Type 1 Low bg in the night

[HelenaF]

There is no need to check with a glucose machine if you have the symptoms of a hypo everyone should know how a hypo is for them.

I have to use a glucose monitor to work out my insulin to carb ratio so even when I used the sensors I still had to prick my finger. Not everyone gets symptoms when having a hypo. I don’t after 31yr of being diabetic I’ve lost my hypo awareness. The sensors were never correct for me compared to finger pricking. They weren’t accurate at all

 

[Hopeful34]

There is no need to check with a glucose machine if you have the symptoms of a hypo everyone should know how a hypo is

Sorry I disagree with this. You should check with a blood test even when you're hypo aware as I am, and as @HelenaF has said some people are hypo unaware.

 

[becca59]

Libre sensors don’t work!!! Mine kept alarming during the night to say I was LOW with the arrow pointing horizontally. I pricked my finger each time and it showed that my glucose levels were 6 plus!!! So inaccurate during the day too. Also hurt my arm and had a lump when I took the sensor off. Persevered for a year with the libre 2 system but I gave up in the end. It’s a totally useless system!!! Also I still needed to prick my finger anyway to work out insulin/carb ratio which you cannot do just using the sensor alone!!! Waste of NHS money and a total waste of my time!!!!

Absolutely disagree with this. I am sorry that they didn’t work out for you, but they work exceptionally well for me. To say they are a waste of NHS money is a very sweeping statement.

 

[Mrs HJG]

I frequently get 'hypos at night' according to my Libre, but I am not on insulin and so have switched off the alarms as they are irrelevant to me. I was told at my Libre check up with the NHS nurse last week that they now deem the Libre more accurate than finger pricking and to literally only draw blood if you are feeling a lot different to the Libre result, but again no insulin, so I shouldn't bother. (I think that's wrong, as she implied we all might have just just put our fingers on a jam donut and not washed our hands before testing, ever)

I have learnt not to keep double checking though, more likely to scan again in 20 mins when the knee-jerk up/down arrow has corrected itself, but I 'know' that some sensors are more accurate than others; early on I ripped off one after a few days when I never went above 5 even after breakfast which is always my 'worst' time of day, and another after 2 days when it kept swinging from 10+ to <5 like a seismograph and finger pricking both times was giving the results I expected. Having only been on Libre since June, I reckon its a learning curve but you quickly recognise when to take the scans with a pinch of salt, or when to get on to Abbott to replace.

It's annoying getting a dodgy sensor as it does skew the TIR, but as long as you know when things were really higher/lower it all seems to even out in the end, well for me it does.

 

[Juliegal]

Probably because your basel insulin (Lantus) is to high, you're taking too much in the evening.

I would say it’s the short acting fir evening dinner time insulin dose is slight too much or not enough carbs for evening dinner either that or try having a glass of milk and a digestive before bed.

 

[EllieM]

Libre sensors don’t work!!! Mine kept alarming during the night to say I was LOW with the arrow pointing horizontally. I pricked my finger each time and it showed that my glucose levels were 6 plus!!! So inaccurate during the day too. Also hurt my arm and had a lump when I took the sensor off. Persevered for a year with the libre 2 system but I gave up in the end. It’s a totally useless system!!! Also I still needed to prick my finger anyway to work out insulin/carb ratio which you cannot do just using the sensor alone!!! Waste of NHS money and a total waste of my time!!!!

Libre sensors don't work for some people, they do for others.

I stopped using the libre 1 after I developed an allergic reaction and the sensors became extremely inaccurate (I suspect as a result). Abbott were extremely helpful and sent me numerous new sensors and even a new reader but after some months they had to agree that the libre no longer agreed with my body. I switched to the dexcom and use cavillon cream under my sensors and after two years still have no allergic reaction and get good results (I occasionally need to calibrate a sensor). It might be a possibility for you to consider?

As for the original question, it probably is worth checking out the possibility of a compression low, and it also does depend a lot on what insulin regime you have (basal/bolus or pump).

 

[Fenn]

Hi, I always used to go low at 3am, never got to the bottom of it really, I totally changed the way I eat and don’t get highs or lows anymore, I know this is incredibly unhelpful, I was advised by people to eat before bed , this worked if you consider being high all night working, I hope you find some answers, following with interest.

hi Fenny, are we related? Hehe

 

[Fenn]

Re the compression lows, I have had a couple of these, especially when I was experimenting on my hip (not advising this) I found compressions lows were for me very obviously different, sharp up and down on chart, plus I never felt bad at like 2.5 so went back to sleep without testing and bg went back to normal very quickly without any help

 

[trebmal]

There is no need to check with a glucose machine if you have the symptoms of a hypo everyone should know how a hypo is for them.

This may be generally true. But the exceptions are also important to be aware of:
some meds including heart medication (beta blockers especially) can completely mask signs of a hypo, so that there is absolutely no awareness of the dangers.