Whether it's summer, sun, beach and delicious food or cold, competitive sports and sports nutrition: Holidays should be fun. You don't want to think about the time difference, a new climate or changed eating and exercise habits. Because it's not just the body that cries out for rest, the mind also needs a break.
People with type 1 diabetes have to manage every change with constant observation, calculation and adjustment of the insulin dose and amount of food. Suddenly, nighttime insulin rations are needed during the day and vice versa. Everyone can manage a twelve hour time difference – but what about when the trip lasts several weeks across different time zones? What if the planned one-week train trip spontaneously turns into a three–day hike to the top of a mountain? Spontaneous actions require prompt, targeted adjustments in the amount of insulin.
Experienced people with diabetes manage this almost automatically. Systems for automatic insulin dosing help to avoid hypoglycemia by controlling and adjusting the insulin supply. However, some actions can make even the sensor and pump sweat. Modern insulin delivery systems are smart and recognize trends themselves. For example, very little insulin is needed for hours after a mountain hike, and thanks to the automated system, the hiker can sleep more peacefully without having to check his blood glucose levels.
Many travelers do not miss the opportunity to try foreign specialties. But who knows how many carbohydrates this exotic fruit has or that delicious dessert. Two hours later, the blood sugar curve is pointing steeply upward, with no thought of going down again. Unless there is a helper who intervenes after just a few minutes and makes a correction. So how about people with diabetes having to look at their devices less often and instead have more time for their vacations?
Once you have finally arrived and are completely relaxed, the vacation is already over again. But not quite, because the journey home is still to come. Routiniers are already making the first return adjustments for home, while newcomers still don't know how to master the return flight without major fluctuations. But what if the AID system also turns the trip home into a vacation and lets the passenger land without incident?
This is possible, for example with a hybrid closed-loop system. After all, these systems are ideal for travelers. In addition to the appropriate accessories, there are also forums and communities where there is a lively exchange with many tips and tricks. Almost every situation, countless countries and all kinds of sports or vacations are talked about, discussed – and helped there.
