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Effect of sleeping hours on Blood sugar reading

Kaha

Kaha

Well-Known Member
Messages
214
Location
Canada
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Hypocrite
I am sharing with you my observation that sleeping hours and duration has certain influence on morning/fasting sugar level. Last night being a weekend evening I had a party and had late dinner at 2200 and had rich meal (chicken biriany , white rice ,some potatoes... all full of carbs ). Had some fruits( mango, orange, papaya, coconut) and tea couple of cups afterwords .For some reasons ,it was almost early morning at 5-30 when I went to bed . Before bed , I checked the reading and I was surprised to see it normal 6.7 after taking heavy/ rich dinner with fruits etc few hours ago. Anyway, woke up at 1030 (after a sleep of 5 hours only)and checked the reading and found this elevated (7.6) than the one before bed increase by 0.9 . I could not understand the logic behind it. Thought that the effect of heavy /rich dinner was already stabilized before bedtime reading and because I did not eat anything and had rest/sleep I did not expect any rise in sugar level . I think, this was because of irregular timing of sleep as well as insufficient hours .Can you forum members say anything on my observation and conclusion? Did anybody experience similar blood sugar readings fluctuations?
 
High fat foods will take longer to effect your BS levels
 
i am not sure about this. my fbs was normally between 6 and 7. on average. i know that steroids can push mine up (scared to death now that ill get a chest infection and need to go on them again). a week last friday a locum doc at my surgery started me on Bumetamide 1mg. a diuretic/water tablet because one of my legs got fluid on it.upto yesterday morning ,for about 3 mornings my FBS rose each morning to over 7, highest being 7.3. night before last i had a lousy night. didnt get to sleep till 7am, was woken up at 9.30am .had to get up because i was getting unexpected visitors.my usual supper is about 10pm consists of 1 Weetabix on a bed of cornflakes . go to bed between 12 and 1am.at 5am , because i couldnt sleep ,was hungry, i had 3/4 of a cup of hot milk with 1 crust and 1 slice dry weightwatchers white bread.have done this before on the odd times ive still been up at that time, with no problems. at 9.45am when i took my fbs i was astounded to find it was 13. so apart from lack of sleep (which has never affected my fbs before, the only difference was the water pill.but that was a big jump from 7.3 the morning before to 13.can only think was a combo of the water pill plus lack of sleep.i didnt take a water pill the following morning (yesterday) as was going out for the day. this morning my bloods were back to7.it does say on the leaflet that the water pills can put your bloods up a bit.i have taken one today so will see what tomorrows fbs is.if its up again, then guess whose getting a phone call. i never had this happen on Ferusomide. though the 40mg of those i had been on didnt make any significant difference, whereas these do.my leg going right down to almost normal. this wont answer your question but may help. as there may be a possibility that a bad night may contribute to a higher BS in some people.
 
Thanks for detailed description of events. I see your medicine contributed a lot in raising BS. Could not think though.
 
Kaha said:
Thanks for detailed description of events. I see your medicine contributed a lot in raising BS. Could not think though.
Click to expand...
well i will know in the morning if my fbs is up again.... leaflet with those meds does say CAN affect blood sugars though.so nott a surprise if it was that.
 
I am 68 yrs old, T2 for 14 years, not on Insulin. I check bed time and morning levels occasionally. Morning ones are some times higher than bed time. I believe (1) some call it "Liver dump" or "Dawn phenomenon" (2) In a normal night in the small hours some hormones - Growth hormone? Cortisol ? are released in to blood which raise sugar levels.
 
Hello everybody, these posts were really interesting and made me think about my morning readings, so have decided to be extra readings and note any major changes to the results. I sometimes stay up late and only have a few hours sleep, testing will be going on, ttfn
 
Hello to all, I went to bed last night about 03.30am and stayed in bed until 11.30am and my bs was 4.7 which was surprising to me, but no hypo.
Sleep is needed, but some mornings I feel as though I have been flattened, well another thing to think about. Silly season is getting nearer, the old man in the red suit is sneaking closer, so planning the Christmas dinner with plenty not to give bs ups/downs, ttfn
 
A lack of good quality sleep messes with your blood sugars. This is just my experience anyway.
 
