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Night time hypos
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<blockquote data-quote="kitedoc" data-source="post: 2047187" data-attributes="member: 468714"><p>Hi [USER=506290]@DaisyChloe[/USER],</p><p>Good questions!</p><p>From my experience and reading, not as professional advice or opinion:</p><p>Parts of our brain need glucose as the only fuel that will do. So it one's BSL drops too low for any reason</p><p>our body has safety mechanisms in place to help defend these parts of our brain against a fuel shortage.</p><p></p><p>As [USER=372717]@EllieM[/USER] mentions: glucagon, another hormone from our pancreas gland is activated to release when blood glucose levels start trending low. Also adrenaline is released from the adrenal gland as our hormone for emergencies.</p><p>And it is the effects of adrenaline which cause the pallour, sweating, tremour, pounding heart that we tend to associate with symptoms of low bsl.</p><p></p><p>Both these hormones influence our liver to release stored glucose ( called glycogen) back into the blood stream. This can be so effective that i have witnessed a diabetic on insulin who was having a full- on hypo, whose bsl at the time was 15 mmol/l. Yes, the symptoms from the adrenaline release were still presnt whilst the glucose release from her liver had produced a rebound in bsl from low to high. And this blood test was done before the traditional at the time tea and bikkie were provided.</p><p></p><p>In one sense this type of scenario is reassuring, that our bodies may be able to handle a hypo without external assistance - i say may because it depends on a whole lot of factors - if i have suffered repeated hypos, my liver may have liw stores of glycogen only.</p><p>If i have done some strenous exercise, that may have depleted some muscle glycogen stores and leave me prone to a hypo when my muscle cells demand to have their own, 'in- house'</p><p>glycogen depots refilled, depots which are reserved for muscles only, and the exercise may have depleted some of the liver's store of its glycogen, too.</p><p></p><p>And compared to a non-diabetic, if I am having a hypo, i cannot switch my insulin supply to the blood off. It keeps working and that may make my hypo more prolonged and liver glycogen release less effective.</p><p></p><p>But hypos can certainly make me hungry and from past experience i am aware that eating to combat a hypo can also contribute to a rebound high bsl. So these days i use gluco-tabs, which are chaulky in taste and do not encourage a 'binge' of sugary food/drink.</p><p></p><p>Night hypos can be shocking, but when i did not wake, then the damo shhets, umoored from from their tucked-in position, a headache and a high bsl were there to greet me on the new day! And one's sleeping partner woukd not be imoressed either and i was unlikely to sleep through a hypo because i was nit allowed to!</p><p></p><p>Fortunately on a low carb diet i am now much less prone to hypos, and particulrly to severee ones, because i need much less insulin these days. Less insulin, less swings in bsl.</p><p></p><p>And i could not agree more with [USER=372717]@EllieM[/USER], alcohol blocks the liver from releasing glycogen, a very, very dangerous situation - the brain's fuel protective emergency mechanism is temporarily disabled - whikst the brain itself is at some levelof intoxication itself. It is a no-brainer. Do not drink alcohol if you wish to avoid brain damage!</p><p></p><p>I wish you all the best with the sorting out of your own low bsl troubles. As others have mentioned there is a "Reactive Hypoglycaemia' forum on this site.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="kitedoc, post: 2047187, member: 468714"] Hi [USER=506290]@DaisyChloe[/USER], Good questions! From my experience and reading, not as professional advice or opinion: Parts of our brain need glucose as the only fuel that will do. So it one's BSL drops too low for any reason our body has safety mechanisms in place to help defend these parts of our brain against a fuel shortage. As [USER=372717]@EllieM[/USER] mentions: glucagon, another hormone from our pancreas gland is activated to release when blood glucose levels start trending low. Also adrenaline is released from the adrenal gland as our hormone for emergencies. And it is the effects of adrenaline which cause the pallour, sweating, tremour, pounding heart that we tend to associate with symptoms of low bsl. Both these hormones influence our liver to release stored glucose ( called glycogen) back into the blood stream. This can be so effective that i have witnessed a diabetic on insulin who was having a full- on hypo, whose bsl at the time was 15 mmol/l. Yes, the symptoms from the adrenaline release were still presnt whilst the glucose release from her liver had produced a rebound in bsl from low to high. And this blood test was done before the traditional at the time tea and bikkie were provided. In one sense this type of scenario is reassuring, that our bodies may be able to handle a hypo without external assistance - i say may because it depends on a whole lot of factors - if i have suffered repeated hypos, my liver may have liw stores of glycogen only. If i have done some strenous exercise, that may have depleted some muscle glycogen stores and leave me prone to a hypo when my muscle cells demand to have their own, 'in- house' glycogen depots refilled, depots which are reserved for muscles only, and the exercise may have depleted some of the liver's store of its glycogen, too. And compared to a non-diabetic, if I am having a hypo, i cannot switch my insulin supply to the blood off. It keeps working and that may make my hypo more prolonged and liver glycogen release less effective. But hypos can certainly make me hungry and from past experience i am aware that eating to combat a hypo can also contribute to a rebound high bsl. So these days i use gluco-tabs, which are chaulky in taste and do not encourage a 'binge' of sugary food/drink. Night hypos can be shocking, but when i did not wake, then the damo shhets, umoored from from their tucked-in position, a headache and a high bsl were there to greet me on the new day! And one's sleeping partner woukd not be imoressed either and i was unlikely to sleep through a hypo because i was nit allowed to! Fortunately on a low carb diet i am now much less prone to hypos, and particulrly to severee ones, because i need much less insulin these days. Less insulin, less swings in bsl. And i could not agree more with [USER=372717]@EllieM[/USER], alcohol blocks the liver from releasing glycogen, a very, very dangerous situation - the brain's fuel protective emergency mechanism is temporarily disabled - whikst the brain itself is at some levelof intoxication itself. It is a no-brainer. Do not drink alcohol if you wish to avoid brain damage! I wish you all the best with the sorting out of your own low bsl troubles. As others have mentioned there is a "Reactive Hypoglycaemia' forum on this site. [/QUOTE]
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