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Something else the DN said.....

B

basher132

Member
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19
... concerning my eating whilst on night shift. I was asked during my 1st visit what my eating patterns were when working. I replied that I ate at around 4.30pm, and then again at roughly midnight, but no more until the following 4.30pm, so approx 16 hours between the 2 meals. She said that I might be better eating when I got home at 5am, so as to "stimulate my metabolism".

However, I've just started reading Jenny Ruhls' "Blood Sugar 101", where she mentions insulin recovery during sleep, i.e. fasting, gradually getting worse until fasting blood sugars become abnormal permanently. The notion that I should give my body a rest from having to producing insulin makes sense to me, but is there something in what the diabetic nurse has suggested ?

Thanks,
John
 
Insulin users ideally need to space their meals 5 hours or more apart so that their is little insulin left over from the previous meal to muck up the correction dose estimations for the next meal.

Type two diabetics often do well "grazing" and spreading their meals over the 24 hours rather than two or three big ones.

This is because their pancreas releases insulin gradually once you start to eat but can't come in with a big dollop of insulin at the start of a meal. If you spread the quantity of food over several meals you may see an improvement in post meal blood sugars. If you end up eating more food you could just end up fatter!

I know a type two who is happy with a meal at 11 am and 5pm. As you work shifts I can see how your eating pattern has worked out. If you were a prisoner in a police station or prison you would get fed at 5pm and have nothing else till 7am.

You need to figure out what suits you the best. Perhaps an experiment?

When working nights I was always starving at 5am if I had been up all night, even if I had eaten at 9pm. I had to eat or else I wouldn't sleep if I went to bed in the morning. This didn't make me feel any less hungry at other meals and for me at least being up at night is a huge appetite stimulus. I also get hungry if I'm tired.
 
I'm type two,diet only and work nights. I eat at 19.00 when i get up then have a tea break at 23.30 usually depending on work load.I eat my 'main' meal for the night at around 03.30 then have another tea break at 05.30.My BS when I get home is generally around 5.4.
 
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