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Type 1 Confusion

S_123

Newbie
Messages
1
Hi All,

My boyfriend is 25 and has had type 1 diabetes since he was young.

Over recent months I've been randomly waking up through the night to find that his blood sugar is low (occasionally so low that he's having a hypo) so as an interim measure we've started setting an alarm for 1am so that we can test his blood and check he is at a good level. So far, this has worked in that a few times we've been able to catch his blood sugar being low before it gets to the point where he needs my assistance to bring it back up and he's not had a hypo since.

However recently we've been waking up at 1am and he's been really confused and doing weird things. For example trying to turn the telly off with an extension cable, when the telly is already off and thinking I'm someone else. I assume this is because his blood sugar is low so test him immediately and he is fine, usually around 6.0 mmol/l.

I'm worried that this confusion and memory loss is a sign of something more serious. It usually just takes him about 5 minutes to wake up properly and start making sense, but it is becoming quite concerning so I'd be grateful for any advice that anyone can give.

Thanks in advance, a concerned girlfriend.
 
 
Hi Ive been a type 1 for 32 years and still have many problems with it.
on the hypos a good idea is to not be over active after 7pm as if like me i was having major problems as i was football coaching from 7pm-830pm and ended up having hypos every night after this as i seem to have upto a 6 hour delay so could test upto a 9 before bed but be a 2 by 3am. I now have to do things before 6 so if i test at midnight it does not change much.
on the 6 levels ive been having the same issues as im trying to do more exercise and control weight and since doing this have reduced my intake by 50% but over the last 6 weeks I have found every time im a 6 i feel spaced out and can quite often just be looking at something but not doing anything now as soon as i get a 6 i make sure i get up walk around do a little on the spot running and it sorts things out. I have also been told that although my long term bloods come back at a great level it may be where im changing my food and working out a bit more means my levels are not as up and down as much as they had been and its just an adjustment problem you not use to and bottom line is there is nothing to worry about.
Keep up the good work as its vital your partner understands you is not to controlling but can see when something is wrong as an easy 2 way connection with no stress is the best for both of you as my partner would tell you its not that easy sometimes and we always discuss things when im at a normal level as i find if im to low it wont all register and if im a bit high i can be a bit negative which can lead to an argument for no reason.
 
On the hypos, well done on sorting them out. I set an alarm if I've eaten within 5 hours of bedtime, or am worried about the arrows on my CGM. I've ordered a Miao Miao which connects to the CGM via Bluetooth and has an alarm which sounds when BS go low. It hasn't arrived yet.

On the sleeping issue, it's certainly worth discussing with your GP. It sounds like a sleep disorder rather than a symptom of T1DM. Parasomnias are undesired, disruptive events that occur during sleep, such as confusion arousal -waking up confused or disoriented; sometimes called "sleep drunkenness."
 
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