Blood sugars before bed

Sianifer

Newbie
Messages
1
Type of diabetes
Type 1
hello,

When you do your bloods before bed, and they are say around 4 (I'm not sure what this is in the new terms) and you've done your levemir (so they're going to drop a little more) what do you eat/drink/do to bring them up a little so you don't have a hypo in the night, but you still wake up with them at a good level?

Thanks in advance!
 

greycat001

Member
Messages
10
Type of diabetes
Type 1
hello,

When you do your bloods before bed, and they are say around 4 (I'm not sure what this is in the new terms) and you've done your levemir (so they're going to drop a little more) what do you eat/drink/do to bring them up a little so you don't have a hypo in the night, but you still wake up with them at a good level?

Thanks in advance!
Hello there, I usually have a rich tea biscuit or something similar with around 10 carbs. Hope that helps.
 

Ledzeptt

Well-Known Member
Messages
591
Type of diabetes
Type 3c
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Liquorice and aniseed (especially the tracer I have to drink in hospital before a CT scan - yuk!)
I have a couple of Oatcakes because they're supposed to be low GI (so will keep my BG steady for longer).

I know a friend who uses Belvita breakfast biscuits for the same reason, but I find them too sweet. They're also relatively expensive.
 
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YorkshireAli

Well-Known Member
Messages
99
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
If my blood sugar before bed is a point or two under what I'm comfortable with, then I've found that two or three Baby Bel cheeses are good to keep the level steady and with the compensation of the dawn phenomenon, I manage to hit the target the next morning.
 

azure

Expert
Messages
9,780
Type of diabetes
Type 1
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Pump
Do you have carbs with the Babybels, @YorkshireAli ?

If I'm anxious about being too low before bed, I sometimes have a plain biscuit like a digestive or Rich Tea. I think bedtime's always a more worrying time to be 'borderline'. If I feel my blood sugar might fall, maybe because of a carb miscalculation earlier or something, I usually set an alarm to get up and test. I find it easier to sleep doing that, and any further adjustments can be made then.
 

YorkshireAli

Well-Known Member
Messages
99
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I know what you mean about the borderline readings at bedtime - hardly conducive to a good night's sleep! If I'm borderline, I don't have carbs with the Baby Bel - for me, the fat and protein in the cheese acts like a half-dose of carbs, which puts my sugar up just enough, without spiking, which it would if I had carbs then. The fat content flattens out the effect.

If I'm definitely too low before bed, then I'll have a slice of toast with some cheese on, but as I'm particularly sensitive to carbs I then have to either inject a couple of units, or end up risking a double-digit reading in the morning, which I don't like, as it throws me for the whole of the next day. Sometimes I have to admit that I wing it a bit and go with just the Baby Bel and cross my fingers, trusting that it'll work out ok.
 

noblehead

Guru
Retired Moderator
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Much would depend if I had insulin on board at 4mmol/l, if my previous dose was exhausted then I'd have some slow release carbs like oatcakes as @Ledzeptt suggests above, the Nairn's Cheese Oatcakes are really nice :)
 
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hollyslot

Well-Known Member
Messages
167
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
hello,

When you do your bloods before bed, and they are say around 4 (I'm not sure what this is in the new terms) and you've done your levemir (so they're going to drop a little more) what do you eat/drink/do to bring them up a little so you don't have a hypo in the night, but you still wake up with them at a good level?

Thanks in advance!
i would definitely if they are as low as 4 x
 
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