it! I think I will be too old too.
 
I just bought myself a warm thermal outfit from ASDAs george clothes range. Keeps me warm when I have to go out. I did this because I also noticed my lvl go up when it was cold.
 
I think I must he back to front haha, my sugar levels drop a lot quicker in the cold weather. I am struggling to get them right at the minute as I have just gone back on Insulin after being tried on tablets for nearly a year.
 
Back
Top