Yesterday marked the arrival of the Minor Cold solar term, with biting north winds bringing snowfall to many areas. The land of Gansu has entered the coldest time of the year. For the vast number of people with diabetes, this not only means adding layers for warmth but also presents a challenge of whether blood sugar can remain "stable through the winter."

Why is blood sugar prone to "losing control" in cold weather? And how should one scientifically manage their health? Director Li Wei from Lanzhou Ruijing Diabetes Hospital (a renowned TCM doctor in Gansu Province and chief physician) combines years of clinical experience with the wisdom of traditional Chinese medicine health preservation to offer people with diabetes a winter health guide.

One

Blood sugar tends to fluctuate more easily in cold weather after Xiaohan. Director Li Wei explains in detail

Director Li Wei pointed out that blood sugar is prone to rise or fluctuate in winter due to the combined effects of internal and external factors:

Physiological response: Cold stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, leading to increased secretion of hormones such as adrenaline, which raise blood sugar levels. This results in more glycogen being released from the liver, while the muscles' uptake and utilization of glucose decreases, ultimately causing blood sugar to rise.

Reduced activity: With "hibernation mode" activated, outdoor exercise significantly decreases, leading to reduced energy expenditure, which is detrimental to blood sugar control.

Dietary Changes: The cold weather instinctively drives cravings for high-calorie, high-fat foods to keep warm, making it easy to unknowingly exceed intake limits.

From a Traditional Chinese Medicine Perspective: Director Li elaborated based on TCM theory, "Winter corresponds to storage, and cold induces contraction." Cold can lead to poor circulation of Qi and blood, with Yang Qi turning inward. For diabetic patients who already suffer from spleen and kidney Yang deficiency, their ability to transform and distribute food essence (regulating blood sugar) becomes even weaker. Additionally, pathogenic cold easily damages Yang Qi, exacerbating the condition.

Second

A "Four-Step Process" for Wellness and Stable Blood Sugar: Follow These Expert Tips from a Renowned Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner

1. Lifestyle – Prioritize Keeping Warm and Protecting Key Areas

Focus on Keeping Warm: The head, neck, back, waist, abdomen, and feet are the most critical areas. Pay special attention to the feet. Soak them in warm water (below 40°C – test the temperature with your hand first!) for 15–20 minutes daily. Adding an appropriate amount of mugwort leaves and safflower can promote blood circulation and help prevent diabetic foot.

Maintain a Regular Routine: Go to bed early and wake up late, waiting for the sunrise. Ensuring adequate sleep is beneficial for preserving yang energy and accumulating yin essence.

Ventilation: When the weather is clear, open windows regularly each day to keep indoor air fresh and prevent respiratory infections.

2. Diet—Warm, Moist, Nourishing, and Skillfully Chosen Ingredients

Director Li suggests that the winter diet should follow the principles of "warm, mild, soft, and diverse."

Warm-natured foods: In moderation, choose warming and tonic foods such as beef, mutton (lean), chicken, shrimp, chives, pumpkin, Chinese yam, and longan. Season dishes with ginger, scallions, and cinnamon to help warm and activate yang energy.

Nourish yin and moisten dryness: In winter, the indoor environment tends to be dry. You can incorporate ingredients such as silver fungus, lotus seeds, lily bulbs, and pears (in moderate amounts) to moisten the lungs and promote fluid production.

Choose soups wisely: Recommended options include astragalus and Chinese yam lean meat soup, and angelica, ginger, and mutton soup (in moderate amounts, skim off surface oil). These help warm the middle and replenish deficiency. Important: Avoid greasy or rich soups, and skim off the surface oil before consuming.

Strictly limit: High-sugar snacks, fried foods, and sticky, hard, or raw-cold foods.

3. Exercise · Avoid cold and seek warmth, stay consistent ♂️

Timing adjustment: Switch morning workouts to 9–10 am or 3–4 pm, waiting until temperatures rise and sunlight is better.

Location shift: Move from outdoors to indoors, such as tai chi, Baduanjin, yoga, indoor walking, or aerobic exercises.

Intensity moderation: Exercise until the body feels slightly warm and starts to sweat, avoiding excessive sweating that depletes vital energy. Remember to monitor blood sugar before and after exercise.

4. Emotions · Cultivate peace of mind and nourish the spirit to pass the winter serenely.

In winter, everything is closed and stored, so it is advisable for people to maintain inner tranquility and keep their emotions stable. Avoid excessive joy or sorrow, and refrain from overthinking. Listening to soothing music, basking in the sun, and communicating with family and friends are all good ways to calm the mind and stabilize the spirit.

Three

Monitoring and medication require even greater care in winter.

Strengthen monitoring: especially for fasting blood sugar, 2 hours postprandial blood sugar, and bedtime blood sugar. Increase monitoring frequency during periods of significant weather changes or when feeling unwell.

Follow Medical Advice: Do not arbitrarily increase or decrease medication or insulin doses on your own. Due to blood sugar fluctuations in winter, make scientific adjustments under the guidance of a doctor.

Equipment Maintenance: Keep glucose meters and test strips away from excessively cold, hot, or humid environments to ensure accurate measurements.

❗️ Special Reminder from Director Li Wei: If the following situations occur, seek medical attention promptly!

While self-management is crucial, the appearance of the following "warning signals" indicates that the condition may be changing or acute complications may be developing. It is essential to seek medical attention promptly and avoid delay!

Persistently High Blood Sugar: After multiple days of lifestyle adjustments, fasting blood glucose remains >10mmol/L, or postprandial blood glucose consistently stays >15mmol/L.

Frequent Hypoglycemia: Repeated episodes of hypoglycemia symptoms such as palpitations, hand tremors, sweating, and dizziness without obvious cause.

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Unusual Bodily Sensations:

Feet: Numbness, tingling, decreased sensation, coldness, purplish-black discoloration, or wounds and blisters that are slow to heal.

Skin: Persistent itching, recurrent infections, and slow-healing ulcers.

Vision: Sudden blurred vision, seeing floaters or flashes of light.

Return of the classic "three excesses and one deficiency" symptoms: excessive thirst, increased drinking, frequent urination, and significant, rapid weight loss.

Signs of acute complications:

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Nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, deep and rapid breathing accompanied by a fruity odor (be alert for diabetic ketoacidosis).

Severe fatigue, thirst, confusion, coma (be alert for hyperosmolar state).

Concomitant with other acute conditions: such as sudden chest pain, chest tightness (be alert for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events), or severe cold, fever, cough, and other infection symptoms.

Summary

After Minor Cold and Major Cold, guard against the cold. For diabetic patients spending the winter, remember the advice from Director Li Wei: "Protect externally from cold pathogens, nurture yang qi internally; monitor persistently, moderate diet; balance activity with rest, maintain emotional tranquility."

Smoothly passing through the cold winter lays a solid foundation for health in the coming year. May every diabetic patient warmly and steadily welcome the spring!