The longer you live with type 1 diabetes, the more life hacks you’ll discover to manage your condition. To save you from reinventing the wheel, here’s a list of nine life hacks you can start using today to optimize your diabetes management.

Making Glucose Monitoring Easier

Monitoring your blood glucose (sugar) levels is key for diabetes management. But, always remembering to record those numbers and look them over can be challenging for anyone living with type 1 diabetes. Here are some tools that can help make monitoring blood glucose levels easier.

1. Use a Continuous Glucose Monitor

Using a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) can help you better manage your blood glucose on a daily basis without the need for a blood test or finger stick. While traditional blood tests provide snapshots of your blood glucose levels, a CGM stays under your skin for 3 to 14 days and gives you a continuous graph of your blood sugar levels at all times.

A CGM allows you to see what your current blood glucose level is and can also display glucose trends over the past eight hours. A minute-by-minute representation of your trends can show you where adjustments may be needed. A CGM also records your blood sugar numbers so you don’t have to write them down. Most CGMs are able to store three months’ worth of glucose readings, and data can be shared with others via smartphone apps.

2. Try Apps To Help You Manage Your Numbers

You can download an app onto your mobile devices to help you track your numbers. Knowing your blood glucose trends will help you and your healthcare team adjust your treatment to optimize your diabetes control. Some apps can also help you track other health goals, such as weight, water intake, and exercise.

Notify airport security personnel if you're traveling with a continuous glucose monitor, insulin pump, needles, syringes, glucose meters, test strips, or lancets.

Accurate carb counting is also important. Many apps include the carbohydrate content of many foods for your convenience. They can also help you if you have insulin resistance — when your cells don’t respond well to insulin — or you want to try a low-carb diet to better manage your diabetes. Tracking your carbohydrates, insulin, and blood glucose in these apps is a quick way to get an overall look at your current diabetes management. You’ll see if your current methods are working well for you.

Traveling With Type 1 Diabetes

Traveling can be hectic for anyone, but when you’re living with type 1 diabetes, there’s more for you to remember than a change of clothes and a toothbrush. While traveling, you’ll have to make sure you control your blood sugar levels and don’t forget your medication. Here are a few things you should always do before you travel.

3. Prepare Your Documents and Supplies in Advance

When you leave on a trip, have copies of prescriptions for any diabetes medications you take. Be sure the generic names of your medications are on your list since brand names differ by country. You can also bring a notification card that describes your health condition and any medical devices you have on your body. This is useful for security agents or any airport personnel.

When traveling, organize your diabetes supplies into two categories: cold storage (for insulin) and room temperature storage (for medical supplies).

Pack emergency medications in your carry-on bag as well as your checked luggage, in case your luggage is lost during your travels. Insulin, however, should never go in checked luggage because of the low temperatures of the plane hold.

Be sure to pack extra food and some high-sugar treatment options, in case your levels are low during your travels. Certain food items that airport security usually prohibits, such as juice boxes, may be allowed if they’re part of your diabetes supplies. This may vary depending on where you’re traveling, so double-check that you’re allowed to take the foods and beverages you choose through airport security.

Don’t forget to bring back-up supplies. If you’re using an insulin pump, you may need long-acting insulin with you in case your pump breaks while you’re traveling. If you’re using continuous glucose monitoring and that system fails, you’ll need to check your blood sugar with finger sticks until you can get a replacement CGM.

When going through airport security, remember:

• If you travel with a continuous glucose monitor or insulin pump (including automated insulin delivery systems, which include both of these components together), notify security personnel before entering the scanner. Don’t send your insulin pump through the X-ray scanner.
• Let security know if you’re carrying needles, syringes, glucose meters, test strips, or lancets. Label these with pharmaceutical labels, if possible, and carry a prescription or doctor’s note to explain why they’re needed.

4. Consider Where You’re Going and What You May Need

If you’re leaving the country, you may need travel insurance. Bear in mind that if you require an out-of-country hospital stay or clinic visit, it can be expensive. Have a list of medications, paperwork, and health insurance information with you.

Additionally, bring a medical alert bracelet if you have one. A bracelet can let people know you have diabetes, in case you have a low or high blood sugar reaction and need specific assistance.

Other travel-preparation tips include the following:

• Ask your healthcare provider how to adjust your insulin doses and meals if your travels include changing time zones.
• Consider the climate of your travel destination and what impact it may have on your diabetes.
• Bring at least two pairs of well-fitting shoes so you won’t develop blisters when you’re walking or hiking.

Exercising With Type 1 Diabetes

Exercise is great for most people living with type 1 diabetes. It improves general health and well-being, and it can also help reduce your need for insulin. Try these suggestions to help you exercise, stay healthy, and achieve your blood glucose goals.

5. Stay in Close Contact With Your Healthcare Team

Managing the complications of exercise can be difficult for people living with type 1 diabetes. Your healthcare team can help you optimize your diabetes management. If getting in touch with your doctor or endocrinologist is difficult, find a diabetes educator or nurse who can help you routinely assess your blood glucose levels and make adjustments to your exercise routine. If you have some complications of diabetes, be sure to ask your care team what forms of exercise are safest for you.

6. Do Your Research

It’s important to learn how different styles of exercise affect your blood glucose levels. Aerobic exercise, such as biking or running, can cause blood sugar levels to drop. On the other hand, activities like lifting weights can cause sugar levels to rise rapidly. Knowing how different types of exercise will affect your blood sugar levels can help you decide how much insulin to take before and after exercising and how to eat around your exercise regimen without losing control of your diabetes.

Managing Your Diabetes Medication

Storing insulin can be a challenge in warm climates. Insulin must be stored at cooler temperatures and kept out of the sunlight. It should be kept refrigerated at a temperature between 36 and 46 degrees Fahrenheit (2 and 8 degrees Celsius) if you’re storing it for two months or longer, and it should never be heated or frozen. Here are a few tricks you can use to manage your diabetes medications efficiently.

7. Write Down Dates

Write down the date you opened the insulin or began keeping it outside of the fridge. Ensure you aren’t using expired products.

8. Properly Store Your Medications

Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you’re not sure how to store medications. They can also teach you the signs of medication that has gone bad. For example, you should never use cloudy insulin if it’s supposed to be clear (some varieties of insulin are always cloudy).

You can download an app to help you track your blood glucose trends and other health goals.

Don’t store insulin in extreme temperatures. Insulin that’s not kept in the refrigerator should be kept between 59 and 86 F (15 and 30 C) to ensure the medication doesn’t get too hot or freeze. If heat has damaged insulin, it will look different and shouldn’t be used. When stored at high temperatures, clear insulin will turn cloudy, while cloudy insulin may become grainy or sticky within the vial. Avoid storing your insulin in humid environments like the bathroom as well.

9. Use Organizers or Cabinets To Sort Diabetes Supplies

Organize your diabetes supplies into two categories: cold storage (for insulin) and room temperature storage (for medical supplies). You can find examples online of clever ways to use plastic drawers, storage units, bags, and shelving to arrange your supplies. You’ll save yourself time by knowing where everything is and whether it’s in good condition.

Join the Conversation

On myT1Dteam, people share their experiences with type 1 diabetes, get advice, and find support from others who understand.

Do you have any hacks that have made life with type 1 diabetes easier? Let others know in the comments below.