FAQ: Can I wear my glucose monitor in the sauna, hot tub, or hot shower/ice bath, etc?
FAQ:
Can I wear my glucose monitor in the sauna, hot tub, or hot shower/ice bath?
Answer:
You can wear your monitor in a hot or cold environment (e.g. sauna, ice bath, hot shower, hot yoga), but there are a couple of things you should take into account when doing this:
- The recommended operating temperature for a glucose monitor is between 50 and 113 degrees Fahrenheit, so sensor errors may occur if you wear your glucose monitor in temperatures outside of this range, like in a sauna, ice bath, hot tub, hot shower, etc. (you can read more about the glucose monitor operating guidelines from the device manufacturer for Dexcom here and for Libre here.)
- There are known interactions between body temperature and glucose metabolism that could impact your glucose levels while you're immersed in these extreme temperatures, so if this is the case in your situation, you may see increased glucose variability in your Levels readings when doing these activities (you can find more information on this topic here if you're interested).
If you don't want the glucose spikes caused by these activities to affect your Metabolic Scores, simply log the activity as an Exercise, and mark it as 'Strenuous' (see instructions here).
When you log an exercise as 'Strenuous', the entire Zone that activity is a part of will not impact your Stability Score.
Further Reading: