hypos in the night

[Russ]

I have steroids for COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) which pushes BS up, so my doctor agreed to another Gliclazide at night, but ensure that BS doesn't go under 4. Seemed to work well except the other night I couldn't sleep (another side effect of steroids) and at 3.30 felt unwell. Checked BS which was 3.9 and managed to sort it with a biscuit. Fortunately I was awake, but living alone, what should I do in the long term? Russ

 

[Lazybones]

Steroids are commonly known to cause problems for us diabetics when it comes to maintaining a stable B/G level. As for your worry over a night time Hypo, the thing that I was advised was to take a light snack an hour or more before going to bed to ensure that my B/G level was at least 4.8 - 5.8 mmol/L, preferably at the greater level.
The light snack should ideally be of foods/drink that have a low GI/GL loading, so as to release a steady amount of glucose into the bloodstream and to avoid drinking any alcohol shortly before hand. That doesn't mean giving up alcohol, which should be consumed several hours before hand so that it is much less likely to interfere with maintaining a steady B/G level throughout the night.
Hypo's in the night are not something to get unduly worried over if you eat well and regularly and are a Type 2 diabetic, as being Type 2 means that we have the advantage of being much more able to keep our B/G level held at a safe level even whilst asleep than a Type 1.

 

[Russ]

Thanks, LB. That makes sense and really means that I must exercise tighter controls. Like many of us, I am always seeing what I can get away with but I also include some apple cider vinegar and chromium at bedtime.

 

[Lazybones]

Chromium is particularly of benefit to us older diabetics particularly if your Type 2. Incidentally 85% of all Type 2 diabetic are found to have below the average level of Chromium present in their body at the time of their diagnosis.
I've been taking the Chromium Piccolinate 200 micro- grams daily for years and found it definitely fine tunes and stabilizes B/G levels.

Best Regards - Lazybones

 

[Bebo321]

I have steroids for COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) which pushes BS up, so my doctor agreed to another Gliclazide at night, but ensure that BS doesn't go under 4. Seemed to work well except the other night I couldn't sleep (another side effect of steroids) and at 3.30 felt unwell. Checked BS which was 3.9 and managed to sort it with a biscuit. Fortunately I was awake, but living alone, what should I do in the long term? Russ

Hi there @Russ,
Do you low carb at all and are you able to do much exercise? Even though Gliclazide will do a good job of keeping your BGs at a more healthy level overnight, it might be worth giving your pancreas a bit of a helping hand to keep it in good working order. Wishing you well.

 

[Russ]

Thanks, Bebo. Yes I do low carb, but exercise is poor. I do have a hydraulic stepper but fail to use it much. I will make more effort.

It's really helpful to get these nuggets of wisdom, as you may know, it's not as easy if if you live alone.