Napping and hypos!

Hi Sarah,

I dont think that napping causes hypo but more likely you have a similar problem to what most diabetics have. Usually I have the sytoms of hypo about 30mins before onset of a hypo. Prior to the onset of low blood sugar I usually always want to go sleep. I soon realised that when ever I want to sleep I should immediately check my blood sugar and usually it was discretely low (typically started with a 3) without any obvious symptoms. I think when ever you feel sleepy - Check your blood sugar. This is also true of a high blood sugar.

If you need any more information about your diabetes I strongly suggest you read Dr Bernstein Diabetes Solution 2011 available on Amazon.

I find my yoga classes always make me hypo - I even suspend my pump but I can easily drop by 4 or 5 mmol in an hour. I think it's the reduction in stress, although I wouldn't say I feel "stressed" beforehand, I certainly feel very chilled afterwards. Until I have to start wolfing down jelly babies that is!

Do you get the same effect when you go to sleep at night?

Sarahkylie88 said:

Hi,

It's definitely not that. If I was to be awake i wouldn't be hypo. My bloods r very well controlled, and I always, always test before I sleep as I'm very cautious about this. I rarely nap, but at the moment it's my pregnancy that's causing the tiredness. Hypos are more common in pregnancy, but this doesn't just happen to me on pregnancy X X X


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I find naps can make me low. I particularly find this if I go for an afternoon nap. I haven't napped in ages, but what I used to do is test my blood sugar and then eat a small snack (unless my BS was high, of course).

I don't know why it happens, but I've sometimes noticed a similar thing if I try to have an early night. So I assume it's either tiredness or a change of routine.

So, for a good nap a test and small snack works for me

Hi Sarah, there is only more thing I can think of which also applies to me. Depending on how long you've had diabetes and how long you've been exposed to high blood sugars you may have a slightly or severely paraylised stomach. This diabetic condition is called gastrporesis. If I for example eat a meal and sleep within 4 hours of the meal I find myself hypo in my sleep, what's happening is the insulin is doing its job but the food is sitting in my stomach, by sitting up after meals gravity is helping the meal empty into my intestine so it can extracted for nutrients. This is the only other logical reason I can think of and really shouldn't be ignored.

Again your best source of information is Dr Bernstein Diabetes Solution which I highly recommend.

Hello Sarah,

I had a similar problem. Every time I got to bed in the evening my BG would fall 1-3mmol/l. I found this great in the beginning since it allowed me to sback just before sleep or to go to sleep with high sugar and have it decreased "automatically".
But there were some issues. At first, I suspected it falls every time I fall asleep deeply enough in the evening. But I was worried because I sometimes fall asleep with my children, hence I go to sleep 2 times per evening. That creates a 2x drop. This happened only twice thought, so I could never confirm that.
Then my doctor told me the following. There are some changes in the insulin/glucagon equilibrium when we sleep. For instance, a rise in BG around 4am seems to be common because the body starts producing glucagon at a certain point in the night for some reason. So maybe that's my personal physical setting - a drop in glucagon when I fall asleep. However, my doctor also told me that I should check if the basal injection has anything to do with it.
I then experienced an extreme fall of BG just before bed time (and just after basal injection). I stayed awake until 3am and ate around 150g of carbs. Following this, I started experimenting with the basal - taking 2 half doses each 12 hours and similar. I now landed in taking basal in late afternoon and I'm not encountering this problem anymore. I also never sleep in the late afternoon. And I'm also very careful of how I inject basal not to get it intravenous by mistake as I'm very thin and have thin skin, apparently.

Hope this helps.

ArtemisBow said:

I find my yoga classes always make me hypo - I even suspend my pump but I can easily drop by 4 or 5 mmol in an hour. I think it's the reduction in stress, although I wouldn't say I feel "stressed" beforehand, I certainly feel very chilled afterwards. Until I have to start wolfing down jelly babies that is!

Do you get the same effect when you go to sleep at night?

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I've just got the freestyle libre and have noticed that I'll go to bed in the 5's with no active insulin onboard but in the night I'mdropping into the low 3's and then coming back up to normal range when I wake up. I've reduced my basal by a unit to see if that helps but it hasn't. Do you think I should reduce by another unit or is it that I have no stress whilst sleeping so dropping? I've only had the libre for 10 days so have no idea how long this has been going on and I've been unaware! X

Lottie89 said:

I've just got the freestyle libre and have noticed that I'll go to bed in the 5's with no active insulin onboard but in the night I'mdropping into the low 3's and then coming back up to normal range when I wake up. I've reduced my basal by a unit to see if that helps but it hasn't. Do you think I should reduce by another unit or is it that I have no stress whilst sleeping so dropping? I've only had the libre for 10 days so have no idea how long this has been going on and I've been unaware! X

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When are you taking basal? Just before going to bed?

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One reason for night time hypos us that your muscles can snatch the glucose out of your blood to replenish themselves while you sleep (part of the repair process, I guess). Also, IME, if I keep my blood sugar flat and within range for 6 weeks, it is much, much harder to get out of a hypo. I am not sure why. Maybe the supplies in my liver run down and there is not enough left for a liver dump. (I am one of those who NEVER gets Dawn Phenomenon, though). So, perhaps your nap is deep enough to kick off that process. I think you should just have a snack before you nap. Glass if milk, maybe?

Hi, just to let you know I'm exactly the same as you and have been for 27 years! I've seen a leading specialist about bad nocturnal hypos and he believes that the reason why they are bad or that I go that low, is because I've been hypo for a few hours however being a mum of two needing naps and a lifelong fan of naps I know this is untrue as the same occurs with short day time naps. Like you, I fall very quickly with no other explanation than sleep. I've tried to research it without success. My nap hypos occur regardless of previous activity / diet / time of day. Sleep = hypo ? Wish I could research it myself! Let me know if you ever get to the bottom of it

Sarahkylie88 said:

Ok, so this has always happened to me...

If I go for a cheeky power nap I wake up hypo! Without fail!

The chance for a cheeky power nap has decreased after having my little boy, but now I am pregnant with number 2, if I do get an hour to myself when my partner and little boy are out I take the opportunity for a rest! The washing can wait!

I have woken up At my lowest ever after a nap! 1.2mmol!!

Even since I've been on the pump and I decrease my basal by -50% I STILL wake up low!! They aren't as bad with a decrease, but still? If happened when I was on pens too?


What's going on with this... I don't think I nap like a dog and use lots of energy in my sleep, chasing rabbits in my dreams!

Just interested to know why this happens and does it happen to anyone else?


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