Research suggests that hot weather can lead to health issues for people with diabetes, making you more sensitive to high temperatures and humidity. You may find it harder to keep your blood sugar levels under control, and you may be at increased risk for developing heat exhaustion.
Certain diabetes complications, such as damage to blood vessels and nerves, can affect your sweat glands so your body can't cool as effectively. That can lead to heat exhaustion and heat stroke, which is a medical emergency. People with diabetes get dehydrated (lose too much water from their bodies) more quickly.
It's always a good idea to check the heat index when temperatures soar—a measurement that combines temperature and humidity. Take steps to stay cool when it reaches 26°C (80°F) in the shade with 40% humidity or above.
Colder temperatures make managing blood glucose especially challenging. The chilly weather can affect your blood glucose level, the Joslin Diabetes Center says, to say nothing of the added exertion of winter sports and cravings for carbohydrates on frigid nights. Keeping your glucose in range can be tricky.
How hot weather affects blood sugar levels. Sitting in the sun for long periods can affect your diabetes because you're not being very active, making blood sugar levels higher than usual.
Night sweats are often caused by low blood glucose, which can occur in people taking insulin or diabetes medications known as sulfonylureas. When your blood glucose drops too low, you produce excess adrenaline, which causes sweating. Once your blood glucose returns to normal, the sweating should stop.
When your blood sugar level gets too high, the quickest way to reduce it is to take fast-acting insulin. Exercising is another fast, effective way to lower blood sugar. In some cases, you should go to the hospital. High blood sugar levels are known as hyperglycemia or high blood glucose.
High temperatures can also cause blood vessels to dilate, which can enhance insulin absorption, potentially leading to low blood sugar. If you have diabetes, it is best to stay indoors during the hottest part of the day and monitor blood sugar closely for changes when temperatures start to rise.
“Increased bright sunlight exposure may be associated with a reduced risk for type 2 diabetes and heart disease by lowering blood insulin and lipid levels.”
First, the numbers. “Post-meal blood sugars of 140 mg/dl [milligrams per deciliter] and higher, and fasting blood sugars over 100 mg/dl [can] cause permanent organ damage and cause diabetes to progress,” Ruhl writes.
Fatigue is a common symptom of diabetes that is not limited to uncontrolled diabetes. Persons may complain of fatigue along with a variety of symptoms, which may together herald comorbid psychological, medical, metabolic or endocrine, and acute or chronic complications.
The main cause of night sweats in diabetics is low blood sugar at night (hypogylcemia). When blood sugar levels drop, this can cause a number of sleep-disturbing symptoms, including headaches and excessive sweating.
Physical or emotional stress triggers the release of hormones that can cause high blood sugar levels. Menstrual periods and menopause also cause changes in the hormones that affect blood sugar levels. Regular blood sugar testing can uncover patterns. This can help you and your health care team control your diabetes.
Drinking water regularly may rehydrate the blood, lower blood sugar levels, and reduce diabetes risk ( 20 , 21 ). Keep in mind that water and other zero-calorie drinks are best. Avoid sugar-sweetened options, as these can raise blood glucose, drive weight gain, and increase diabetes risk ( 22 , 23 ).
Lightheadedness
If you experience this common symptom of hypoglycemia, treat the hypoglycemia quickly with 15 to 20 g of fast-acting carbs, such as juice, suggests the Mayo Clinic. Try to lie down, too, and if the lightheadedness keeps up for more than 15 minutes, it's time to seek medical help, suggests Harvard.
Over the winter months people of all diabetes types tend to have higher HbA1c levels than during the warmer months.
So people reduce their carb intake, go on a low carbohydrate diet, and focus on eating healthy fats and (in many cases) too much protein. But what this solution crucially fails to address is insulin resistance, which is the true cause of those high blood glucose numbers.
Drinking water not only fights dehydration, it can also help your body get rid of excess glucose. If you're living with diabetes, you should drink plenty of fluids — about 1.6 liters (L) or 6.5 cups per day for women; and 2 L or 8.5 glasses per day for men.
Lemon juice significantly lowered the mean blood glucose concentration peak by 30% (p < 0.01) and delayed it more than 35 min (78 vs. 41 min with water, p < 0.0001).
Sweating can be a sign that your diabetes is not being managed properly. You'll want to avoid low blood sugar, as well as high blood sugar, so it's important to take your medication as prescribed, eat regularly and focus on lower-glycemic, slow-releasing carbs.
Neuropathies and sweating
Sudomotor function describes the part of the nervous system that controls sweating. Diabetes can result in nerve damage so that for some people, the nerves that control sweat glands are always “switched on.” This can result in excessive sweating, known as hyperhidrosis.
In people with diabetes, dizziness is one of the symptoms that can happen due to high blood glucose levels. The level of dizziness can vary, from mild lightheadedness to feeling like the ground beneath you is tilting. Some describe the experience as if their head is spinning, even though they're standing still.