Night time hypos?!!

Rach79

Well-Known Member
Messages
285
Dislikes
Poverty, violence, manipulative or materialistic people and too much bad weather such as wind and rain.
Hi guys, although I am remaining positive about my diabetes, today is an especially difficult day. I had just under 4 hours sleep last night due to the fact I had a night hypo. I look and feel terrible today and have red baggy eyes. I really don't look good today for my job and can't get motivated. The thing is sometimes I don't have the night time hypos even when I don't feel like a snack at night sometimes, but other times I don't snack because I don't feel like it (like last night) and I end up going low. My BG was 7.6mmol at 11pm way after my insulin was supposed to have stopped working, but when I look my night insulin... although I was shattered, when I went to bed, I couldn't sleep for about an hour. I don't feel hypos so much at night now (which is also a worry) but couldn't figure out why I was sooooo tired and exhausted and couldn't sleep. I decided on the off chance to test my BG as sometimes before I have been low. Sure enough it was 3.4 mmol and I got up drank lucozade, brushed teeth, waited, tested BG, attempted sleep. I eventually dropped off but awoke at 6am with high BG. It's times like this my diabetes really gets to me :evil: All I want to do is go to bed and sleep and I feel a bit down because of last night. Has anybody figured out the cure of night time hypos without having to force a snack down their necks :?: See I thought, I'll just adjust my evening dose but then my BG is high the next morning. I feel like I'm in a no win situation today and fed up.... maybe someone could shed some light :roll: I am still trying to be positive but today it is very difficult and practically unachievable.
 

jopar

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,222
Where I would look..

If you are sure that your Lantus is providing a pretty good basal, and can rule this problem out..

Then next place I would look is what either excercise I had been doing eariler in the day, as it is possible to have a rebound much later indeed... Or what type of food I had been eating to see if there is a common demoniator involved...
 

hanadr

Expert
Messages
8,157
Dislikes
soaps on telly and people talking about the characters as if they were real.
Try keeping a diary for a week or two and note which were the GOod nights. hten you can try to keep to those patterns.
 

Rach79

Well-Known Member
Messages
285
Dislikes
Poverty, violence, manipulative or materialistic people and too much bad weather such as wind and rain.
Yep I think a diary is the way to go actually. It is weird though because I had cake for my mum's 60th birthday so my BG should have been up not down. I didn't actually do any exercise that day or the day before so I'm totally at a loss :roll: I bought a new monitor the other day where I can log food and insulin dosage etc. so will start using it. I haven't been shown how to by the diabetic clinic however it can't be that hard. I also woke up at 5am this morning too due to sinus problems so still feel terrible :evil: - nevermind though. Just wish I could eliminate those night hypos :!:
 

suzi

Well-Known Member
Messages
754
Dislikes
people who are rude and ignorant, and people who have no patience in queues.
Hi Rach,
sorry to hear your having a rough time, i know i can't funtion without a good nights sleep, and night hypos must be terrifying. If you figure out it's not your insulin, but around 7mmol isn't enough to get you through the night til the morning and you don't feel like eating before bed, why not try horrlicks or options light drinking chocolate, should be enough to carry you through without making you high in the morning. My Aunt (you know the 1, i spoke of in England) swears by it and has been doing it for the past 30 years. Then again i know everyone is different, but maybe worth a try
Take care and hope you get a good nights sleep soon
Suzi x
 

Rach79

Well-Known Member
Messages
285
Dislikes
Poverty, violence, manipulative or materialistic people and too much bad weather such as wind and rain.
Hiya Suzi,

Thanks for the tips. I might just try the drinking chocolate. I tried reducing my Lantus last night by 4 units and although I slept, my BG was too high this morning at 10.1mmol. I am going to increase by 2 units tonight (which is 2 units less than my usual night dose) and see what happens then. If my BG is still too high then I will opt for the drinking chocolate :!: How is your aunt btw - is she well :?: Did she get her animal insulin sorted :?: It is something I'm asking about as I am not sure Lantus suits me at all. I'm still getting the hypos, spikes after meals (is it post prandial spikes or something they are called?) also now I'm losing feeling in my hypos which is very scary for me. I think the animal insulin may change this, so I figure it is worth exploring :!:
 

suzi

Well-Known Member
Messages
754
Dislikes
people who are rude and ignorant, and people who have no patience in queues.
Hi Rach,
Thanks for asking Rach, my aunt is well and still on animal insulin, haven't spoke to her since our last PM, but if things had changed i just know she would of rung me for an ear bashing :lol: Hope you see and improvement soon, i know how frustrating it is. Andrews gradually getting the hang of carb counting and injecting in school at dinner time. He got an early Christmas present today, i bought him an SOS tailisman with silver chain. He did have an identity bracelet but it was velcro and itched, and he hated it, thankfully the necklace has gone down a treat. I'll be able to give him a little bit more freedom, knowing if the worst was to happen the right people can be contacted, and he won't be looked upon as a naughty child!
Anyway take care, hope your sorted soon and get a good nights sleep
Suzi x
 

Rach79

Well-Known Member
Messages
285
Dislikes
Poverty, violence, manipulative or materialistic people and too much bad weather such as wind and rain.
suzi said:
Hi Rach,
Thanks for asking Rach, my aunt is well and still on animal insulin, haven't spoke to her since our last PM, but if things had changed i just know she would of rung me for an ear bashing :lol: Hope you see and improvement soon, i know how frustrating it is. Andrews gradually getting the hang of carb counting and injecting in school at dinner time. He got an early Christmas present today, i bought him an SOS tailisman with silver chain. He did have an identity bracelet but it was velcro and itched, and he hated it, thankfully the necklace has gone down a treat. I'll be able to give him a little bit more freedom, knowing if the worst was to happen the right people can be contacted, and he won't be looked upon as a naughty child!
Anyway take care, hope your sorted soon and get a good nights sleep
Suzi x

Yes I should wear an identity bracelet or necklace too. It only makes sense. Glad Andrew is doing well and your aunt too. I've recently sent a request to my diabetic clinic for animal insulin as I can't get my BG levels to a decent level most days. I was on 18 units of glargine but that has just sent my BG's all over the place and even then I wake up with 11.1mmol or something even if I haven't had a hypo in the night. Other mornings they have been around say 4.6mmol or sometimes I've been waking at 3am with hypo although I've taken the same night dose and not changed my routine eating times etc. The idea of these new insulin types is that as a diabetic you are supposed to be more flexible and eat at different times, but also cutting out the night hypos and postprandial spikes - yeah right... hasn't worked for me. So I'm currently on 16units of night now after trying 14 units for a while but finding my BG's too high. I'll see how I go for a few days - so far no night hypos but have still being getting on average 2 hypos a day and I eat a lot of GI foods, brown bread etc. do moderate exercise and eat fruit and veg... so I'm trying but with no avail :| I guess just wait and see :!: ...