Tiredness and sleep problems

[Paulgn1]

I guess many diabetics battle tiredness and have problems sleeping. I'm type 1 and pump controlled, constantly tired and feel most of the time like I haven't slept. Wondered if anyone has had any success with getting a decent night's sleep after suffering from the same.

 

[Deleted Account]

How is your BG during the night?

I struggle to sleep if my BG is too high or too low.
If my BG is under control, I am fine, get a good night's sleep and wake refreshed.
For me, my pump has greatly helped: once I got the basal levels set correctly, my sleep improved.

 

[LooperCat]

Yeah, steady, in range BGs are so important for getting good sleep. And good sleep is key to getting good levels. It’s a vicious circle Are you in any pain or discomfort at night? Is there anything you can change about your environment that may help? My beloved husband snores dreadfully, so sometimes to break the poor sleep/poor levels cycle I sleep in another room for a few nights just to reset.

 

[Paulgn1]

How is your BG during the night?

I struggle to sleep if my BG is too high or too low.
If my BG is under control, I am fine, get a good night's sleep and wake refreshed.
For me, my pump has greatly helped: once I got the basal levels set correctly, my sleep improved.

My bloods are normally pretty good when going to bed, maybe the odd high, I use a fitbit to monitor sleep patterns and generally wake a couple of times but very rarely go into deep sleep for over an hour a night.

 

[LooperCat]

My bloods are normally pretty good when going to bed, maybe the odd high, I use a fitbit to monitor sleep patterns and generally wake a couple of times but very rarely go into deep sleep for over an hour a night.

Hmmmmm. Do you use a CGM or finger pricks? You might be able to see what’s going on with a Libre, perhaps? What are your levels when you wake up?

 

[Paulgn1]

Yeah, steady, in range BGs are so important for getting good sleep. And good sleep is key to getting good levels. It’s a vicious circle Are you in any pain or discomfort at night? Is there anything you can change about your environment that may help? My beloved husband snores dreadfully, so sometimes to break the poor sleep/poor levels cycle I sleep in another room for a few nights just to reset.

I guess I should concentrate on that, no pain or discomfort in the night. My bloods aren't terrible but occasionally inconsistent. Just tired or feeling tired

 

[Paulgn1]

Hmmmmm. Do you use a CGM or finger pricks? You might be able to see what’s going on with a Libre, perhaps? What are your levels when you wake up?

I've started using the libre, struggling to afford the patches at the moment but I believe they're coming on prescription soon. It doesn't seem to matter if my bloods are perfect or high I still feel tired.

 

[LooperCat]

Might be worth going to see your GP to see if there’s another problem, not all our ills are due to the diabetes, after all. Hope you find a solution soon, fatigue is just horrible. And fingers crossed you can get Libre on prescription pdq.

 

[Deleted Account]

My bloods are normally pretty good when going to bed, maybe the odd high, I use a fitbit to monitor sleep patterns and generally wake a couple of times but very rarely go into deep sleep for over an hour a night.

Whenever I wake, I force myself to wake fully, take a reading and correct ... even if I got to bed on a good reading, if I wake in the night, 9 times out of 10, my BG is out of kilter.
Once I correct, my sleep is good.

 

[Paulgn1]

Might be worth going to see your GP to see if there’s another problem, not all our ills are due to the diabetes, after all. Hope you find a solution soon, fatigue is just horrible. And fingers crossed you can get Libre on prescription pdq.

Yeah maybe you're right thanks for the advice.

 

[Paulgn1]

Whenever I wake, I force myself to wake fully, take a reading and correct ... even if I got to bed on a good reading, if I wake in the night, 9 times out of 10, my BG is out of kilter.
Once I correct, my sleep is good.

Do you use the libre I used to check in the night when I woke.

 

[Deleted Account]

Do you use the libre I used to check in the night when I woke.

I do not use the Libre ... It was not accurate enough for me

 

[Paulgn1]

I do not use the Libre ... It was not accurate enough for me

Is bit and miss I found the higher my blood sugar the higher the error with the libre, if I was in range then it wasn't too far out.

 

[Alison54321]

One possibility that you could consider is taking some magnesium, chelated is best.

