What is a good BG level to go to sleep at. Recently I have been going to bed at around 90 and waking up at 70. Should I target going to bed a little higher to avoid possible hypo episodes in the middle of the night? Thanks
I always heard don’t go to sleep if your under 120. Its a good mark, but if your looking to get a HbA1C below 6 that might be impossible. I go to bed around 120-130, as if I don’t my CGMS will beep at me all night if I happen to go low. I don’t know which is worse, low BG and sleeping through it, or CGMS beeping every 15 minutes and depriving you of sleep. I find if I go to bed at 120 it doesn’t sound for low BG. BUT…That’s me. I don’t know how you react to insulin, weather you have low BG issues during the night, dawn phenom, etc…That really only applies to me. You might try aiming for 110 or so and see what happens. Also some nighttime fingersticks might help you find out whats happening in the middle of the night.
I go to bed with a bg no less then 120 and wake up around 100 which is great for me everyone is different and it may take a small snack before bed for you to keep bg from not going low
Hi Rich,
Not fun, but you can set your alarm to test to see if you’re going low overnight. You’ll need to do this for 3-4 nights to get consistent results. If you’re taking basal before bed, you could lower it by a little to see if this helps.
I go to bed between 90-105, I don’t hold to the feed the insulin approach. Makes sense to me to lower insulin first.
If you want to raise BG before sleeping, use glucose tabs or another fast acting glucose, not food, so you can control how much BG is raised.
A small protein snack (cheese, nuts, etc.) before bed is the best approach, if you do this.
I also make sure I have no bolus insulin still active before bed
Good point about the insulin. What do they Novolog is still in you for 3 hours later. So if I go to bed at 10pm I shouldn’t bolus after 6:30 or so.
Novolog is about 4-5 hours effective in the body (other factors do contribute though) I have my pump set to 4 hrs for Novolog, and its been a winner thus far. I wouldn’t bolus after 6pm if that’s the schedule you follow. It might be cutting it close if you have a late dinner. You might have to play with the numbers and timing a bit to get it down to an art.
Carol its hard as you cannot adjust your basal rate without a pump = on a pump can adjust each hour depending on your body response. If you do however go low, move initial long actinf dose as that low will move with you eg: if low at 3am move time of injection long acting forward so low ends up to be around breakfast or a meal - my suggestion anyway
Rather than eat to bring your bg up, it might be wise to cut back on your basal dose just a tiny tiny tiny little bit.
Taking extra medication and then eating to keep your bg up is a bad habit to fall into.
I’m impressed that you go through the night so stably to begin with. Your doses must be so close to perfectly right already, you just need a tiny tiny tweak.
Tim.
Well I am kind of a new diabetic. I may still be producing a small amount of insulin.
My daughter can go to bed if she’s 100 or above, and there’s no working insulin. I have tested her enough nights to know that she does not go low and is usually 10 points higher in the morning. I like that you’re not going too high Rich, but I’d be concerned that 70 is awfully close to low, and as others pointed out, you might be going low during the night.
It is probably more that the peak of the bolus insulin has passed - 2-2.5 hrs after a bolus, its only going down from then
I go to bed or try to at around 120’s so overnight when my higher basal kicks in at 3am I am at about 110-115 range. At some point you need to overnight basal test to see how your readings are.
I think it depends also what insulin your on - r u on Lantus or Levemir, actrapid. novorapid etc… or a pump???
For me, it’s situational. If I’ve gotten a lot of exercise or I have a new infusion set and am afraid of getting low, I’d definitely want to be higher. If I had a big meal and less exercise, 90 could be okay.