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

Hypo during the night

C

ChrisH55

Member
Messages
16
Type of diabetes
Type 1
I always seem to go low during the night at around 3am. I take levemir 5units 8am 3units 8pm which I have recently changed to 10pm. But this has not made a difference. I eat relatively low carbs usually no more than 30g per meal. I take 1unit per 10 gms carbs of Humalog. My evening blood sugars seem to take a while to go back to normal and can go to bed about 11pm at 7 or 8, 4 hours after I've eaten. I'd love a night without going low! Any ideas gratefully received. I've been diabetic for 28years so not new to it, but why sudden change.
 
What makes you think you are going low at night?
I ask because many people find lying on a CGM or Libre will give a false low reading.
I just want to discount the problem being with the method of reading rather than the reading itself.
The only way to tell is to set an alarm and test with a finger prick to confirm.
 
My cgm gives a less than 4 but always check with a blood test, but also still have awareness of being low.
 
Does the cgm trace show a slow decline in BG or is it a bit of a sudden drop?

Off the bat, 5hrs after basal I'd say it's the basal thats causing it, bolus was over 8hrs prior so can't be that.

Sorry Chris just to confirm though at 3am you have done a blood test and it confirms your CGM reading is correct?

Edit to add: if you're just skimming along just under 4 then it shouldn't be a problem lots of T0s apparently do that naturally anyway.
 
Seeing as you have a cgm, what's the downward trajectory? is it a steep drop, or a gradual one?

I wouldn't think 3 units of levemir would last very long, as the action curve is partly dependent on dosage, so you might be getting the levemir peak around 3am, which might explain the drop. I take 7 units of levemir at night, and I tend to go a bit higher at 3am, and then it starts to drop about 5-6 am, when I can go a bit low, sometimes. But if you're taking a small amount that drop in blood sugar from the peak might come earlier.

Seeing as you are taking quite a small amount of levemir I am wondering if you might be one of those rare people who might find one dose a day better, maybe in the morning take the whole daily dose, and treat it as a 24 hour insulin. But I'm only guessing, that's just a thought.

What are you day time blood sugars like?
 
Yes my bloods confirm I am low. My decline starts about 12 so takes 3 hours to go low. During the day I'm generally OK heading off any highs or lows. Main problem is when I go to an exercise class or long walk.
 
ChrisH55 said:
Yes my bloods confirm I am low. My decline starts about 12 so takes 3 hours to go low. During the day I'm generally OK heading off any highs or lows. Main problem is when I go to an exercise class or long walk.
Click to expand...
When I exercise, I reduce my basal.
This is easier on a pump but I also used to do this when I injected. I would take my Lantus at night and reduce it by 10 to 20% depending on the intensity of the exercise.
My diabetes team told me changes to my basal took a few days to take affect but that was not what I found - this slight daily tweak would stop me going hypo at night.
 
Do you have half unit pens? I think you might just have to reduce the evening dose a bit, and see what happens. That's the easiest next step.
 
Maybe a basal test with no carbs for sections of the day over a few days - I say that as you say during the day you're happy to head off highs and lows, which also makes me think it might not be a good idea to take your basal in one go.

But I agree with Alison that a half unit pen would be beneficial. do you always go low at night every night or only nights around when you exercise?
 
Thanks for the replys. Yes I do have a half pen for bolus. The last 2 nights have been after days with a reasonable amount of exercise. Saturday we went for a reasonably long walk and yesterday digging the vegetable patch over and other gardening jobs.
 
ChrisH55 said:
Thanks for the replys. Yes I do have a half pen for bolus. The last 2 nights have been after days with a reasonable amount of exercise. Saturday we went for a reasonably long walk and yesterday digging the vegetable patch over and other gardening jobs.
Click to expand...

What about 1/2 unit pens for basal?? If it’s night lows it’s your basal,so 1/2 a unit less may well be needed on nights when you exercise ...
 
Back
Top