Before you turn away from this post thinking that you don’t have diabetes, think twice about how safe you or your loved ones are. According to the CDC, over 100 million Americans have diabetes (type1 or type2) or prediabetes – that’s close to a third of the entire US population or 1 every 3 people. The bulk of them, 84.1 million, have prediabetes and of those, most don’t even know it and you could be one of those, or someone close to you.

For those of you who aren’t sure what prediabetes is, here is what WebMD says about it:

Prediabetes is a wake-up call that you’re on the path to diabetes. But it’s not too late to turn things around.

If you have it (like 86 million other Americans), your blood sugar (glucose) level is higher than it should be, but not in the diabetes range. People used to call it “borderline” diabetes.

Normally, your body makes a hormone called insulin to help control your blood sugar. When you have prediabetes, that system doesn’t work as well as it should. You might not be able to make enough insulin after eating, or your body might not respond to insulin properly.

Prediabetes makes you more likely to get heart disease or have a stroke. But you can take action to lower those risks.

A number of years ago, I was told that I was prediabetic, but like many, didn’t pay that much attention to it. Consequently, I’ve been a type 2 diabetic for the past 15 years. I had the chance to avoid diabetes, but like so many, didn’t take that chance.

For all the diabetics out there, summer can present some additional dangers you should be aware of. Those dangers can come from the heat, the humidity or both. Here are a few of those things you need to be aware of during the summer:

1. Dehydration – Hotter temperatures can lead to dehydration for anyone, regardless if they have diabetes or not, but getting dehydrated and being a diabetic can be a problem. Dehydration means you body fluids are lower than a healthy level and having lower levels of body fluids can cause blood sugar levels to increase. This is especially true if you are one of the many diabetics who also suffer from high blood pressure and take diuretic medications (water pills) that cause you to reduce your bodily fluids to help lower blood pressure.
2. Diabetic Complications – Diabetes can cause damage to nerves and blood vessels. These can impact the function of your sweat glands, meaning that your body could overheat more easily, which can increase the chances of developing heat exhaustion and/or heat stroke.
3. Insulin – Higher temperatures can cause one’s body to react differently to insulin. This means that one needs to check their blood sugar levels more frequently and to be more careful of their diet during summer heat.
4. High Humidity – High humidity, coupled with the heat can make it more difficult to regulate one’s ability to cool the skin and body. This can increase the chances of dehydration, overheating, increased blood sugar and impact on insulin effectiveness.

The bottom line – if you (or someone close to you) is a diabetic and even a prediabetic, you and they need to take extra precautions during the summer, especially if you spend any time outside.