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Some advice on BG readings overnight while asleep

Mick1959

Well-Known Member
Messages
151
Location
Cambridgeshire
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi, some advice please.

As a newbie to the 'Wonderful World of Type 2 Diabetes', and new owner of a Freestyle Libre, which I started with yesterday.

Can someone with knowledge advise why during the night at around 3am, my levels would dip as they did and if this is normal, or something to watch out for?

I am aware of the spikes and why they are caused (I have shown on the graph, such as exercise, meals, and awake in the morning around 6am), but was never told about falling levels during sleep

Thanks in advance and I am happy to accept humorous answers to brighten the day, along with the serious ones I seek

 
I know many people notice a dip at night on their Libre graphs.
This is not a "true dip" it is inaccuracies in the readings due to pressure on the sensor if you lie on it.

Alternatively, it could be a true dip due to the effect you of running from/to a large jam doughnut in your nightmare/dream.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hi helensaramay

Thanks for the answer, and that others have experienced similar possibly due to laying on the sensor.

Typical is it not, cause and effect: diabetic and jam doughnuts can still taunt you in your sleep, which could be my cutting out sugar in my tea and coffee

 
I get both types of nighttime dips

- the squashed arm ones, which often turn the line red on the graph and sometimes run as a flatline while I have my arm in that position

- and the ‘small hours blip’ where the line notches downwards just enough for the body to think ‘oops, heading downwards,think I need to release a smidge of glucose from the liver to push bg back up a bit.’ Only problem is that my body always over reacts and goes OTT and I end up with the kind of rise you seem to have.

You graph looks like option number 2, to me

The good news is that the longer I have been on top of my carbs, and the steadier I keep my blood glucose, the less of the blip/rise combo I get.

You have only just started out with D, but I think if you keep going and get everything properly under control, you will see things start to smooth out over the coming months. It may take a while, as you fine tune things, and your body adjusts, but things should settle more.

Thing is, your body has been desperately trying to balance your blood glucose for months, struggling against insulin resistance and fighting back with hunger, then trying to juggle highs and prevent lows, so it will take a while to learn not to panic at slight dips and not to then over compensate by dumping too much glucose. It also has to learn what ‘normal’ is, all over again.

It will get there, and you are lucky enough that you get to watch it all happen on the Libre! Wish I had had one back when I was discovering all these things!
 
I use Libre and initially I found a short dip as you describe around 3am where BG dropped to about 4, but then recovered fairly quickly as the body kicked in - not as "lively" as your recovery, though. (I've not found any effect from lying on my sensor, yet!)

I then found was that if I took a very small carb dose as I went to bed (5g carbs from 100ml milk does it for me), then my 3am dips seemed to disappear. I've been doing this for some time, and night-time graph is now pretty smooth, with a gentle rise from the dawn effect being evident in the second half.

As mentioned by Mick1959, perhaps your body may be over-compensating by dumping too much glucose, but everyone's body and reactions differ. Just hope my 2cents worth might be worth trying.
 
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