Not sure if I should take my night insulin tonight

[MancboyChris]

Hi all,

My BG has been in single figures all day today (good thing?)

I'm unsure if I should take my insulin before bed tonight, my current levels are 7.4.

Its the first time I've had it this low before bed, had my usual 3 doses of Novorapid with meals today and am due 12 units of Lantus now.

Will it be safe to do so? Only diagnosed on NYE so I'm not sure what to think and I'm not due my first outpatient diabetes appointment until Feb 5th.

Any advice would be appreciated,

Cheers,
Chris

 

[MeiChanski]

Hello Lantus is your background insulin, which will keep you stable during the night until morning. So if you have not taken your background insulin, it’ll be the right thing to do. Your novorapid doesn’t last long in your body, so you’ll run high.

 

[MancboyChris]

Hello Lantus is your background insulin, which will keep you stable during the night until morning. So if you have not taken your background insulin, it’ll be the right thing to do. Your novorapid doesn’t last long in your body, so you’ll run high.

Thanks for that, just out of curiosity if it wasn't taken, would blood sugar rise overnight even though I won't be eating and also, what number would it need to be before bed for it to be wise not to take it or is it just taken regardless?

Thanks again

 

[MeiChanski]

Thanks for that, just out of curiosity if it wasn't taken, would blood sugar rise overnight even though I won't be eating and also, what number would it need to be before bed for it to be wise not to take it or is it just taken regardless?

Thanks again

Hello, yes your BG will rise once novorapid is out of your system. If I remember correctly, if your background insulin is correct, you shouldn’t go hypo or run high. Background insulin is designed in a way to keep you stable through the night and in-between meals. The number you go to bed on is the number in a similar range you wake up on. If your bed time reading is around 4 or between 5-6, it’s best to eat something small before bed so you don’t hypo.

 

[MancboyChris]

Hello, yes your BG will rise once novorapid is out of your system. If I remember correctly, if your background insulin is correct, you shouldn’t go hypo or run high. Background insulin is designed in a way to keep you stable through the night and in-between meals. The number you go to bed on is the number in a similar range you wake up on. If your bed time reading is around 4 or between 5-6, it’s best to eat something small before bed so you don’t hypo.

Thanks for clearing this up for me.

 

[Mad76]

I was diagnosed in april
The doc told me never to miss my slow acting lantus
But also told me to try not to sleep unless my bg was 8. So if it was 6 or 7 I'd eat something before bed. I still do this but expect maybe this is only for newly diagnosed ? Not sure

 

[Ushthetaff]

Hi firstly welcome to the club,
Your bs of 7.4 is good before bed , your lanctus is your long acting insulin and dependant on individuals it’ll not “ kick in “ for about 6 hours . It’s the insulin that gives you a “ background dose, your fast acting insulin you take 3 times is to counteract the highs you get if you eat, if you don’t take your Lanctus you will find that tomorrow your bs will probably be high.
Don’t stop taking your lanctus take it as normal. I know it’s a “minefield “ of information but your doing the right thing by asking for help , don’t worry in a short while you’ll be like a lot of us on here and giving advice and experiences as if it’s 2nd nature.
My best advice is don’t panic and you can guarantee here there is no question that we haven’t asked ourselves ,
Good luck and welcome

 

[EllieM]

My BG has been in single figures all day today (good thing?)

That's an excellent thing. Long term, in an ideal world (which it isn't) you'd be trying to mimic non-diabetic numbers which are between 4 and 7.

The issue for you will be that you probably don't yet have reliable figures for your long acting basal (the lantus) and your bolus/short acting (novorapid).

The basal (lantus for you) is meant to cover your insulin needs if you're not eating (eg overnight, or if you miss meals during the day). The bolus (novorapid for you) is meant to counteract the food in your meals, and also can be used as a correction if your blood sugar goes too high. In the long run your team will calculate an insulin ratio for you that allows you to balance the insulin you inject for each meal with the carbs in that meal, thereby allowing you to eat when you like, as much as you like, and also skip meals if you want. Unfortunately as a new diabetic your team don't know what your personal ratios are yet, so they aim to start with what is probably too little insulin and gradually increase the amount to balance your needs.

If your basal is right, then a night time reading of 7.4 should be accompanied by a similar reading the following morning. If the dose is too high then you risk going hypo at night - make sure you have glucose or equivalent by your bed so if you wake up in the night feeling weird you can take some sugar. (Do a blood test first if you feel up to it but hypos are often accompanied by confusion so it's better to treat in error rather than to not treat at all.)

Hopefully your team have a number that you can ring to discuss doses? If you start to get hypos you'll need their advice on how much to reduce your insulin....