Concerts

While shorter – and usually in much nicer places – than music festivals, gigs and concerts can also cause some issues for people with diabetes. Alcohol is still plentiful, and you’re still likely to be dancing. Be aware of the following potential issues. 

Dealing with bouncers and venue restrictions

Venues are likely to have security that might search your bags, and they’re more likely to ban food and drink brought in from outside. Having insulin pens and blood glucose meters isn’t likely to cause problems, but it is always a good idea to get a letter from your doctor or diabetes care team confirming that you have diabetes. 

Insulin dosing 

Dancing and enjoying yourself at a gig can cause hypos. You may have to reduce the dose of insulin you take with your evening meal if the gig starts within a few hours of injecting. Similarly, you may need to reduce your overnight insulin, particularly if you’ve been dancing a lot of drinking alcohol. 

Hypo treatment 

The venue may ban food and drink brought from outside, and bars and food kiosks inside the venue are likely to be busy and expensive. You should keep some dextrosol with you at all times, just in case. 

The most important thing is to have fun! Make sure you think about these things before you go – this will give you a better chance of having a good time without running into any problems that might affect your health.