So my endo explained to me why I’m having hypo, and it made total sense at the time. Once home, though, and up all night with the CGM squawking, I don’t really care about the why. I just want it to stop.
I regularly spend time in the 60’s, which isn’t bad, but at night I’m dropping into the 50’s and 40’s.
Is there some magic food I can eat before bedtime to keep my glucose levels up all night?
I spent 3 days in the hospital not eating so endo could make sure I didn’t have an insulin secreting tumor or other “fixable” things. I’m good that way. It’s just this ongoing, daily struggle. Or nightly struggle, I should say.
I purchase Transcend Glucose Gel packets. It works quickly - 15g of carbs in 15 minutes, per ADA guidelines. I buy them 30 at a time, and get them on subscription, to lower the price quite a bit. You can get them on sites such as Amazon as well.
IHi Spooky. It is pretty easy to understand your dilemma and concert. Nighttime lows are one of the scarier issues. I do not know what your situation is as far as insulin usage and diet. But, this is a general picture of what I do. It works for me and I usually wake up with my BG between 75 and 125. There are a lot of things that factor in to this and on average I am right at 100 in the mornings.
I eat very few carbs at meals beyond whatever is in my vegetables. My carbs are usually consumed with snacks. My daily card goal is no more than 150. I eat dinner relatively late, usually around 7;30 in the evening. I normally go to bed around 1130. Shortly after dinner I usually have my daily treat of one of my selected protein bars. (I try to keep a variety on hand) Just before bed I usually have a few berries and a couple tablespoons of peanut butter. NOTE; actual peanut butter not peanut flavored food products spread like Jeff and Skippy the ingredients list must only contain peanuts and possibly salt. Nothing else. Also, I rarely take any more than one or two units of Humalog at dinnertime.
Like I said, this is what I do. It works for me. But, maybe this can give you some ideas to work with that will fit into your own regiment.
If you have to eat to keep your sugars up at night then your basal is too high. Or else you took a bolus rapid acting too late at night like I did. I had the same issue as you twice now… thankyou CGM! Once was due to me taking novolog too late at night and not eating enough to cover it. Then last night it still slightly trended low so today i decreased my basal slightly. Today has been spot on on my CGM. Eating to keep your sugars up is too much trouble and makes me fat. Have I said how much I love my new Dexcom?
I’ve seen some bars out there for that but never tried them and seem kinda expensive. Cheaper to lower your basal.
Protein, protein and then maybe some fat. Carbs are burned and gone within an hour or two but a big ole slab of protein slobbered with fat will still eeking out glucose and be with you in the morning.
I’m not taking insulin yet. Can’t until this settles down. And I have those, they’re great! I keep o.j. and gel packets in every room of my house. It’s so stupid.
I haven’t yet changed my diet in any way. I feel I need a solid idea of what to do before I jump in. This is so new. Thanks again - and I love Adams Peanut Butter.
I had no idea that the secret was protein and fat. I’ve been shoving carbs down my throat all night. So you’ve helped a lot.
The endo said that my pancreas is confused right now about when and how much insulin to produce. I’m assuming this is part of the honeymoon period. Gah. What a pain in the rear.
Don’t do anything about 2) until 1) is taken care of. It’s especially true for those of us on insulin.
For 1) Fast-acting carbs are what you need.
For 2) you need carbs, fat and protein. The more complex the carb, the better. The fat and protein will even out your glycemic variability, but you still need SOME carbs. By complex carbs, I mean whole wheat–stuff with fiber. Those will also even out how much glucose hits your system at once.
I am partial to Cookie Dough Balance Bars because they have a “balance” of carbs, fat and protein. And they don’t taste like sawdust. A bar is just 22 grams of carbs.
People have given good advice about preemptively eating carbs/protein/fat. Also, since it sounds like your pancreas is in overdrive and producing insulin, balanced eating may induce less of a reaction from it.
Another factor to consider, if relevant: avoid any alcohol, which will inhibit the liver’s release of glucose. Once you can get things under more control, then it’s different (though I have to back of my overnight basal when I drink, and also eat more of a snack before bed), but for now, when your control is limited, I’d avoid it entirely if you aren’t already.
Be careful with this one. Glycemic indexes matter more for some people, less for others. They don’t make an atom’s worth of difference for me. Everyone’s physiology is distinct; you need to determine empirically what your own response profile is. This is particularly important for someone (such as yourself) who is not using insulin and cannot avail themselves of that safety valve.
Brian’s points are spot on, as is the one about alcohol.
Diabetes is always a moving target, one way or another. Perfection may be unattainable, but it’s necessary to try. The alternatives are just unacceptable.
Back in 1971, when I went to my first diabetes summer camp, we all had a little carbs and a little protein eve night before bed. My favorite was nilla wafers and cheese. I know it sounds weird but every once in a while I go back to it and it still works. But which ever carb you go with, you need some protein/fat to hold it instead of the roller coaster the quick acting can do. Good luck and getting things figured out. Sleep is so important and night time alarms are a nightmare sometimes but not having those warning alarms are a completely different nightmare.
I had the same issue as you twice now… thankyou CGM! Once was due to me taking novolog too late at night and not eating enough to cover it. Then last night it still slightly trended low so today i decreased my basal slightly. Today has been spot on on my CGM. Eating to keep your sugars up is too much trouble and makes me fat. 
