• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Constantly tired

P

patfootball04

Newbie
Messages
2
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
20yo male. I am a full time uni student and quite physically active. Been T1 for a year now, and I have very tight blood glucose control. My only flaw with my diabetes management if anything is having too many hypo’s.

Does anyone else find they get sleepy, tired and unmotivated so quickly? I don’t think it was this bad at all before I was diagnosed. I need to nap almost everyday and get tired on night’s out so much more easily.

Can someone please tell if there is a scientific link to this? Do the fluctuating sugars we experience cause fatigue? Or frequent hypo’s?

All I can find online is that T1 diabetes is linked to fatigue, but it doesn’t explain why or how, and ways to prevent it.

Thanks!
 
patfootball04 said:
All I can find online is that T1 diabetes is linked to fatigue, but it doesn’t explain why or how, and ways to prevent it.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Since becoming a T1 (at age 54) I have found that my capacity for exercise has greatly diminished. I now get muscle burn from just walking up stairs which never happened before.

I assume that for some of us, artificial insulin does not allow our bodies to use glucose effectively but I have no evidence to support this theory.

Unfortunately, medical science does not have all the answers where diabetes is concerned.
 
patfootball04 said:
My only flaw with my diabetes management if anything is having too many hypo’s.
Click to expand...

I'm wondering if this is the problem. How low do you go.

T1 for 49 years here (diagnosed age 8) and I've always been the last person picked for a team at gym class:). When I was 50 I started to get severe back ache (not diabetes related) and started to go to the gym with my husband. One hour with a personal trainer a week and I felt so much better, and was able to resume the semi active lifestyle I was used to. (We have a kelpie who needs at least an hour's walk each day)

But I feel awful if I have a bad hypo. 3.8 is fine, 3.5 is OK, but if I go lower than that I have a hypo hangover. (Plus I lose hypo awareness if my blood sugar goes that low too often).

So, how low do you go?
 
Like @EllieM diabetes has not stopped me exercising and has not affected my energy levels.
Unless I have a bad hypo (in the 2s) then I am drained.

It is very easy to blame the thing we know for tiredness, headaches, etc. but diabetes is not the only reason why we may be constantly tired. If it is affecting your lifestyle, I visit to the GP may help understand the cause.

And talk to your diabetes team about the frequent hypos you are having - it may be possible to reduce these.
 
Back
Top