These have been my results since all this started.the very low Hb1Ac i am sure is down to being on the 2 Metformin for that month plus i was still testing on a morning at that time. but with stress caused by a certain close member of my family not wanting to know anything about whats going on with me. other 3 have their own problems, i have only internet friends otherwise who frankly although seem like lovely people, don't exactly make me think they want to listen to this creaking gate. the one stressing me is insistent i don't need to test (because our doctors don't believe we need to as type 2 non insulin dependent. i feel im getting no support at all from those i should be getting it from/ i gave up.i stopped watching what i ate (still losing weight tho)stopped testing,(cant afford the strips anymore anyway.my priorities have to go to buying in mepore and other medical dressings as ive terribly thin skin and forever knocking myself.causing 3 corner tears which bleed like a stuck pig and which take from 1-3/4 weeks to heal. ask the docs for any i get 3 single mepore pads. neither use nor ornament to me.now told that unless i go to the drs with every single tear i get i wont get any dressings at all. brilliant.can see me trying to get in a taxi with blood dripping all over his seat n me. so i buy my own)
23/05/2 ..Hb1Ac = 65 BMI =29 WEIGHT =13.1 BP= 148/80 CHOLESTEROL=4.9
FEB 2013 =55 (TOLD THIS OVER THE PHONE. NO APPOINTMENT)
28/06/2013 " =61..... " =28......."=12.6(80Kg).."..=136/70..........".................=4.6
27/1/2014 " = 81....." =27.1 ..." =12.4..(79Kg). " =NOT DONE.." ...............=NOT DONE
ABOVE RESULT WAS AFTER 4 COURSES OF STEROIDS IN 4 MONTHS FOR DIFFERENT THINGS. NOT ALL INFECTIONS
even though i got my bloods back down to 7 i was still PUT ON 1 METFORMIN . 2 MONTHS LATER PUT ON A 2ND METFORMIN... THIS LAST SET MY IBS OFF.SO I CAME OFF THAT AFTER 1 MONTH.WITH THE DIABETIC NURSES CONSENT
18/7/2014 Hb1Ac = 49,,,BMI=28...WEIGHT = 79Kg....BP=128/64....CHOLESTEROL=4.8
29/7.15 " = 75 " =27 " = 76........ " =138/64 " =4.6
saw an article other day taken from a book about self help for diabetics . it said the one thing new diabetics need is someone to confide in to talk to etc....from the beginning. because things,thoughts etc not addressed then can cause problems later......... well yes i agree with that. cos 3 years down the line i gave up for a few months and now i am facing seeing the diabetic nurse practitioner (who i do not like at best of times)who i know is going to not only try putting me back on metformin but also possibly steroids which i refuse point blank to take. may have to sort out a different water tablet as well if thats causing it to go up.this is because although i am not eating like i should (again this relative is told 1 meal a day is fine as long as she has a piece of toast b4 taking her first metformin. (not sure shes even doing that now) i eat 4 meals a day most days. tho my sleep pattern is erratic more so than before. up several times with cramp or to go to the loo. more nights than not. or not getting to sleep till between 4-7am then sleeping so deep i feel rotten when i do get up. missing half the day now because im not getting up before 10.30-11am.. except on the days my dog walkers come to take my dog out and some days falling asleep at odd times over my keyboard.. sometimes, if IBS isnt playing up ill have normal coffee other times ill go have a nap. though they go beyond the 40minute power naps i intend n often last 2hours.this is no new thing (the falling asleep) its been going on for ages.years. but not every day.
i can see a row coming up. i dont have much patience, plus i get very emotional very easily these days. used to get out every 2-3 weeks with my nephew seeing places i had never seen before but he has got very mercenary this year. i paid petrol no matter how far we went. but i found out he was charging a lot more than the petrol cost so i dont go out with him now. public transport is ok. but leaves me too exhausted to enjoy an outing so all i have is a trip to the shops once a fortnight.live on a hill too disabled to walk either way up or down as got the opposite coming back a hill either way,. so have to use taxis, at lest i feel more able to walk a bit then luckily plenty of seats in our town. not much good if it rains mind. and cafes have got so costly now.like everything else.. oh.. forgot to mention i live on my own.i gt visit from my daughter. once a week. see her if i get taxi to hers. when i can. go town with her alternate mondays providing nothing happens to stop it. no other visitors except 3 dog walkers here a few mins while putting lead etc on dog n same in reverse end of walk.
 
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Hello Mommayorkie, you sound really fed up with lots of things and now getting ripped off by your nephew, what a nasty trick to play on a family member.
Stick to your guns about the terrible steroids, they might cure the condition but, what happens when they are reduced and removed plays havoc with the body.

Yes you do need somebody to talk too, even via the forum.
I also get fed up with my diet and really wish things could be better in the tastier food department.

