Just been woken by Libre 2 alarm - low glucose

[LittleGreyCat]

Posting here because this fits several sub-fora.

Just been woken from sleep by the alarm on my phone from LibreLink.
Reading was 3.5 mmol/L.
I assumed that I had been lying on the sensor as this is a known issue.

Scans over the next few minutes showed readings of 3.9, 4.3 then 4.2.
However a scan a few minutes later showed a 3.8.
This was looking less like a glitch as I was sitting up in bed and so not leaning on the sensor.

Came downstairs and finger pricked and the reading was 3.7.
Scan at the same time showed 4.3.
So apparently not a false alarm.

I've scarfed down a nectarine which was lying around and the scan is returning 4.3 again (I wouldn't expect a rise for a good few minutes if the sensor is 15 minutes behind blood). However this now raises the question; did I just have a minor hypo?
Diet, exercise and Metformin aren't supposed to do this to a T2.

I feel a bit woozy because I was woken from a very deep sleep, and I was drinking white wine before I went to bed. Nothing that I could identify as hypo symptoms.
[If a hypo is feeling slightly tipsy and you've had a drink or two then how do you tell the difference?]
However (and I've touched on this before) if you've never knowingly had a hypo then how do you know?
Further, if you are sound asleep and you go hypo how do you know then?
If you don't have a Libre 2 to wake you up?

Top it all off my nose started to run so I blew it on a tissue and now my nose is bleeding.
I'm pretty sure that it isn't a hypo symptom though.
What a weird half hour or so.

Just scanned again and up to 4.6 so my liver and/or the nectarine to the rescue.
I am not alone in the house so no major worries on that front.
Just mightily puzzled.
Also noting that I didn't apparently go below 3.5 so that may be my floor before the liver kicks in.

 

[EllieM]

The reason hypos are bad for T1s are not so much the blood sugar of 3.7 (makes you feel uncomfortable but you're still quite compos mentis) but that the exogenous insulin is your system means that you can go much lower. It's not uncommon/unknown for non diabetics blood sugar to go that low before meals.

Normally a non diabetic will stop producing insulin and produce glucagon when their bg starts going low, which then instructs the liver to produce glycogen (sugar). Now both metformin and alcohol will inhibit the liver from doing this, so it's not totally surprising that you went slightly low, but I very much doubt that you would have gone down to dangerous levels, even without the nectarine.

 

[hankjam]

Posting here because this fits several sub-fora.

<snipped>

Re: nose bleeds. Was this a one off from a mighty snort or do you have them on and off? I do, from a weekness in my right side.
If they are on and off, do you take cod liver oil. I found they really increased when I tried cdo as a supplement.

Hope you are feeling more like the thing now.

 

[LittleGreyCat]

The reason hypos are bad for T1s are not so much the blood sugar of 3.7 (makes you feel uncomfortable but you're still quite compos mentis) but that the exogenous insulin is your system means that you can go much lower. It's not uncommon/unknown for non diabetics blood sugar to go that low before meals.

Normally a non diabetic will stop producing insulin and produce glucagon when their bg starts going low, which then instructs the liver to produce glycogen (sugar). Now both metformin and alcohol will inhibit the liver from doing this, so it's not totally surprising that you went slightly low, but I very much doubt that you would have gone down to dangerous levels, even without the nectarine.

I agree that it is likely that for me 3.5 is the floor.
Just having a touch of "but what if it isn't?".

I'm more intrigued at the moment about how someone on BG lowering medication identifies that they are going low overnight when they are fast asleep.

 

[KK123]

I agree that it is likely that for me 3.5 is the floor.
Just having a touch of "but what if it isn't?".

I'm more intrigued at the moment about how someone on BG lowering medication identifies that they are going low overnight when they are fast asleep.

Hi there, in answer to your last question, generally they probably don't! I sometimes awake because I feel strange (hypo symptoms), then I check and confirm I'm hypo. Other times I continue sleeping and when I do wake in the morning I check my libre (thankfully I now have one) and see that my levels dipped and then went back up. For those (the majority) whether on finger pricks or some other method where they don't get alarms, it's a big risk, that's why they advise to prevent it you should not go to bed lower than around 7 and take a snack. These days though, many people don't want to artificially raise their levels before bed so I guess it's a choice.

As for the rest, I was told that a non diabetic person (not on any meds) often go down to 3.5 and it's perfectly normal for them.

 

[sgm14]

(I wouldn't expect a rise for a good few minutes if the sensor is 15 minutes behind blood)

Abbott say the Libre 2 is usually just 2 and half minutes behind the blood readings.

if you've never knowingly had a hypo then how do you know?

Everybody has different symptoms and they can change over time. When I was first diagnosed, I realised that I sometimes felt a little shaky and cold/shivering when my blood sugar was going low (ie even before it got low). Now I sometimes could be as low as 3.5 without feeling it. But when I have a real hypo (like nearly 2) I feel terrible and sweat purposely and shake noticeably. Some people get moody/angry, others get confused. There are a lot of different symptoms, so I think you can only know how it affects you after you have had a few.

Further, if you are sound asleep and you go hypo how do you know then?
If you don't have a Libre 2 to wake you up?

The big danger is that you may not wake up!. Thankfully I am lucky in that hypos has always woken me up (so far!)

 

[LittleGreyCat]

Re: nose bleeds. Was this a one off from a mighty snort or do you have them on and off? I do, from a weekness in my right side.
If they are on and off, do you take cod liver oil. I found they really increased when I tried cdo as a supplement.

Hope you are feeling more like the thing now.

I used to have them regularly as a teen, but very rare these days.
It wasn't even a massive snort, just my nose running a bit after I was up and about, blew it and <RED>!

I do take cod liver oil as a supplement, so that is an interesting point, but this just seems to be a weird coincidence.

 

[mattrix]

I'm more intrigued at the moment about how someone on BG lowering medication identifies that they are going low overnight when they are fast asleep.

On the occaisions I have woken in the middle of the night when I am hypo, I feel terribly hot and am restless and can't get back to sleep. I don't know if there are occaisions when I have not woken up.

During the day I first tend to get single-minded, I have something to do and don't have the where-with-all to pay attention to the nicities. People probably think I am being brusque and rude. If I go lower I will find myself drenched in perspiration. And lower still, the dead give away when I get the shakes and I know I've let it go way too far.

Some situations stuff this up, such as swimming laps or hot weather.

 

[Glucobabu]

On the occaisions I have woken in the middle of the night when I am hypo, I feel terribly hot and am restless and can't get back to sleep. I don't know if there are occaisions when I have not woken up.

During the day I first tend to get single-minded, I have something to do and don't have the where-with-all to pay attention to the nicities. People probably think I am being brusque and rude. If I go lower I will find myself drenched in perspiration. And lower still, the dead give away when I get the shakes and I know I've let it go way too far.

Some situations stuff this up, such as swimming laps or hot weather.

Talking about being rude, I have been known to have said and done things that upset people of which I have absolutely no recollection afterwards. Subsequent apologies often don’t seem to fully placate the recipient. Unfortunately one does get a reputation of being brusque and rude over time! Only your nearest and dearest few really understand this!