First overnight hypo... But only aware this morning

[RFSMarch]

but none of the signs I have read about here. Woke up as usual around 6am, scanned before getting up to go to the loo and for the first time the Libre had me low overnight. There seems to have been a couple of spikes and then a double drop and then back up to a steady state.

I don't feel extra sweaty. Last night I had sweet potato mash so nothing out of the ordinary, No alcohol. I did a rehab session for exercise yesterday morning. I am only on Metformin SR which I take with breakfast and dinner. I carb count using MyFitnessPal and I used the GI index to make changes to my diet, and added more exercise/rehab to my routine.

The only thing I changed. was I the tog of the duvet because I changed the bed linen last night and was still with the thin summer duvet so I switched up to the thicker one!

I suppose that is the beauty of the Freestyle Libre... I would have had no idea, and my levels have been a leveled off at around normal this past month.

Will print out the daily charts for today and last night and have them when I go to the docs as my follow up blood test results are due back tomorrow. Guess I just need to see if it keeps happening?

 

[Ann1982]

I found that the least little thing can push me up or down. I have decided that it does that just because it can! Sometimes there is no rational reason for it but keep an eye out and perhaps keep a food diary to see if it happens again and what you have been eating that may have caused it. Take care!

 

[RFSMarch]

I found that the least little thing can push me up or down. I have decided that it does that just because it can! Sometimes there is no rational reason for it but keep an eye out and perhaps keep a food diary to see if it happens again and what you have been eating that may have caused it. Take care!

Hi @Ann1982 - agree, I use MyFitnessPal to record food, BG levels, exercise & BP. I posted the pic in the Abbots Freestyle Libre Group and it *could* be a compression low, but I do sleep on that side a lot, so I would be surprised if that was the first one! I'll keep an eye on it though. Bit annoyed because my numbers had been coming down well, follow up blood results due tomorrow so we'll see what fun THAT brings at the docs!

I love the "because it can" though - I had a way more carby dinner the day before (which is actualy why I thought just a nice cheesy mash would make a change - dammt I KNEW I should have done something with that broccoli instead!

Actually... can I blame it on a day of company expenses? Can I? Because I have to tell you... now I am up and having a lemon and ginger tea... I am staring at the receipts... they are staring at me... there's a big staring thing going on!

 

[CherryAA]

but none of the signs I have read about here. Woke up as usual around 6am, scanned before getting up to go to the loo and for the first time the Libre had me low overnight. There seems to have been a couple of spikes and then a double drop and then back up to a steady state.

I don't feel extra sweaty. Last night I had sweet potato mash so nothing out of the ordinary, No alcohol. I did a rehab session for exercise yesterday morning. I am only on Metformin SR which I take with breakfast and dinner. I carb count using MyFitnessPal and I used the GI index to make changes to my diet, and added more exercise/rehab to my routine.

The only thing I changed. was I the tog of the duvet because I changed the bed linen last night and was still with the thin summer duvet so I switched up to the thicker one!

I suppose that is the beauty of the Freestyle Libre... I would have had no idea, and my levels have been a leveled off at around normal this past month.

Will print out the daily charts for today and last night and have them when I go to the docs as my follow up blood test results are due back tomorrow. Guess I just need to see if it keeps happening?

A few things to bear in mind .

Libre often records a little low so you may well find that had you done a finger prick test you would not have " hypo'd" at all.

Also a lot of non diabetic people have blood sugars running under 4.0 a lot of the time . I've see plenty of 3.6's amongst freinds. My own blood sugars on the libre frequently record 3.7 - 3.9 for hours on end. I think that's fine for me.

It's probably very different if one is medicating to get the low number because in that instance it may be someone took in too much insulin and the body simply can't take enough glucose to deal with it if that person got the does wrong , so the low keeps getting lower quickly int dangerous territory.

As you continue this process and the levels of circulating insulin come down, you will also probably find that the shape of the swings on your monitor flatten off so that instead of a scary " hype" with a sharp fall downward, it is instead a gradual decline to number that would be normal for the non diabetic.

Hope that helps you.

 

[SimonCrox]

Yes, I would agree totally with above, but would never be patronising. It is rare to go hypo on metformin, which is one of the reasons it is highly recommended. It is common for folk with overnight hypos to not notice them at all.

 

[DCUKMod]

@RFSMarch - Firstly, I don't see you mention how low your low was, but provided your signature is up to date and your just taking Metformin for your diabetes (i.e., as opposed to anything heftier), and if you feel fine, I wouldn't be too concerned at this stage. As you are wearing a Libre, you will have the opportunity to watch for this again, without having to wake to do so.

That said, if you do wake in the night, scan and find a recent low on your monitor, then do a finger prick test to validate whether on that occasion you are low, or likely have a compression low in play.

By the time I started using the Libre (intermittently) my diabetes was already in a very decent place, so I wasn't tracking so much for improvements, I was (and do) track to ensure things aren't changing in the background for me. However, cutting to the chase, it is not incredibly uncommon for some T2s and "normal" folks to run low at night. I do, and regularly so. Indeed, some of my overnight traces are pretty low, flat lines.

I'd suggest monitoring it for a few days, and see if you can see any patterns.

Personally, I don't worry in the least about low numbers, for me, provided I'm feeling fine and I have eaten sensibly (i.e., I'm not inadvertently starving myself). For me, it's all about both the numbers I'm seeing how I feel, and what I've done.

If, however, you have an episode where your numbers are low and you feel "off", then certainly test, but probably have a cup of tea, with milk, or something fairly light. That'll likely just nudge your numbers upwards a bit, and allow you to think things through, without a full-frontal sugar hit. For some T2s, a full on sugar hit can lead to quite a spike, then a rebound drop back down to lower levels and start a bit of an uncomfortable bouncing ball rebound situation

Most T2s' bodies will be able to support them so that they don't go into a medically significant hypo situation, but if at any time you feel unwell, unsafe or very anxious it makes sense to act on the side of caution.

As a final note to anyone reading this on heftier drugs than Metformin, like the Gliclazide or insulin, advice would definitely differ.

 

[RFSMarch]

Popped in to see pharmacist and we concluded it may well have been a compression low based on being under a cosier duvet. But the good news (and will update sig and post a new thread in a mo - bloods back and everything (except my **** blood pressure) is moving downwards. Appt with doc booked for next week so I expect him to be a right mardy so and so and complain that very high to high does not = good (!)