Poor sleep - could it be blood sugars levels?

[janet1980]

Hey all,

Diet controlled T2 here. I've been having quite a lot of issues getting to sleep lately, especially caused by needing to go to the loo a lot and my skin feeling itchy.

Just wondering if anyone has this issue - and what sort of blood glucose levels do you find give you this sensation?

I manage to control my numbers well, and they tend to be in the 5's overnight, but sometimes above 6. Do you these glucose levels be high enough to cause these effects?

Thanks!

 

[Ronancastled]

Before diagnosis I was urinating 4 times a night but sleeping like a log in between. Post remission I got insomnia that has slowly resolved over time. I think the body gets used to running high & doesn't like it when there's a shock to the system. My only advice is check for a UTI & hope the sleep resolves over time.

 

[MrsA2]

I had itchy skin in the first few weeks of low carbing. It was like the sugar was trying to find ways out.
Maybe add in some magnesium, possibly also potassium and salt. Magnesium helps with restless legs and itchy skin

 

[ickihun]

Some like myself find adrenalin is the cause. I've been afraid to sleep incase my young child needed me. This is getting better and aided by one of my nerve pain medications which causes drowsiness as a side effect so I take it an hour before sleep. It gives me a relaxed period to nod off and a few hours of pain-free sleep.
I know this isn't you as you haven't mentioned nerve pain here.
Yours could be your body isn't tired enough. Or in other words your intake of energy hasn't been expelled. Are you eating more than you need daily?
So could yours be adrenalin and/or too much of an energy source not used up?

 

[Lamont D]

Similar story for me as well.
Made worse when my blood sugar levels are up and down.
My burning itch is mainly in my left arm, I do get it now and again on my other limbs.

If all else fails, a bag of ice can soothe the itch.
And I found on another site that antihistamines take the edge off.

 

[janet1980]

Similar story for me as well.
Made worse when my blood sugar levels are up and down.

Ah, thanks and good to know. Just wondering (also anyone else as well) roughly what sort of mmol/l level you start to see the itchiness and disturbed sleep start at?

 

[Lamont D]

Ah, thanks and good to know. Just wondering (also anyone else as well) roughly what sort of mmol/l level you start to see the itchiness and disturbed sleep start at?

It is not like an off and off switch. I only get one now and again.
My itch and sleep deprivation was mainly before diagnosis, that was when my blood sugar levels were continually on a rollercoaster ride.
I wasn't aware of it happening to me.

My last bad one was when I fell off the wagon last summer.
The sleep deprivation was fuelled by the itch. But because my brain reacts with lucid dreaming, and going to the toilet, I was up most of three nights, only getting the odd hour.
I decided enough was enough, I hadn't learned from before diagnosis, so I started avoiding the food that was causing it.

My condition is different to yours, even though it has similarities.
It is the reason why I keep going hypo when I do eat those foods. Type 2s do not go hypo usually unless they are on medication.
Your journey will be better served by keeping a food diary, so that you can record your blood sugar levels, pre meal and two hours after. It doesn't have to be precise just so you can see how your doing. And your medical team will understand, what is going on.

 

[searley]

im t1 so my levels can rise/fall quite fast.. but i dont get disturbed sleep until my bg is in the range of 13+ as this point i start to need the loo quite a bit, but i also overheat and sweat all night

i would think though that this is something that will be different in everybody... there are ofcourse plenty of other reasons for sleepless nights

 

[ickihun]

It is noted @janet1980 that nerve damage can start even on 7.8 meter readings. Remember every meter is different so that can be difficult to strictly monitor. Also is your itching nerve damage or nerve repair? Once again that is debatable. It's mooted nerves can regrow and reroute, as of heart vessels.
My itching was triggered at about 8 once I had good(ish) control. Still does. However we are all different. Remember that.
Can you get control or lower than 8s?

 

[KennyA]

Ah, thanks and good to know. Just wondering (also anyone else as well) roughly what sort of mmol/l level you start to see the itchiness and disturbed sleep start at?

For me, symptoms are not geared to A1c and I had the worst symptoms long before my BG reached 48. I still have some symptoms even though my BG is low-normal.

48 is an arbitrary figure - the medics chose it, according to Bilous in the Handbook of Diabetes, because retinopathy is rare beneath that level. It's just one that internationally they can all agree that anyone with a BG of 48 or above is definitely diabetic. However it doesn't follow that if your BG is below 48, you don't have diabetes. Many people on here have and had symptoms at much lower A1c readings. My view, for what it's worth, is that having symptoms by definition makes us diabetic - the official medical view is wrong on T2 diet and I think is wrong diagnosing solely on a reading of 48 as well.