International Diabetes Center > Diabetes Self-care > Time Zone Changes

Time zone changes

When traveling across time zones, your travel day is shorter or longer than usual, depending on which direction you go. This can affect the timing or amount of your medication doses.

If you take insulin, you will need to adjust your background insulin for travel across multiple time zones (more than four hours difference). This allows you to adjust to having a longer and shorter day.

You will need to add insulin when you “gain” time going west, and subtract insulin when you “lose” time going east. If you use an insulin pump, change the clock on the pump to the local time once you reach your destination.

Your health care provider can help you determine the correct travel regimen for your trip. Insulin adjustments generally are not needed for travel within the continental United States, or from the continental United States to Mexico, Central America or the Caribbean.

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