When in transit, your blood sugar levels may run higher than usual. This is caused by a combination of factors, including the stress associated with travel, consumption of restaurant meals, and prolonged periods of sitting. However, the pattern can change dramatically when you arrive at your destination. The sudden decrease in stress, extra walking, new surroundings to absorb mentally, and (perhaps) warmer temperatures can lead to an overall drop in blood sugar levels.
The Adjustment: Plan to take a little extra basal insulin on travel days but a little less once you arrive and settle in at your destination. Incidentally, if you need to take an insulin injection on a plane using vials and syringes, only inject half as much air as usual into the vial. Cabin pressure is a bit lower than the air pressure on the ground, so you won’t need to build up as much pressure inside the vial.
When traveling across time zones, you may need to make some insulin program adjustments. If you use an insulin pump, simply adjust the clock on the pump to correspond with the local time once you arrive. This will help ensure that the peaks and valleys in your basal insulin program will correspond to your sleep schedule at your destination.
Those taking injections of NPH, glargine, or degludec should continue to take the injections on a schedule similar to what is kept at home.
This may mean changing the clock time of your injection.
For example, if you normally take your glargine at 10 p.m. and travel west across three time zones, you should begin taking it at 7 p.m. (local time) once at your destination.
Upon traveling home, you can resume your usual injection time of 10 p.m.
Note that the timing of ultra-long-acting insulins (degludec or concentrated glargine) can vary several hours from day to day, so unless you’re traveling across more than three or four time zones, it is fine to keep to your usual clock schedule at your destination (for example: 10 p.m. at home, 10 p.m. at your destination).
And remember, insulin is stable at room temperature for up to a month. There is not usually a need to refrigerate your insulin while traveling. However, if the temperature at your destination is in excess of 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Centigrade) and your accommodations are not air conditioned, either store your insulin in a refrigerator, or bring along a temperature-controlled case for your insulin vials and pens. (See