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Quick bit of advice for this evening re: blood sugar levels?

T

The Governor

Well-Known Member
Messages
134
Location
UK
Hello all,

Sorry to post a thread but wanted a bit of guidance for this evening, I'm currently 4.4 and my wife is worried I'll hypo in the night (I'm T2 so don't think this is likely) she wants me to eat before bed, but I don't think I need to as I feel fine.

Am I being daft, do I really need to up my bs from 4.4 at bedtime?
 
Hi Governor,
Its only my opinion but I would say that 4.4 is a pretty low level to be going to bed with. Try having a piece of fruit (apple, orange or banana) plus some cheese on a cracker before bed-time. That will up your sugar level away from hypo-land and will also give your digestive system something to work on to stop your liver producing unwanted glucose during the night.
 
HI

Sorry to but in but is 4.4 classed as too low? I only ask as I am often at 4.1 ish these days since a cut out all the rubbish i had been eating. Not on any meds just diet and a bit of exercise, SHOULD I be concerned?

Thanks
Brian

PS only diagnosed myself about 8 or 10 weeks ago so still learning. GOOD luck governor, your are in the right place.
 
Hi Brian,
4.4 is fine for someone whose BG is fairly stable, but for someone newly diagnosed and whose BGs are still a bit up and down, I would recommend caution and go for a level of above 5 before bed.
 
Cheers Dennis I took your advice and had a banan before bed, felt fine when i woke up this morning so couldn't have done any harm.

I didn't actually consider that my liver might react like that.

I thought I'd best post in case you thought I'd gone into a coma overnight

Out of interest, is there a generally accepted average within the range of 4 to 7 that we should be aiming for? I know it relates to exercise etc etc, but I imagine there is a reading that an average adult doing an average amount of exercise should be going for?

In some ways my instinct is to get it as low as possible, but I also acknowledge that this isn't necessarily a good thing either.

brian - likewise mate, it's a steep learning curve isn't it?
 
I would say that 5.6mmol/lt is a good average to aim for. I am type 1 and my average for the last six months has been this, I feel fine with it and have only had four mild hypo's 3.6-3.9mmol/lt during this period.
 
Hi donnamum,
What level should a type 1 be before going to bed
Click to expand...

The answer to that is like saying "how long is a piece of string" If you have set up and tested your basal (background) insulin level correctly, and you have no underlying problems with your diabetes, it does not matter if you go to bed at 5.0, 5.5 6.0mmol/lt etc, because your basal level will not go up or down by more than 1.0mmol/lt. But the answer to that question is, how many people know how to set, or maintain their basal level? Because if you don't, you are playing Russian roulette with your diabetes management
 
Hi Donnamum,
On the advice of our consultant I never allow my girls to go to bed under 5.6. It also depends when they last had a bolus of fast acing insulin, if it was within 2 hrs of bedtime I would be even more cautious and check them during the night too. They are both on pumps, so have no long acting insulin to complicate things. When my little one was on Levemir she could easily drop 10 mmols during the course of the night, it was a real worry. So I guess you need to know how your daughter's levels behave at night, by getting up to test her as often as you need to. It's tiring, but the only way to do it, imo.
Sue
 
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