I am still getting my testing strips and lancets free on prescription from the doctors, so I am spurred the cost of buying them , which I do know are expensive, if you asked again would they supply them for you?

I am very erratic with my sleeping hours, going to bed at 3, 4 or 5 in the morning. The first reading is all over the place, some times lower to middle sometimes higher. Yes I do nod off some times in the afternoons without even being aware of it and other times feeling my head nod then jerk back which wakes me up. One night I nearly fell off the computer chair! that woke me. I constantly feel tired, edgy and restless, with twitchy legs and sore knees!!!. They I don't know what to do with myself, even though there are things that want doing around the bungalow, that I should be doing, but cannot get the energy or interest up to do the tasks, one task a day is all I can manage.
Well ttfn from Karen.
 
Hi Scouser., Thank you for that. yes you are right i WAS very down and as i said had given up. however. i must say the visit to the nurse practitioner went off extremely well. better than i could have hoped for. now will see if she means what she said............. when i walked in she said the usual what can i do for you thing. "is it the diabetes?", so i said "that and a few other things."..."oh right, shall we take the other things first?"... i surprised myself. instead of feeling intimidated as i had before i said " no.. they are all intermingled with the diabetes. " she said, ok, tell me...and i proceeded to tell her how i felt, the way that relative carried on with me. no support from family and less from my GP surgery..told her how i felt after getting BS back to 7 after it had gone up through steroids(and incidentally. when i said above i knew she would want to put me on steroids, it was not steroids but statins i meant.) steroids i cant avoid with having asthma and COPD. unless i can avoid getting colds coughs and chest infections.told her i had been self testing for 2 years but could no longer afford to buy as i said above,and why. that it was the only way i felt i could cope with it all.about all the other med probs that were worse since being on Metformin and how when i stopped taking the 2nd one(and why) i was told thats fine, don't worry bout it........ and how i felt that if it was fine why was i on the things at all?anyway the end result.... she listened.. really listened. asked if i was on antidepressants to which i said no i wasn't and wouldn't go on them as i felt i was fine if left alone by that relative or when she wasn't getting at me.would do nothing but mask what was going on. would not help me cope with it apart from making me not care about anything.so she left that one......... she has changed my diabetic tablets to Dapaglifozin 10mg on a morning. with these i have to monitor my blood sugars .she suggested night and morning as shes particularly interested in the bedtime ones.so i now get strips/lancets for now till she knows if these tablets are going to work.have to see her on weds again.2 weeks since i saw her last.plus she has put mepore dressings on repeat prescription for me.
fasting bloods were (starting Thursday 20th Aug.....9.7/9.4/7.4/7.3/9.4(after a bad sleepless night where i had to eat at 5am)7.2/8.1/8/6(had missed my tea previous day ,just wasn't hungry)6.8 and 7.5 today
bedtime tho...17.8/17.1/15.8/14,8/14.5/15.6/13.2/12.7/15/10.1/13.6 last night.bedtime ranged from 12.15-3am and supper is always at 10pm/ used to be 3 weetabix with semi skimmed milk but on 2nd evening i changed to Rice Krispies....Morning BS times range from 10am to 11.30am depending on sort of night i have had.must admit i do feel much better... my IBS has calmed down considerably. even the fluid on my left leg is barely there most days now. depending on whether ive been able to get out, if only shopping.
on top of this. my asthma /COPD review was last weds. asthma was always the worst of the too, now COPD is slightly worse so my sprays have been changed to 2 i take on a morning only plus my reliever ,Ventolin. instead of 3 other sprays 3 times a day that ive been on for years. and boy what a DIFFERENCE. just need to check what to do now if i get chest infection as Ventolin on its own never did much good.always had to double up on the other 3 sprays too. cant do that with these. but what a difference they are making.... ive been doing a food diary plus using up what few strips i had left for the old meter( using the old meter) to test first few days 2hrs after and immediately b4 each meal. ill transfer those onto PC tomorrow (going with daughter for her eyes testing Tuesday), and print off so its easier for the nurse practitioner to read. Her parting words were, i am going to work with you on this and we WILL get it sorted......... have felt soooooooo much better since. my one problem is these bad nights and what to do about being hungry when i cant sleep. plus what can i snack on in an evening?i have fruit as a sweet after breakfast and tea. usually handful of grapes. 6-10 depending on size.but dare not eat more than that in a day. (though must admit,if i go into fridge for m#milk for a cup of tea,i might nick a couple then.usually in the evening,)if i eat too many IBS kicks off. melon is ok but i find i get fed up of that. its bland n no satisfying crunchiness as there is in the skin of the Egyptian red grapes on the market at the moment
anyway its good to talk.(but only if people want to listen)and she listened.
oh and the steroids, for chest infections, are only given for 5-7 days ..6 tablets a day all at once to zap the infection. if that doesn't do the trick you get a 2nd course. but they are very careful after that. but on those doses you can come straight off them as not long term
 
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Hello Mommayorkie, you have been listened to, and you feel so much better,that is the most important first point to you. The nurse practitioner is one who is still patient centred, you have got a good one there.

