Type 1: Struggling to sleep

[kellie lees]

Anyone know if any relationship between T1 diabetes and struggling to sleep?

 

[ewelina]

No I have never had trouble with sleeping

 

[fletchweb]

Anyone know if any relationship between T1 diabetes and struggling to sleep?

Well - I think there is . I woke up at 4 am this morning - I felt really hungry (probably because I had a very light meal the day before) so I got out of bed, dragged my sorry self downstairs and tested myself - I was 6.2 meaning I was just hungry. If I didn't have diabetes I probably would not have got up but with this issue of hypos with diabetes my sleep was disturbed to make sure I wasn't going to have a hypo.I then went back to bed and fell asleep again - what I have discovered and it's certainly an incentive too keep reasonable control of your BGs - those times that I've had very poor restless sleeps tend to be the times that my BG levels are higher than they should be - for example 10 - 14. While when my BGs are within the normal range (as long as you're not hungry) I have fantastic sleeps.
Some people with poor control will get up several times to pee. That can't help with the quality of sleep. Thankfully I don't have that issue and so far over the years I've always woke up when my BGs are low - some people can't tell and that would be a major concern for me.
What a long answer to your question - the short answer - YES

 

[db89]

I've been a bit of a night owl as far as I can remember. I seem to be fortunate enough to not need 7 hours most nights and I don't try to force myself to go to bed earlier just to not sleep. I've never thought it to be associated with diabetes.

 

[miszu]

when my BG is high i get really sleepy. thats all my BG affects my sleeps. i never wake up the middle of the night except when my dog is a -way too- early bird and starts barking loudly. every day i stay up a bit too late then wake up as a zombie in the morning to take insulin, eat then sleep back until next meal. im trying to fix this habbit, but like the previous person, im a bit of a nightowl too and i dont think its in any relation with diabetes, since its been like this before i got diabetes too.

 

[Medusa41]

Anyone know if any relationship between T1 diabetes and struggling to sleep?

Hi - not sure if there's a relationship between the two but I am a 'night owl' & struggle to get to sleep. Sometimes I wonder if it's worry but not sure if there's a link between T1D & sleep.

 

[nannysno1]

Hi - I'm only recently (last Novemberish) diagnosed, but Type 2. I've always been a night owl too & don't even bother going to bed unless I know I'm going to totally crash (I mean not lie there for ages in limboland?). I even play the simplest sudoku on my phone after I've lain down to bore me to sleep & distract me from the chronic pain I also suffer from in various places, including a chronic ulcer (3yrs on my ankle). I know you're not supposed to have electronic lit up screen things in/by your bed & they're supposed to contribute to keeping you awake (the light), but, believe me - this is the only thing that works these days! My BS is all over the place, I think due to the fact that my sleep pattern is so all over the place. Have had from 3.2's through to 12.6's - usually surprisingly so - even though I've been relatively 'good' with foods, since I found out (but still learning, naturally). Sometimes I'm not asleep till 8am and sometimes 2am, etc. Likewise, sometimes I get up in the morning really early - especially if I have to be somewhere - no matter how much sleep I've had/not had, so my adrenals must be totally messed with, as I've been like this for years, even when I was working full-time (I can't work now, as I'm so disabled ). Do you think BS's are the contributor to being like this ...or just resultant of it?

 

[Tophat1900]

Not T1 - but my sleep improved a lot when I stopped consuming caffeine after midday. Not saying this is the cause or would work for you, but it did for me. If you drink coffee or tea containing caffeine, it might be worth a shot.

 

[static192]

Anyone know if any relationship between T1 diabetes and struggling to sleep?

Hi i struggle to sleep aswell i think its because my sugars are running high

 

[Juicyj]

Hi @kellie lees i have to admit that I struggle to sleep at night if my BG levels are high, I tend to stay up until they start to come down and the same goes for low BG levels, I tend to wait until they are 'safe' enough for me to sleep. I love my sleep and so this aspect is hard for me personally

 

[azure]

@kellie lees If my blood sugars are smoother, I sleep better. I don't think Type 1 affects my sleep otherwise, but I do feel more alert if I wake in the night because I then think about what my blood sugar is doing.

Early in diagnosis, I slept worse, and I think that was due to stress and worry.

 

[ME_Valentijn]

Also probably not T1, but I couldn't sleep shortly after diagnosis when my blood sugar was 15+ at night. Too much nausea and headache, and I think my blood pressure was high at the time too.

 

[noblehead]

Anyone know if any relationship between T1 diabetes and struggling to sleep?

Type 1 diabetes can effect your ability to sleep, for example if your high then you going to have frequent toilet trips and if you go to bed worrying about how your bg levels will behave (fearing hypo's whilst asleep) then it's gonna keep you awake.

But diabetes aside, if your stressed about everyday things like family life & work then it's not going to be easy to drop off to sleep, a good way to relax is to go for a nice long walk on a evening to distress if your worrying about something.

Generally I sleep fine and get a good 7 hours sleep most nights.