High blood sugars mean that people with diabetes lose more magnesium in their urine than other people. Magnesium is very important for good sleep. When I can't sleep it's the first thing I try, these days, since I found out about this, and no it wasn't from a doctor.

You can google all this. There are a few assumptions about the impact of this, that possibly go beyond the reality, but there is a clear link between poor sleep, and low magnesium, so it might be a factor.

 

[LooperCat]

One possibility that you could consider is taking some magnesium, chelated is best.

High blood sugars mean that people with diabetes lose more magnesium in their urine than other people. Magnesium is very important for good sleep. When I can't sleep it's the first thing I try, these days, since I found out about this, and no it wasn't from a doctor.

You can google all this. There are a few assumptions about the impact of this, that possibly go beyond the reality, but there is a clear link between poor sleep, and low magnesium, so it might be a factor.

I take a magnesium supplement too, but because of my diet rather than specifically for sleep. But now you come to mention it, I’ve slept better since starting to take it...

 

[jlarsson]

If your blood sugar is the problem and you have all the necessary components, you may want to have a look at https://openaps.org/ which was designed specifically because the creator had difficulties sleeping. https://loopkit.github.io/loopdocs/ is another project, shown in detail here:

how to set up and use etc. I don't use a pump myself, so I can't speak for how good any of this is in practise or how easy it is to set up, but it evidently works for some people.

 

[Paulgn1]

One possibility that you could consider is taking some magnesium, chelated is best.

High blood sugars mean that people with diabetes lose more magnesium in their urine than other people. Magnesium is very important for good sleep. When I can't sleep it's the first thing I try, these days, since I found out about this, and no it wasn't from a doctor.

You can google all this. There are a few assumptions about the impact of this, that possibly go beyond the reality, but there is a clear link between poor sleep, and low magnesium, so it might be a factor.

I shall certainly try that thank you so much.

 

[Paulgn1]

If your blood sugar is the problem and you have all the necessary components, you may want to have a look at https://openaps.org/ which was designed specifically because the creator had difficulties sleeping. https://loopkit.github.io/loopdocs/ is another project, shown in detail here:

how to set up and use etc. I don't use a pump myself, so I can't speak for how good any of this is in practise or how easy it is to set up, but it evidently works for some people.

Had a quick look, and it's very interesting this is where ideally you want to be with diabetes control. I'll will look into it in detail but initially looks complicated, thanks.

 

[Jenny15]

My bloods are normally pretty good when going to bed, maybe the odd high, I use a fitbit to monitor sleep patterns and generally wake a couple of times but very rarely go into deep sleep for over an hour a night.

I didn't know the fitbit could measure depth of sleep. Usually the only way to really measure that is to have a formal sleep study at a clinic that your doctor can refer you to. There are dozens of sleep disorders, many of which are treatable. If you're satisfied that your blood glucose levels are in control enough to not be causing this, you might want to raise it with your doctor. Don't let them fob you off.

The most common sleep disorder that can cause extreme tiredness is sleep apnoea. Usually affects older overweight people - but not always. Loud snoring is a common sign - but again, not always. Unsatisfying sleep is a common symptom of this and other sleep disorders. I hope you're able to find out what is causing it. Good luck.

 

[Paulgn1]

I didn't know the fitbit could measure depth of sleep. Usually the only way to really measure that is to have a formal sleep study at a clinic that your doctor can refer you to. There are dozens of sleep disorders, many of which are treatable. If you're satisfied that your blood glucose levels are in control enough to not be causing this, you might want to raise it with your doctor. Don't let them fob you off.

The most common sleep disorder that can cause extreme tiredness is sleep apnoea. Usually affects older overweight people - but not always. Loud snoring is a common sign - but again, not always. Unsatisfying sleep is a common symptom of this and other sleep disorders. I hope you're able to find out what is causing it. Good luck.

The fitbit gives you a good indication, it shows deep, light and REM sleep. It uses movement and heart rate patterns, it shows that I'm in deep sleep for only about an hour a night, usually less. I'm not overweight and I don't snore. I'll see how the magnesium supplements go first I think. Thank you.