I understand the night time hunger thing, I also have this problem and have a few things I use to have a good night. Did you know that potassium helps you sleep? so if you are hungry have a banana, potassium and have it when there is still some green on it, there is less sugar in them (under ripe) than when they are yellow (ripe/over ripe) and the sugar content is higher and not a good idea for a T2.
I also take yoghurt as a bedtime snack, these are the one's with some good qualities to them, high protein, and low as possible sugar's. I like Danio blueberry, and cherry flavours. The Activa range are also good, but avoid the fun ones, they are more sweet desert. My all time favourites are Longley Farm these are a live yoghurt, and are good for the stomach and the friendly bacteria in there, they are only sold in some places, but you can taste the difference and they have more of a tang to them.

I was told that, you need energy to sleep, so if you are hungry you need to eat, and as T2's we have to choose well, and the best for us,

I have been on steroids, and they can have big effects on the body, When you have had a bad night, and if your body is under pressure form your other conditions maybe this is why the readings are higher than you would like.I think that if your routine is out of sync then maybe your readings would be 'all over the place' I would not worry too much are there is less chance of hypo's and night time problems.
Maybe now you have had some good changes to your medications, things might start to level out with your readings. I take my readings firstly when I wake and then after lunch in the afternoon. When my readings are higher than they really should be, I just take care with what I eat, and have plenty of fluids. I am most likely on the higher side of good, but I too am in the dumps and trying to get things on a better footing, but not getting there.

I always sleep with my legs raised, and have found this helps with any fluid that has built up and also rests the ankles and knees, and allows them to rest without any pressure on them.
Well I am still up and it is 04.40am and I think I will go to bed, still here for you and the rest of the members with lots of knowledge, ttfn from Karen.

 
hI Karen. well i see Jenny tomorrow afternoon. i have done a diary of what ive been eating.ovre the past 2 weeks, plus BS 2 hrs after and just b4 a meal.for first few days using the strips i had left from when i gave up on everything.used the ones Jenny gave me as she wanted the tests doing. after breakfast and before bed..latter is sooooooo difficult tho. because depends on a lot of things as to when bedtime actually is. my eating habits are a mess after 6pm.. changing to rice krispies i thought had changed my FBS .it did for about 2-3 days. now i dont know again. bananas i have to be careful with as can set my IBS off. as can any fruit over what i eat as a pud.seem to be best with grapes. but watch how many i eat cos of the sugar content. cant eat acidic fruits as have acid reflux. by rights i shouldnt be eating at all once ive taken my night meds including gaviscon advance.i do sleep with 2 pillows under my feet n legs.anyway. i have something to start on.we will see what Jenny has to say. thank you for your understanding. seems like we are in much the same place. Dee
 
  1. I hope things went well with Jenny yesterday, I am a bit behind with my e-mails, . I had acid reflux and it was discovered that I had gallstones, so I was put on Omeprazole 20mg, which after the gall bladder came out is all right now, sorry that the bananas are not going to be helpful to you, I slept well when I ate them. Hope you get the help you need, chat again later ttfn from Karen
 
