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Reoccurring low blood sugar at night

amyyong0801

amyyong0801

Newbie
Messages
2
Location
England, Liverpool
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi everyone, my name is Amy and I am a Type 1 Diabetic, diagnosed 23 years ago. I am currently on basal (Levemir)/bolus (Novorapid) routine.

I have recently been prescribed the Libre 2 flash glucose system and through this have found that I have a low blood sugar at 2-3am every night without fail.

The Libre has been waking me up with the low alarm, but before I had this I think I was sleeping through the lows, waking up with readings of around 4.5mmol.

I have tried reducing my basal, changing the time of my basal (from 10pm to 7pm) and having a bedtime snack. None of this has been successful.

Any recommendations would be helpful (e.g splitting basal, different type of basal etc) as I am fed up with disturbed sleep every night and waking up feeling exhausted.

Thanks,
Amy
 
Hi @amyyong0801 and welcome to the forums

Have you double checked with a blood testing meter to see if the reading is genuinely low? (Libre is renowned for so called compression lows).
 
Do you check your levels with a finger prick when your alarm goes off?
The reason I ask is that it is possible this is a compression low - you lie on your sensor, apply pressure and it reports a false low.
That said, waking at 4.5mmmol/l is quite low. What is your target level when you go to bed? Is your morning level significantly lower than your evening one? If so, it suggests your basal dose is too high.
It is common to have different basal needs at different times of the day (this is one of the great advantages of a pump) so if you need more basal during the day, it makes sense to split your Levemir.
 
Hello @amyyong0801

I can generally feel in the morning if i've been low during the night, but if your basal is causing an issue and despite tweaks then it would be wise to chat to your DSN about getting prescribed Tresiba instead, it has a flat basal profile, it's ideal for people who go low durig the night and lasts up to 36+ hours, I found this to be the most suitable basal for me prior to using a pump and once it was adjusted I never had nocturnal hypos.
 
Hi everyone,

Thank you for the advice! :D

@EllieM - Yes I have found the Libre 2 quite inaccurate, especially with the trend arrows (although good to find patterns, spikes etc), however, I have really good hypo awareness so it is definitely low.

@In Response -
Do you check your levels with a finger prick when your alarm goes off? - Sometimes, not always.
What is your target level when you go to bed? Is your morning level significantly lower than your evening one? If so, it suggests your basal dose is too high - I try to aim for 6-9mmmol/l. However, one night I can go to sleep with 7.0mmmol/l and wake up 7.6mmmol/l and still experience the hypo.

@Juicyj - Definitely going to ask about Tresiba, I have been on Levemir for about 12 years now. Hoping they can quickly get me on it as these night time hypos are draining :arghh:
 
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