problem sleeping waking up with low blood sugar and anxiety

[anil_t1]

Hi ,

Just reaching out to find what I can do to improve my problem with sleep. I used to sleep better when I was normal, eating normal carbs etc but since my type 1 diagnosis i made the choice to stick to a low carb diet because it was the only way I found to manage my blood sugar.

I was diagnosed in January and I'm still in the process of adapting to a normal life. I'm focusing on being regimented with taking insulin, cooking/eating my low carb dishes and constantly monitoring my blood sugar. This lifestyle is fairly new to me, I am used to be more social and eating outdoors alot. Being in isolation helps with me coping with new routine.

My problem with sleep is that since my diagnosis has been trying to sleep for 7 hours, but every night i wake after 4/5 hours and feel tiredless, where i feel worried and i can feel my heart racing. My blood sugar is low at this point but I am not having a hypo. The lack of sleep is making feel moody alot and I'm feeling fatigued during the day. My work colleagues have noticed my moods and tiredness more since working from home and have raised their concerns about this, so I am reaching out to find out what I can do about my problem.

Appreciate any advice out there. For the past 2 months I did try ways to tackle the anxiety like herbal tea before sleep, but i always seem to wake after 4/5 hours.

 

[EllieM]

My blood sugar is low at this point but I am not having a hypo.

How low is low? Is it possible you are waking after a hypo? (Your liver will pump out sugar if you go low and try to bring your levels up.) I'd be tempted to set an alarm for half an hour before you normally wake to see what your levels are doing then, though it would be a lot easier if you could get access to a continuous glucose monitor (ask your diabetes nurse?) so that you can find out what's going on at night without having to wake for it.

What kind of inulin regime are you on?

 

[anil_t1]

Thanks for replying.

Insulin regime is basal bolus (levermir for background and novarapid before meals), its pretty basic at the moment, where I am waiting for my next hospital appointments and DAFN course to learn about being more dynamic with insulin dosages.

Low is around 4.0 - 5.8

About setting the alarm before i wake up, I'll try this out and let you know.

I bought the Libre starter pack before the lockdown because diabetic nurse would not provide this, maybe I should start using this now.

 

[th99]

I've been having a similar enough problem where my body thinks I'm low and wakes me up after just a few hours sleep even though I could be in range before bed or above it, and I can't fall back asleep until I've treated it somehow. My guess is that either your night-time background insulin could be too high, or that you're still in the honeymoon period seeing as you were only diagnosed in January, so you still have natural insulin remaining in your body which could be clashing with the insulin you're now injecting. I'd definitely recommend getting started on the Libre sensor if you have it as it gives some insight into what your sugars were overnight, and also give your diabetic nurse a ring if you have their number.