I had grand visions of my first blog post, but what I’ve decided to write about is the weather. The entire country seems to be dealing with freakishly cold or snowy or icy weather right now (except for the part of Florida where my parents are staying, which is sunny and 80s). Here in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, it is negative 25 degrees at the moment. It was so cold this morning that school was cancelled for the second (or third) time in 25 years.
This cold thing got me thinking about the effect of extreme cold and heat on blood glucose levels. I did a quick search and did not find a whole lot, but there are some interesting anecdotes. One person found that they tended to have more hypoglycemia unawareness (lack of low blood glucose symptoms) during extreme cold weather. We know that hot showers and hot tubs/hot springs can cause low blood glucose. This is related to the dilation of blood vessels that occurs in very hot water. On the other hand, sitting on the beach in the hot sun can cause high blood glucose.
Probably the biggest frustration with extreme temperature and diabetes, however, is the fact that the blood glucose meter itself can malfunction. If we can’t accurately measure blood glucose in extreme temperatures, we’ll never really know the effect on our blood glucose level! At any rate, I hope you are staying warm tonight.
What is your experience with extreme temperatures and your blood glucose levels? Please share!