How to protect your insulin from the summer heat

We recently got a comment expressing one of the #1 T1D frustrations during the summer months:

"If your insulin was in the heat, do you automatically replace it (and potentially waste this precious resource that COULD still be effective), or do you chance continuing to use it when it could be compromised due to heat exposure? It's a gamble all summer."

Nobody wants to unnecessarily waste insulin... OR risk high blood sugars from spoiled insulin.

As a reminder:

• In the refrigerator, insulin can be stored at at 36°F to 46°F/ 2–8°C.
• Outside of the fridge, it can withstand temperatures between 36–86°F/2–30°C.

This is SO important to understand because it only takes 30 minutes of exposure to 87°F/31°C for insulin to be compromised.

What can make this even more complicated is that heat impacts insulin sensitivity, too. If you notice higher blood sugars when at the beach, it can be hard to know if it's your body or your insulin being impacted by the heat.

So, what's the solution? SpotSees's TempMonitor is the tool we recommend for all T1Ds.

This easy-to-use visual indicator changes color when your insulin or GLP-1 medications have been exposed to unacceptable temperature levels.

Here's how it works:

1. Activate the indicator at 77 degrees F/25 degrees C and keep it next to your insulin.
2. Ensure the TempMonitor indicator goes wherever your medication goes so you always know if it has gotten too warm.
3. Monitor the indicator for color change. If the temperature is over 86°F/30°C (the standard threshold insulin shouldn't exceed) for about 30 minutes, it will turn pink/red, indicating an unacceptably high temperature. You can easily see the change in colors and know when your medication has been exposed to heat for too long.

Purchase Temp Monitor HERE.