Diabetes in summer: tips for safe holidays
During the summer months, temperatures rise and people tend to change their habits during the holidays. For those who suffer from diabetes, however, the heat and changes in routine can be dangerous, and it is important to be aware of one’s state of health and know the strategies to put in place to protect the body
Diabetes mellitus type 2, in fact, is a disorder that in Italy affects 6% of the population and is on the rise, due to an inappropriate lifestyle characterised by sedentariness and an unbalanced diet as well as an increase in the average age of the population.
Summer and departures, but… what is type 2 diabetes and what are the symptoms?
Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition involving hyperglycaemia caused by the body’s difficulty in producing or adequately utilising insulin, the hormone that regulates the amount of sugar in the blood and is secreted by the cells of the pancreas.
The main risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes is obesity and overweight, conditions contributed to by an unbalanced diet and a sedentary lifestyle with little physical activity.
The main symptoms of diabetes are increased thirst and urinary frequency, associated with a drop in body weight and a general feeling of fatigue.
However, diabetes can also develop by remaining silent for a long time, only manifesting itself years later, sometimes when it has already produced its complications such as vision problems, cardiovascular disorders, neuropathy and nephropathy.
This is why it is important to regularly monitor certain values, including glycaemia and glycated haemoglobin, through simple blood tests.
Managing diabetes in summer: drink plenty to avoid dehydration
The main factor that diabetes sufferers must watch out for is the heat.
When temperatures rise, in fact, there is a risk of becoming dehydrated, leading to a rise in blood glucose levels.
For this reason, it is important to always remember to drink plenty, even when you do not feel thirsty, favouring water and home-made tea and avoiding sugary drinks as well as those that are advertised as sugar-free, because they may contain sweeteners or hidden sugary substances.
Care should also be taken with rehydration drinks rich in minerals, as they may also contain sugar.
Sport: watch out for intensity
Attention also needs to be paid to sport: while doing physical activity is essential when suffering from diabetes, care should also be taken not to choose very strenuous workouts and, if outdoors or in rooms without air conditioning, to avoid the hottest times of day, preferring early morning or sunset.
Sun exposure and skin lesions: avoid infections
When it comes to the sun, one must also be careful of burns and dermatitis: skin lesions, in fact, can become infected, leading to diabetes.
Remembering to use protective creams and not exposing oneself directly to the sun’s rays is essential, as is avoiding walking barefoot in parks or on the beach.
When talking about injuries, in fact, one must always consider that among the consequences of diabetes is reduced sensitivity in the extremities, which could lead to inadvertently injuring oneself or burning the soles of the feet if one is in contact with very hot soil.
The advice is to use soft slippers even at the beach and when bathing and, in the event of cuts or burns, to seek medical advice immediately.
Diabetes and summer: foods to avoid and rules to follow
Holidays can bring changes to the diet, which those with diabetes should always pay attention to.
Buffet breakfasts in hotels, for example, or the constant dinners in restaurants, may lead one to eat foods with a higher glycaemic load: it is therefore important to continue to follow an eating plan appropriate to the disease, without thinking that this will penalise socialising with family and friends.
If, even before departure, you suspect that there may be a different distribution of nutrients between meals or changes in the times at which you usually eat, it is advisable to inform your doctor, who will assess any changes to your antidiabetic therapy.
Generally speaking, therefore, even if the situation might invite you to indulge a little, it is a good idea to maintain a varied diet, rich in unprocessed and preferably wholemeal foods, both for their greater satiating properties and because their action of slowing down the absorption of carbohydrates keeps blood sugar levels down.
Sweets and sugary foods should be avoided, or eaten very sparingly.
It is also preferable to replace very large meals with a lighter diet in which a mid-morning snack and a mid-afternoon snack are incorporated to ‘break the hunger’.
Raising blood sugar levels: what to do
It is also important to remember to take your glucose meter and medication with you, to avoid being unprepared in the event of a blood sugar imbalance – a rather dangerous eventuality for your health.
During the holidays, moreover, for patients who are being treated with insulin or drugs such as sulphanilureas, the risk of hypoglycaemia may be greater, due to the increased tendency to move around and changes in their usual diet.
It is essential to always have a source of fast-acting glucose (sugar sachets, fruit juice bricks) or snack bars, sweets and wholemeal crackers with you in case of hypoglycaemic crises.
Diabetes, tips for when travelling in summer
Remembering to measure your parameters is also important for the opposite reason: increases in blood sugar levels are associated with stressful moments such as a car journey or strenuous travel, as well as the forced sedentariness to which longer journeys force you.
If you are travelling by car, therefore, it is important to stop and move around in the rest areas, while if you are on a train or plane it may be useful to walk along the passenger compartment from time to time.
Proper medication management
In addition, when travelling in foreign countries, one must consider possible difficulties in finding the medicines one usually uses and, therefore, it is essential to organise in advance for the transport of insulin and pens so that they are not damaged with the change in temperature and movement.
The same applies to other anti-diabetic drugs that you may be using: you should always have them with you so that you can use them in case of emergencies and pay attention to the temperature at which you keep them, which should not be too high but not too low either.
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