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Metformin and insomnia

J

JSDR

Member
Messages
7
Type of diabetes
Type 1
I'm newly-diagnosed as diabetic, and have been taking Metformin for about a month. Is one of the side-effects insomnia? I'm finding difficult to sleep although I feel very tired due to M.E>
 
Welcome @JSDR

I don't take Metformin so I can't comment on that, but any diabetes diagnosis can cause stress and affect sleep.

Have you tested your blood sugar when you can't sleep? Are you on insulin too?
 
The problem I have with metformin is that it makes me want to go to the loo in the middle of the night. I never had this before taking it. The fractured sleep pattern is making me feel tired.
 
Are you also on statins? That is a known side effect and happened to my husband a few years ago before he saw sense and stopped taking them. His GP told him to take them in the mornings rather than follow the instruction about taking them at night. It didn't work!
 
JSDR said:
I'm newly-diagnosed as diabetic, and have been taking Metformin for about a month. Is one of the side-effects insomnia? I'm finding difficult to sleep although I feel very tired due to M.E>
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welcome here JSDR


well maybe it is, don´t know why I haven´t thought of that... since I started metformin I have had servere probelms with sleping and also go to the toilet many times every night which I didn´t do in forehand..

I just thought is was because I had stopped another medication.. so maybe there could be a problem there to some people at least..
I´ll try look at the web if anyother person has written something about it...

I am not on statins..by the way
 
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azure said:
Welcome @JSDR

I don't take Metformin so I can't comment on that, but any diabetes diagnosis can cause stress and affect sleep.

Have you tested your blood sugar when you can't sleep? Are you on insulin too?
Click to expand...
No, I haven't - no one at our doctors' surgery has even mentioned testing! I'm not on insulin, and from my limited understanding I'm only bordeline diabetic. But, as you can probably tell, I feel I'm in the dark!
 
JSDR said:
No, I haven't - no one at our doctors' surgery has even mentioned testing! I'm not on insulin, and from my limited understanding I'm only bordeline diabetic. But, as you can probably tell, I feel I'm in the dark!
Click to expand...

No problem - you can't be expected to know things if no one has told you and you've only just been diagnosed

You're showing as a Type 1. If that's not correct, you can go to your Profile and change that to make sure you get the most appropriate advice from other members here.

Did you have an HbA1C test at the doctors which led to your diagnosis? if so, do you know what number you got?
 
JSDR said:
No, I haven't - no one at our doctors' surgery has even mentioned testing! I'm not on insulin, and from my limited understanding I'm only bordeline diabetic. But, as you can probably tell, I feel I'm in the dark!
Click to expand...

I suggest your first job needs to be to buy your own glucose meter and test strips. Most of us T2s have to self fund these. It will become your best friend, and is an essential tool if you want to control your blood sugar levels.

We were all in the dark when first diagnosed, but by coming to this forum you will soon learn all the do's and don'ts. Have a good read round, learn what all the numbers mean. Meanwhile, I'll tag @daisy1 so she can post her very useful and imp0ortant information for newcomers. Read it carefully and take note of the role of carbohydrates. Follow her links, and have a really good read round everywhere.

PS don't forget to change your profile from T1 to T2 or it will become very confusing for us all.
 
@JSDR - Hyperglycemia made it difficult for me to sleep at onset. It's important to measure your blood sugar to find out what's going on. It's also a good idea to get your HbA1c value at diagnosis.

Unfortunately a doctor's blase attitude isn't a good indication of whether you're diabetic, pre-diabetic, severely hyperglycemic, etc, assuming they even know the difference. Many of them think that Type 2 is never an acutely serious problem, and treat it accordingly.
 
I take Metformin and my sleep patern is all over the place. My doctor says its normal. I feel so drained all the time. You are not alone )
 
Hi and welcome to the forum,

We are all very different, I've been taking metformin since diagnosis in October. I've not had any problems with sleeping since, in fact I sleep too much day and night as I'm a depressive, up until October I used to take night sedation as I used to have problems getting to sleep at night, but stopped taking that now and still sleeping too much. Thought it might of been the diabetes as its a side effect but still sleeping, then thought it might be hypothyroidism as diagnosed with that in December but still sleeping excessively, they now think its sleep apnoea so who knows. I'm also on statins and have been for a few years now, no problem with sleep on that either. However I have had bowel problems on the Metformin which through following this sight it seems to be a more common problem.

For years I and my psychiatrist has put my excessive sleeping down to a side effect of the depression. So don't just presume your tierdness as the M.E, there are many different reasons for it, it may just be the diabetes and may improve as you get that under control.

I don't know if this helps and I'm sorry for going on about me, but I guess that's how we learn and help through our own experiences.
Good luck
Maggie
 
I missed that connection - my sleep pattern shifted within a few days of starting to take Metformin and I now find it takes until 3 or 4 am before I feel tired, even though I stopped taking it weeks ago I still can't go to sleep at the normal time.
I have tried staying awake all night, but I was then tired in mid afternoon and had to go to sleep, woke up and was awake all night - so I was glad when I then returned to falling asleep at 3 am.
 
@JSDR

Hello and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 147,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.

There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
  • Reduce your carbohydrate intake
  • Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates
Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

  • structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
  • self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.

Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. They're all free.
  • Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
  • Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
 
I must have filled in my profile incorrectly - I don't know if I'm coming or going at the moment! I'm Type 2, and my HbA1C is 84. My GP says he'd like to see it down to 60. Should I be testing my blood sugar myself, and if so, how often?
 
Thanks! I'm certainly tough - I just need to see a clear path ahead!
 
Art Of Flowers said:
The problem I have with metformin is that it makes me want to go to the loo in the middle of the night. I never had this before taking it. The fractured sleep pattern is making me feel tired.
Click to expand...
So far, I haven't had to get up during the night - hope it stays that way!
 
Don't apologise for going on! I AM depressed at the moment because two close friends have died recently -I suspect the diabetes diagnosis hasn't helped! I have M.E. so I usually have problems staying awake rather than sleeping!
 
JSDR said:
I must have filled in my profile incorrectly - I don't know if I'm coming or going at the moment! I'm Type 2, and my HbA1C is 84. My GP says he'd like to see it down to 60. Should I be testing my blood sugar myself, and if so, how often?
Click to expand...

You can alter your profile when you're ready. If you have any problems doing that, just ask for further help

Most Type 2s find it very helpful to test their blood sugar so they can see how their body reacts to various foods.
 
What is the difference between the numbers (e.e.84) and the percentages I keep seeing? And which should I use?
 
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