What is fasting?
Fasting is when you choose not to eat or drink for a certain length of time. Sometimes, fasting needs to happen before surgery. You can also fast to help you lose weight or as a religious practice, like Ramadan. Sometimes, people who fast stop taking medicines too.
If you live with diabetesDiabetes is a life-long metabolic disease where the body either doesn't make enough insulin or can't use the insulin it makes. This causes high blood sugar levels. Diabetes can cause damage to various organs over time if not properly managed, you should talk to your GPGeneral Practitioner about how to manage your health while fasting. A person with diabetes can get very sick if they change their normal routine without talking to their GP.
This factsheet will talk about fasting during Ramadan, but anyone who chooses to fast can use this information. If you choose to fast, your diabetes care team should respect your decision and help you to manage your diabetes.
What will my GP do to support me and my diabetes while fasting?
Seeing your GP is an important first step if you choose to fast. Your GP will talk to you about how you manage your diabetes. They will also talk to you about problems that may happen when you fast.
If you have issues with your diabetes, like kidney disease or eye problems, you are at high risk for complications. Your GP will talk to you about this. They will help you to prepare for the month of Ramadan.
Your GP will check your blood pressure, blood glucose (blood sugar) levels and lipids. They will talk to you about how to manage high or low blood sugar levels. They will also talk to you about any Ramadan-specific changes you should make to your normal routine.
You could become very sick if you don’t make changes to your normal routine during this time. There may be times when you need to break your fast to stay healthy.
