Safety and hypos

Sexual health isn’t the only issue – you should also be aware of your safety. For lots of people, going out to party, having a few drinks, meeting new people and hooking up with one of them is a lot of fun. If this is something you want to do, however, you should keep your blood glucose in mind. 

Alcohol (see later section) can have a big effect on blood glucose – from immediate highs to hypos after drinking. You also probably remember that exercise can lower your blood glucose. Sex is an activity that can use a lot of energy, so if you’re planning on drinking and having sex, you should also be prepared for a hypo. 

If you’re looking to hook up with someone new– or with anyone who doesn’t know about your diabetes and what that entails – then you should make extra sure you handle any hypos yourself. You can tell your partner and be open about it, or you can manage it by yourself and go to the bathroom when you need to test.

The main thing is that you test yourself and that you take more glucose when you need to, whether this involves grabbing some food with your partner, drinking something sugary, or taking some dextrosol tablets in private. It might even be an idea to try to keep your blood glucose a little high if the alcohol has kicked in and you’re still planning on using up energy. 

You might feel that talking about your diabetes or having to focus on managing it is a bit of a downer when you’re trying to have fun, but it means less chance of having something bad happen, like having a severe hypo even losing consciousness and leaving your partner panicking and with no idea what to do.