never have a good night's sleep

[hollyslot]

i was talking to my dad, and said i never get a good nights sleep because i always need to get up at least once for the toilet and more than once to test and correct my blood sugars. do you guys have the same problem?

 

[tim2000s]

That happened to me when I was undiagnosed. It sounds as though your basal insulin is too low or you are eating the wrong foods before bed. Could you give us some insight into your regime and normal daily blood sugars?

 

[Susikav]

I am type 2, genetic.... I am slim and I control my levels with low carbs.... Is there a way to a better sleep pattern? I get so fed up with waking in the night... I don't need the bathroom usually and don't know what wakens me - although sometimes it's my little cat coming in and chatting to me... What food is it best to eat and should you eat something just before you sleep? Can anyone help?

 

[hollyslot]

my normal daily bgs are good- don't get many highs really! before bed i eat whatever the family meal is (i still live at home) so last night for example i had pasta. my parents won't let me weigh out carbs though, so i literally have to guess unfortunately which makes it very difficult. i might try to increase my basal though as even when i've known the carbs (made dinner for myself) i have gone high. thanks for the reply!

 

[Susikav]

my normal daily bgs are good- don't get many highs really! before bed i eat whatever the family meal is (i still live at home) so last night for example i had pasta. my parents won't let me weigh out carbs though, so i literally have to guess unfortunately which makes it very difficult. i might try to increase my basal though as even when i've known the carbs (made dinner for myself) i have gone high. thanks for the reply!

Hi Hollyslot...Why do your parents not allow you to weigh your carbs? It's important... I never eat pasta - or any wheat, but I have ulcerative colitis so it's better for me not to! Do you sleep better if you have pasta? I used to, years ago... it was a lovely meal to go to bed on... I had a full sea-food dinner made for me last night - everything from fresh oysters to salmon terrine, by way of mushrooms stuffed with chicken... I had two small glasses of champagne and one small dry white, but I slept really badly and, indeed, was wide awake after 3.5 hours... I don't feel tired now, though I imagine I will later...

 

[noblehead]

my normal daily bgs are good- don't get many highs really! before bed i eat whatever the family meal is (i still live at home) so last night for example i had pasta. my parents won't let me weigh out carbs though, so i literally have to guess unfortunately which makes it very difficult. i might try to increase my basal though as even when i've known the carbs (made dinner for myself) i have gone high. thanks for the reply!

Best that you do some basal testing if your bg is running high, you should find the following helpful:

http://www.salforddiabetescare.co.uk/index2.php?nav_id=1007

Your parents need to understand that you need to weigh out your food in order to get your insulin dose right, perhaps you should sit down and explain to them the importance of knowing the carb value of your meal as getting it wrong can lead to hypo's and hyper's.

Once you get your night-time levels right you should get a better nights sleep, high bg means the kidneys are working overtime and need to get rid of the excess glucose in your body, hence why you need to pee a lot more when bg levels are high.

 

[Susikav]

I am controlling my levels with a low-carb diet really well and average around 115 2 hours after a meal.... why don't I sleep? I fall asleep easily but cannot stay asleep, but I don't get up to pee...

 

[aquablue]

I am controlling my levels with a low-carb diet really well and average around 115 2 hours after a meal.... why don't I sleep? I fall asleep easily but cannot stay asleep, but I don't get up to pee...

Hi Susikav. I'm also a slim T2 (maybe) lo-carber and I've noticed that my bedtime BG relates to how well I sleep. If I'm under 5 (rarely) I'll have a lousy night, under 6, a poor night, but if I'm higher than I would otherwise be happy with, say over 7, At least I know I'll get a good night's kip. You could try raising your BG slightly before bed and see if it helps.

 

[Susikav]

Thank you aquablue... I will try it... maybe a couple of pieces of black chocolate and a low-carb hot chocolate? I get so nervous about eating stuff that puts my levels up... I never noticed the correlation between the levels I try to keep really low and my poor sleeping pattern... I'll let you know how it goes...

 

[tim2000s]

It might be worth introducing your parents to BDEC as they can do this at home. It would help them to understand the importance of carb counting and help you.

If they are still not going to allow you to weigh the pasta, you will need to test before and 2 hours after the meal to determine the impact on your blood sugar, and work out how to adjust your insulin. You should also be testing before your basal to confirm you are having the right amount.

While it saddens me to say it, you may need to sit down with your parents and have a very blunt conversation along the lines of you need their help to make sure you stay well and healthy and that their current approach is one that could result in you facing more time on hospital and making you extremely ill.