Hi Karen. i am on lansoprazole,(same group of meds) , but was put on that in hospital after heart meds caused chronic indigestion..they kept me on it and added Gaviscon Advance at night for the acid reflux.......im sorry too bout the bananas. but was thinking... as the new tablets seem to have sorted the IBS symptoms that the metformin was causing,i might try the odd banana and see how it affects me.
neither me nor jenny were happy with the bedtime results. she liked the food diary idea. she said the tablets i am on for diabetes now are at the highest dose she can give me so suggested another tablet that also had a sedative effect......to help tackle the bad nights. fine,i agreed to that.thinking she meant another diabetic tablet.....told me to cut out some carbs at night though not all as i need some. so off i went. left prescription at chemist and asked for it to be delivered on Thursday with other meds already ordered....went off to meet my daughter and her boyfriend for lunch.had chicken salad. same amount yu would get in sandwich. (in other words the salad without the bread. was enough. later that evening, as often happens, my legs became restless so i took my co codamol(i have that for spinal spondylosis pain). it usually calms the restless legs down.then realised that mostly im taking them between 9 and 11pm.sometimes in night too if they are stopping me sleeping. but can i take with new tablets if they have slightly sedative effect? so next morning i rang chemist to ask.usually best thing rather than bother a Dr and have to wait for them to phone me back.i did not know the name of these new ones. hadn't even looked cos i would have needed my readers to do so.thought ill know tomorrow anyway wen delivered...... so they had to work out which were newest ones on my prescription... came back to me and told me they were not diabetic tablets(as i had told them the new ones were) but antidepressants.i hit the roof. jenny knows i refuse to have anything to do with those things. its not like in the old days when you could take a Librium and it lightened your mood within a very short time. and you didn't have to take every day if you felt ok. now as you probably know.it takes 1-2 weeks for them to have any effect. and you cant just stop them.you have to be weaned off them. i refuse to go there. my friend got in a right mess financially through those things as she got so didn't care bout anything.......... i will not allow that to happen i live alone. i have to be in charge of my own money. n know my bills are being paid on time etc. so i rang the surgery n asked to speak to jenny. yes she will ring you this afternoon.................6pm no call so i called again... told she would phone me following morning. she did. before 9am/ me still asleep at that time.(again something she knew i would be or would if she had made the right notes)........so i forgot to ask bout some things(1 being cos my fluid filled legs were getting more n more painful n i knew it was cellulitis.i have antibiotics in for when i get a flare up..flucloxicillin 250mgs.but weren't sure whether to take or not. but as she didn't phone me, i wasn't wasting more time waiting. it can be dangerous if not treated. so started the antibiotics.) she is adamant she told me the new bedtime tablets were antidepressants. i know she did not. because as soon as they are mentioned i get very uptight and always refuse to take them/ first side effect on the leaflets for most antidepressants is suicide........that alone makes me say whoa no thank you. anyway i told her i will find another way.
first 2 days after i saw her. FBS were 8/8.1.... bedtime ones 12.3/13.2.... went to bed at 12 last night. was asleep by 1.45am(takes that long to get ready & do all my meds etc,) Read for about 10mins. n was off to sleep. woke once or twice for loo, but have no memory for what times.i usually know every one. slept like a log in between. but was 11am when i finally crawled out of bed.i had also spoken to the asthma nurse later on same day as i spoke to jenny so asked her best time to take FBS. on waking or just before breakfast. she said she would do the latter........i had a fit when i did this morning. 2.8... now i know thats too low. so i had 2 slices toast buttered with lactol free spread, 10 grapes and decaf tea.eating a couple of the grapes straight away.took it again soon as i had stopped eating/.. phew.up to 10. thats low so soon after a meal but better........ 3 hrs later was 12.8 but before lunch was 8.4. never had it so normal. yesterdays meals though were breakfast 2 crumpets low sugar jam n lactol free spread ,10 grapes. lunch, a salmon ready meal. including sliced new pots,carrots n peas. low sugar jelly +14 grapes. before tea at 7pm was 8.1. tea was lettuce 1 large tomato, 2inch cucumber, 1 cooked beetroot sliced with 2 cheese strings... and 8 grapes. before supper was 10.3. had small bowl rice krispies. bedtime as i say was 12mn and BS was 12.3...... so why did it drop to 2.8 this morning? usually its in the 8-9 range and i frequently dont get up till that time.
hope your managing to sort your problems out too. this thing really sucks doesnt it?
 
Hi Mommayorkie, the very low bs reading ?could it have anything to do with the start of the flucloxicillin and the cellulitis condition, the fluid leaving your body and the action of the anti-b's make have lowered the bs to the 2.8, and this made you sleep late and then be so unsteady.when you woke up,
Don't be so upset about the antidepressants being given to you, what happen with your friend may not happen with you, and there are so many different types. I take antidepressants every day and have done for many years, Imipramine a really old one that does not make me go asleep during the day.
If the bananas are still not an option, what about the tea containing Valerian? or the one called night time from Holland and Barrett? I have also used the red berries from PG and apple and raspberry, all are warming and gentle when sipped, and then off I go to sleep, any good?
You are very precise with your food and how much you eat, I am not but having an I don't care time at present, one of my cats has been run over and killed and so the whole house is in shock, including his brother who is missing him, speeding drivers are very dangerous. Well ttfn from Karen.
 
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