Contents:
- Medical Video: How does extreme heat affect diabetes ? | My Health
- The relationship between insulin and body temperature
- Numbness in the feet and hands
- Blood sugar factor
- How to maintain body temperature in diabetics?
- 1. Stay active and move
- 2. Forming body muscles
Medical Video: How does extreme heat affect diabetes ? | My Health
Do you know, it turns out that diabetics are more sensitive to hot temperatures compared to people who are not diabetics?
When the environment temperature decreases or increases, the blood sugar levels in the body also change. Extreme temperatures such as temperatures that are too cold or too hot negatively affect the body's ability to produce and use the hormone insulin. The insulin hormone is a hormone that functions to regulate blood sugar levels in the body. Not only insulin levels are a major problem in regulating body temperature in diabetics, but also circulation, nervous disorders, and factors lifestyle. Then what happens to diabetics when in extreme temperatures?
The relationship between insulin and body temperature
A study conducted by The Scripp Research Institute aims to see the relationship between insulin levels in diabetics with normal body temperature. The study proved that when insulin is injected into certain areas of the brain, the body temperature will increase, metabolism increases, and the body is stimulated to burn fat cells to produce heat in the body. In addition, researchers also found that the more insulin injected into the brain, the faster the metabolism that occurs in the body. The income that arises from this study is that insulin reactions in the body can interfere with body temperature regulation.
Simply put, when insulin increases in the body, this will cause the burning of fat cells and produce heat. This heat will increase normal blood flow to the skin surface. When the blood flow passes through the blood vessels in the skin, the heat will be released by the body through sweat coming out through the skin pores.
However, in diabetics, sweating is not as easy as a normal person. Most people with type 1 diabetes mellitus who do not have enough insulin, have low body temperature. While type 2 diabetes mellitus patients who have insulin but cannot work optimally to control blood sugar, can still regulate and adjust their body temperature when in a cold or hot place, even if it takes a long time.
Numbness in the feet and hands
When blood sugar is not controlled then it becomes diabetes, so one of the effects will be the loss of feeling in the hands and feet due to nerve damage. Nerve damage to the feet and hands is also referred to as peripheral neuropathy, which causes the feet and hands to not feel various sensations or stimuli that are given, tingling, and pain. So, the brain cannot respond to these temperature differences.
Blood sugar factor
When blood sugar drops and hypoglycemia occurs, the body will suddenly sweat even if it is not in a hot state or atmosphere. Sweat like this is usually called cold sweat caused by a decrease in blood sugar levels. This often occurs in people with diabetes mellitus who take blood sugar control drugs. The incidence of hypoglycemia can cause diabetics to experience hypothermia.
How to maintain body temperature in diabetics?
Extreme weather can cause danger for diabetics. Therefore, to maintain a normal body temperature, and prevent complications from occurring, the following are ways to do this:
1. Stay active and move
When the temperature decreases, in diabetics the body cannot adapt to the temperature of the environment due to insulin that does not work properly, so what can be done is keep moving and active to keep the heart 'working' quickly. This can stimulate increased insulin and maintain good blood flow. When the body continues to do activities such as exercise, the metabolism of the muscles will continue to occur, this can then produce heat and maintain a normal body temperature.
2. Forming body muscles
One sport that is well done by people with diabetes is to do sports that can form the muscles of the body. The body muscles that are formed, can help diabetics to maintain normal body temperature.
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