We all get colds and flus from time to time, but for diabetics, colds and flus can be a bit more serious. People with diabetes are more prone to infections, so it’s important to make sure a cold and flu doesn’t turn nasty. Here are some simple tips and advice that should go a long way should you come down with a cold or flu.

1) Drink plenty of fluids to help avoid dehydration: If you’re not eating properly and are dehydrated, your blood glucose levels could drop too low. Dehydration itself can also cause problems for you.

2) Rest – Getting enough rest will allow your body to repair and fight off cold and flu viruses. Your body will be weaker when you have a cold or flu, so help it by giving it less to do and focus on fighting the infection.

3) Maintain a good intake of vitamin C and zinc: Vitamin C can be found in citrus fruits like oranges and juices or you can take supplements. If you use supplements, you don’t need the high potency varieties, eg 1000mg, just use the standard potencies.

4) High temperature: If you have a high temperature over 38 degrees, tell your doctor. Paracetamol is good for lowering the temperature. If you are taking medication, be sure to ask your pharmacist if you can take acetaminophen with your medications. (Almost all diabetes medications are compatible with acetaminophen, but it’s still good to check.) If you have a high fever, this could be a sign of infection.

5) Avoid cold remedies with decongestants. Theoretically they could
make the signs of persistent high blood glucose more difficult to identify and, if you are taking medicines to lower your blood pressure, these could increase your blood pressure.

6) Check your glucose levels regularly. If your levels are way outside the target range, see your doctor, or if you are using insulin and can make changes to your insulin regimen, then you may need to adjust accordingly, but make sure you have your doctor’s permission.

7) Monitor your ketones: If your blood glucose levels rise this can result in the production of ketones, this can happen more frequently with type 1 diabetics. Monitor your urine ketones with a few simple ketone strips on the urine as ketostix and tell your doctor if you have any positive results.

8) Take your diabetes meds and/or insulin – If you can take your meds, they will help you recover faster by making sure your body is working properly. In some cases, your cold or flu could get worse if you don’t take your diabetes medicine or insulin.

9) Prevention is better than cure: A flu shot can prevent certain types of flu. If you can get access to the flu vaccine, it would be worth it to prevent the flu. Ask your doctor if you can get access to the flu vaccine.

10) Sugar-free medicines: You can use sore throat lozenges and cough suppressants for dry coughs. Ask your pharmacist about sugar-free varieties. If you have a chest cough (cough up mucus) and the mucus is dark, this is a sign of infection and you should see your doctor. Diabetics are much more prone to infections.

Hopefully, you’ll be able to use these tips to prevent your cold and flu from getting worse and recover faster.

Now that you have read our article on diabetes, colds and flu, we recommend that you read our article on What is diabetes?. There is a lot of useful knowledge in the article.