Well I'm back again. Apologies once again for the sporadic nature of my posting. I promise I'll endeavour to post more regularly, though I sense a touch of déjà vu as I write those words.
Anyway school's out and salad days are here again. We were promised a heat wave this week here in Ireland though it's been more of the heat and less of the wave. Basically it's been warm and muggy and getting the grass cut means a bit of a dash to get it done before the showers. Now I've always found humid weather a bit intolerable, but this is the first time I've experienced this weather as a diabetic and it has been a bit of a revelation. Last summer was my first as a person with diabetes but whole there was some nice weather there wasn't much of the humidity that we've been experiencing this past week.
It didn't dawn on me at first. I've been experiencing quite a few hypos over the past few days and had been struggling to understand why. I'd figured that maybe I need to alter by basal dosage and was all set to do so last night until I stumbled upon a post on a diabetes Facebook page. I had totally overlooked the possible impact of the change in weather until I read a post in which a chap spoke about the many hypos he'd been experiencing during the heat wave in London.
Now don't get me wrong; it hasn't exactly been tropical here in Ireland but I reckon there's been enough heat and humidity in the air to play tricks on my bg levels. It leaves me wondering how I'll get on when we visit the in laws in New York at the end of July.
So why the hypos? Well it seems that our metabolism is higher in this weather with an increased chance of low bg levels. It also seems that hypos can be a bit hard to detect in hot weather; something I've also been experiencing during the past week.
So what to do? If you're carb counting maybe you cold adjust your ratio slightly though I guess that's a bit hit and miss unless you've a good idea exactly how much your levels are affected by the heat. Otherwise I guess it's about being vigilant. Test bg levels more often, keep fast acting carbs close at hand and don't ignore any possible symptoms. Also take care when driving and keep the air conditioning on as cars can get quite hot. I'd also suggest taking a few carbs before going to bed as I've experienced hypos at 3 or 4 a.m. almost every night this week.
Other than that, enjoy the sun and don't let the beets spoil the fun.
Guy With Diabetes - One Man's Journey
Thursday, July 2, 2015
Friday, April 3, 2015
A cup of joe...
My name is Ja and I'm an addict. Do I have any intention of signing up for a twelve step programme in the near future? Not on your life. My daily vice is the rather innocuous drug of the masses; a freshly brewed cup of strong coffee. So aside from the minor dent in my personal finances created by regular doses of over-priced brew, it hasn't had an overly adverse effect on my day to day life.
As a T1 diabetic however there are some considerations to take into account when it comes to the cup of joe. First off, as a carb counter I generally stick to straight forward Americano or espresso. The carb content in a black espresso is nil and the added carbs of a dash of milk in my espresso is negligible. Of course I do partake in the odd cappuccino or even a mocca now and again, but they're always the more considered options as they generally necessitate a bolus. A cappuccino would usually be accompanied by one unit of insulin; the chocolate in a mocca might require a bit more.
So that's as far as if goes for me in terms of coffee and bg levels. However, there seems to be a broader range of experiences amongst both diabetics and those involved in the treatment and management of diabetes and there is a degree of debate out there around the effects of coffee on blood-sugar levels.
While my first concern is the influence of coffee on bg levels among those like myself who have already been diagnosed with T1 diabetes, it would be remiss not to point out that various studies concur that regular consumption of coffee can lead to a lower risk of Type 2 diabetes developing.
When it comes to T1 results of studies around the influence of coffee are less conclusive. That consumption of my daily tipple can prevent diabetes is not the case when it comes to Type 1, an auto-immune condition that thus far has not been shown to be preventable. But went comes to the bg levels of those with T1, the effects of coffee is a subject of debate. There seems to be a small degree of evidence to support the view that coffee can cause a rise in bg levels, even in the absence of added milk/cream/sugar (http://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/blog/the-mystery-of-coffee-and-diabetes). While my own personal experience doesn't back this view I guess it is worth occasional monitoring.
Perhaps more worthy of consideration in the long term is the degree to which regular consumption of coffee can lead to reduced sensitivity to insulin. While this is also the subject of debate, there seems to be a degree of evidence to suggest that regular consumption can, over time, lead to reduced sensitivity (http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/25/2/399.full). My own limited knowledge of the research tells me that the studies have been somewhat inconclusive and certainly won't have me rushing to give up my daily fix just yet.
See also
http://teeccino.com/images/uploads/pages/File/diabetes.pdf
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/type-2-diabetes/expert-answers/blood-sugar/faq-20057941
As a T1 diabetic however there are some considerations to take into account when it comes to the cup of joe. First off, as a carb counter I generally stick to straight forward Americano or espresso. The carb content in a black espresso is nil and the added carbs of a dash of milk in my espresso is negligible. Of course I do partake in the odd cappuccino or even a mocca now and again, but they're always the more considered options as they generally necessitate a bolus. A cappuccino would usually be accompanied by one unit of insulin; the chocolate in a mocca might require a bit more.
So that's as far as if goes for me in terms of coffee and bg levels. However, there seems to be a broader range of experiences amongst both diabetics and those involved in the treatment and management of diabetes and there is a degree of debate out there around the effects of coffee on blood-sugar levels.
While my first concern is the influence of coffee on bg levels among those like myself who have already been diagnosed with T1 diabetes, it would be remiss not to point out that various studies concur that regular consumption of coffee can lead to a lower risk of Type 2 diabetes developing.
When it comes to T1 results of studies around the influence of coffee are less conclusive. That consumption of my daily tipple can prevent diabetes is not the case when it comes to Type 1, an auto-immune condition that thus far has not been shown to be preventable. But went comes to the bg levels of those with T1, the effects of coffee is a subject of debate. There seems to be a small degree of evidence to support the view that coffee can cause a rise in bg levels, even in the absence of added milk/cream/sugar (http://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/blog/the-mystery-of-coffee-and-diabetes). While my own personal experience doesn't back this view I guess it is worth occasional monitoring.
Perhaps more worthy of consideration in the long term is the degree to which regular consumption of coffee can lead to reduced sensitivity to insulin. While this is also the subject of debate, there seems to be a degree of evidence to suggest that regular consumption can, over time, lead to reduced sensitivity (http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/25/2/399.full). My own limited knowledge of the research tells me that the studies have been somewhat inconclusive and certainly won't have me rushing to give up my daily fix just yet.
See also
http://teeccino.com/images/uploads/pages/File/diabetes.pdf
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/type-2-diabetes/expert-answers/blood-sugar/faq-20057941
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