Advice needed!

[Beth]

Hi,

I found out i was type 1 at the end of 2007 and have slowly been getting use to it. My sugar levels have finally started leveling out but every now and again i'll get a random reading, especially in the morning. I was wondering if anyone had any advice about what foods were best to eat before bed in order to keep my sugar levels up but not to get them too high?? And also what are the best things to eat before going to the gym??

Thanks!

Beth

 

[sugarless sue]

Hi Beth and welcome to the forum.I'm sure one of our type 1 members will come along and give you an answer shortly.

 

[chocoholic]

Hi Beth,
That is exactly what i am working on at the moment. Trying to get that bedtime snack just right. Sometimes I overdo it and other times don't have enough.
I'll tell you what I read yesterday. If you test your blood sugars before bed and that is at least 3 hours since your last meal, then that reading should dictate what you do. If for instance it is 13 or above it said you should have a correction dose of fast acting insulin (that level will be personal to you so I cannot guide you on that). Apparently,if your reading is within normal range, you shouldn't actually need a snack, as long as your basal insulin dosage is correct.That is because if your basal is spot on, it should keep you steady through the night.
As I only read that last night, it will be my first try-out tonight. I have always had some sort of snack at bedtime as I was worried about going hypo in the night but did not realise the basal should keep me steady through the night, if my bedtime reading was within range.
I'm hoping someone with longer experience of insulin usage will correct me if I'm wrong with this info as I can't find the book I was reading last night and would not wish to pass on incorrect info.
As you can tell, I'm still learning myself but hopefully, my posting might help a bit and you and I will
both soon discover what suits us individually.
All the best, chocoholic.

 

[Stuboy]

chocoholic is right.

If you're basal is correct then you shouldn't need to snack before bed.
In a way, if you're having to snack before bed then your diabetes is controlling you, not the other way around! (personal opinion)

Have you tried some basal testing over night? What basal insulin are you using?

That would be my advice, do some basal testing and adjust the basal insulin so that it keeps you nice and steady. It's also important for your pre-meal numbers to have your basal insulin right, and also allows you to skip meals if you want to.

 

[Beth]

Thanks for the advice!

It does make sense (i think! ) my base insulin is Lantus. I've found that if i decrease it by one unit for the night the next day my sugars are high, does that make sense? My night time reading usually falls between 4-7 as do my other readings (most of the time!) im worried that if change my lantus dose it will affects my day readings. Like chocoholic it seems that sometime i overdo the snack and other times i'll have a hypo at 6am! If i do snack what type are things are best, i was told cereal but would that make my sugar levels go high in the night??

 

[chocoholic]

I think cereal will probably send you up too high, Beth. Something lower carb. like an oatcake or two or a small amount of protein (slice of cold meat or small amount of cheese) might be better. Obviously if your reading was too low you might need something a bit more substantial. I go for a Ryvita if slightly higher carb snack is needed but a bowl of cereal is not something I'd recommend as a bedtime snack, as it is high in carbs.