How to Manage Blood Sugar Levels While Travelling
During travelling, you may experience sugar spikes because your body and mind are not at rest. The routine changes, the increase or decrease in your body’s movements, eating foods from outside sources, dehydration, altitude, or heat can all cause you to feel uneasy. You might be experiencing anxiety related to diabetes as a result of time zone changes. It is crucial to plan your trip according to your medical conditions, especially if you frequently experience blood sugar spikes.
To make your trip stress-free, pleasurable, and exciting, you must make the necessary arrangements and carry ayurvedic sugar tablets to control your blood sugar levels and prevent any further complications. This blog would undoubtedly encourage diabetics and their loved ones to travel without worrying about blood sugar symptoms.
Which Particular Diabetic Symptoms Need Attention and Care During Traveling?
Travelling increases the likelihood that you will experience highs and lows in your health, particularly if you have diabetes and exhibit the following symptoms:
- Unclear vision
- Tendency to urinate frequently
- Abdominal pain
- High blood pressure
- Breathing difficulties while you are travelling through the air or when you are in high altitudes
- Excessive hunger
- Fatigue
Major Steps to Be Undertaken for Managing Sugar Levels During Travel
High Fiber Meals
Throughout the trip, you must consume lean meat and any fruit or vegetable with a glycemic index, except for potatoes, corn, and beets. To keep your blood sugar levels within normal ranges, you can bring the following edibles with you: which might be considered an easy-to-pack option.
- Green salad: You can lower your blood sugar levels and improve your taste by blending bell peppers, cucumber, broccoli, lettuce, onion, garlic, and ginger with a few drops of avocado oil or lemon juice.
- Ready-to-eat soups: You may take packs of chicken soup, vegetable soup, and tomato soup. The high fiber and protein will keep the elevated sugar levels in check and slow down the digestion process. These foods are simple to prepare with boiling water and have a low glycemic index. provided by the railway or airline’s catering department.
- Grilled chicken or fish: These lean protein foods are low in carbohydrates and can be easily packed and taken during the journey. With coriander leaves, salt, pepper, green chillies, and lemon juice, these dishes are simple to eat.
- Hard-boiled eggs: Eating boiled eggs with salt and black pepper during the journey may nourish your body and mind with necessary nutrients and minerals.
- Chickpeas, lentils, bean sprouts, and nuts: These nutrient-dense foods, which are high in vitamins, proteins, and omega-3 fatty acids, also aid in controlling blood pressure and blood sugar levels while travelling.
Monitoring the Blood Sugar Levels
1. Glucose Monitoring System
Blood sugar levels may fluctuate during a lengthy trip, even a brief one, to nearby locations or a different time zone. This specific medical equipment would be suitable for real-time, comprehensive glucose level readings. It fits neatly in a backpack or carry bag. According to the readings, one can adjust their diet, movement, and rest during the trip. After that, he can do any yoga pose or exercise.
2. Insulin Pens and Cooler
Depending on your convenience, you can travel with reusable or smart pens to inject insulin into your body as needed.
Insulin pens can be carried in an insulin travel case or in a cooler that has an ice pack or gel to keep the temperature stable.
3. Alcohol Swabs
It is specifically used to wash the skin before administering an insulin injection. It is a disinfectant pad that has been soaked in alcohol to stop infections during the insulin injection process.
Controlling Your Sleep and Wake Times
Prolonged travel by train, plane, bus, or taxi wears you out physically and mentally, raises blood sugar, and can lead to heart, kidney, and nerve consequences. Getting enough sleep is essential for blood sugar regulation because it may improve insulin sensitivity. Using Ayush 82 along with maintaining proper sleep hygiene can help you accomplish your fitness goals while travelling, as demonstrated below:
1. Managing Exposure to Natural Light or Electric Light During the Journey
To prevent distractions from electric lights or sunlight while travelling in any kind of transportation, you can wear an eye mask. When travelling at night or during the day, it might indirectly help to raise melatonin levels.
2. Using Melatonin Supplements When Required
To combat melatonin deficiency and insomnia, you can take Aadved Sleep, an Ayurvedic medication for sleep management.
3. Controlling Screen Viewing Before Sleep
Steer clear of social media during the trip, especially if it deals with contentious issues. An alternative that might aid in a better night’s sleep is to listen to soothing music, bhajans, or gazals.
4. Promoting a Comfortable Sleep Environment
If you travel long distances by car or aeroplane and sit straight, you can use a travel pillow around your neck to prevent stiffness. You can carry earplugs with you to prevent any noise from disturbing your sleep. You can gently place them in your ears and set a sleep timer that will shut off on its own once you are in sleep mode.
Time Zone-Appropriate Planning
Major Steps to Be Taken for Managing the Blood Sugar Levels While Travelling to Different Time Zones
- Insulin intake management: Moving westward, you may require more insulin, in contrast to moving eastward, where you would require less insulin.
- Appropriate timing of meals and medication: Allow 4 to 6 hours between meals and prescriptions.
Stress Management
By encouraging the contraction and expansion of the abdominal muscles, belly breathing exercises can raise oxygen levels and cause toxins to be released.
You could easily perform anulom vilom, an alternate breathing technique that involves pressing the other nostril while inhaling through the first. And then exhaling through the next one.
You can perform both exercises in a seated posture during travel to calm down your nervous system and keep your sugar level under control.
Hydration
Eight to ten glasses of water can be consumed while travelling by rail, aeroplane, or any other transportation. Neglecting hydration may worsen your health conditions and cause rapid sugar spikes.
Monitoring Your Caffeine
Surrendering to caffeinated drinks like tea, coffee, and even cold drinks may increase the risk of high blood sugar levels in the body. Never put your health at risk by smoking or drinking alcohol; these substances can raise your blood sugar levels and cause cardiac arrest in addition to raising your cholesterol.
Recommended Alternative Measures for Caffeine
- Drinking chamomile tea may set you free from oxidative stress and stimulate relaxation in the mind and body.
- Having tomato soup or freshly squeezed lemon or orange juice would be a better way to detox yourself after your meal.
Protecting Your Feet
There is a need to take proper care of feet while travelling, and that too while suffering from diabetic conditions. You can either use ayurvedic food cream made from coconut oil, gokharu, karpoor and chandan oil or simply coconut oil. Maintaining cleanliness with lukewarm water and massaging the feet will improve blood circulation and bring relief from stress
Have Fun and Entertainment on the Journey
Performing dumb charades may lighten your mind and body during the travel and not let your blood sugar level shoot up. Engaging in indoor games like playing chess, ludo, and memory games may refresh your mind and keep you active. These activities may indirectly be useful in stabilising your blood sugar levels.
Get Connected with the Pharmacy for Emergency Requirements and Carry a Medical ID
You can check with the local pharmacy or doctor’s office in the event of an emergency, or to see if there is a shortage of insulin injections and medications. You might be able to receive extra care and attention during the lengthy flight and rail travel if you have a medical ID with you. Staff members or medical attendants may respond to you with medical assistance.
Conclusion
If you are not properly planning your trip, it could become problematic when affected by diabetic conditions. It is necessary to keep the appropriate medications on hand and to monitor one’s diet. Avoiding alcohol and tobacco while travelling, along with avoiding fast food and sweets, may help you keep your blood sugar under control and prevent any health issues. Some easy exercises, like alternative breathing or belly breathing, may bring relief from the toxins in the body and reduce the stress level.
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