How do you manage your eating schedule and your sleeping schedule? When do you eat, and when do you sleep?
I get two half hour breaks… One at around 12:30 am, and the other at around 3:30 am or so. I try to eat during those times, though I normally don’t feel very hungry… then I go home and go to bed at around 6:30-7 am and sleep till like 2:30-3:30 pm… And I usually wake up starving… so I eat… but then I may have to eat yet again before going to work, cus I get hungry again… So… I guess I’ve been doing …
a meal at rising (like a breakfast)... this is the 2:30 - 3:30 pm meal
a meal at 6 or 7 pm, like a lunch,
I may have a snack before I go to work sometime... 8 pm or so
I eat 12:30 am, like a dinner
and then at 3:30 am, it's like a snack...
My hunger signals are off, because of my schedule, and this seems like a lot of eating to me... but I don't know. I never go by caloric counts... I always go by intuitive eating. Anyone, please share what has worked for you.
My eating schedule is off bad due to my shift + kids. Main thing I do is watch my carbs, I go low a lot at night during work and have figured out 30-60 carbs spaced out over night will keep me in range. I eat with the girls when they wake up usually 30 carbs, some time between 8-10. Then I might have half a sandwich or a whole depending on readings around 2, 20 carb max. Then I eat a good super that me be a little carb heavy around 7 20-40 carb average. test before work if below 80 I will eat 10-20 carbs no bolus on the before work snack. Then off to work. I check like a mad man at work at least 5 times a night. Liquid increases my sensitivity big time and I drink a lot of water to stay hydrated. Its not uncommon for me to test at start of the shift about a hour and a half after my snack and be 120-150 then a hour later be in the low 70s. Hit the 70’s eat another snack of around 15-25 carbs. Drink hustle lift push pull, Hmm its 20 degrees outside why is my back feeling warm and moist. Test 55-65 crap break out tabs or hit up the machine for a candy bar that has 2 separate halves (Twix, Reese’s cup). Munch one half then eat a Wasa. Check sugar. If I don’t go low eat around 15-20 carbs at 4:30 when I tend to get back in the 70s. I don’t bolus at night unless I am snacking or eating for a honest hunger or carb attack, the water and exercise seems to do the trick. I eat a lot less on non work days and skip the morning or afternoon and the before work snack about 50-60% of the time. Nuts, the packets that are 2 for a buck at the gas station work great for me most of the time to keep from going low at work. I have 2 different Lantus doses 25 units for off work days 22 for work days. I am thinking of dropping it to 20 on work days but hate being in the 95-115 range all day instead of the 73-86 range the higher dose does. Hope this helps I know its from a type on view and the carbs add up during the week but so far it has worked. Cutting down my liquids has helped 2 but it will not be a option in the summer, just another tightrope to walk.
I wish I could could give up my daytime life. Kids keep me from doing that. The other day wife spent the night with her sister and the kids stayed at grandma’s. I slept till like 6 pm, it was heaven.
It is tough to switch shifts like this. I worked second shift for about 4 years. I know not exactly the same but I also used to sign up for overtime when they couldn’t find anyone else to cover some of the third shift positions. It is hard to adjust too.
Anyhow, I wasn’t diabetic than but I have always been a night owl and late riser. Getting up at 6am for work is like torture to me! Right now since I am not working I get up at 10 am and will go to bed between midnight and 2. When I used to work as a hair dresser I had the perfect schedule of 11 am to 7 pm - well for me it was perfect since I am the world worst morning person.
I don’t know if you are naturally a morning person or a night owl if you are a morning person than it can be even more difficult to switch. When I was working second shift, I always found it hard to go straight to bed after I got home at 1am, I was always up for a couple hours at least and than I would go to sleep (that was when I didn’t go out clubbing with my friends after work! hehe) than I would sleep for as long as I needed (unless I had a class as I was a part time student) and be up for a couple hours before I had to start work at 3:30pm. It worked out pretty well for me because I am naturally a night owl.
I pretty much just treated my eating like I would if I were getting up for a “day” job. Even though it was like 11am or noon when I would get up, I still had “breakfast”. I have never been a big lunch person so back than lunch was kind of skipped and was more snacks (I don’t really eat much of one now either) and dinner was around whatever time I took “lunch” at work was like around 6 or 7 or 8. That was a big meal (I still do that).
If I were you that is what I would do. I would just treat it the schedule like you would it you were getting up for a “day” job. Of course, there will be an adjustment period. I found I got lots more sleep and was more rested when I worked the second shift job. I was always tired if I had to force myself to get up at 6am or earlier for work. There is something unnatural about getting up when it is still dark out. hehe.
My schedule isn’t exactly like yours but I eat every 2.5 hours. So, breakfast when I wake, small snack 2.5 hrs later, lunch 2 to 2.5 hrs later, snack 2.5 hrs later, dinner, snack 2.5 hours later. I make sure my snacks have the lowest carb content possible, like celery or something that can be filling but not tons of carbs. My highest carb meal is always dinner. I find that the more carbs I consume, the more sluggish I am after the meal, not what I want at work. It may seem like a lot of eating, but I think if you plan what you are going to have, it works much better. I like to eat pickles, celery, cheese slices, 1/2 an apple, etc for my snacks and something with a little more oomph for meals. My before bed snack is usually something crunchy because I feel like I’ve been missing out all day or something. Hope that helps.
I work a 12 hr. rotating shift (meaning 2-3 days of nights and a few days off then 2-3 days of day shift). I stuggled with my daily carb intake for a long time. I now count my carbs from 12pm to 12pm and just eat when I’m hungry. It took a while for me to know how many carbs I could have at a time without going over my daily limit, but I’m doing better than I’ve done since becoming diabetic. Better BG control, more energy, and weight under control.
I used to work 12 hr. grave shifts from 6pm to 6am. I ended up just completely switching my life around, because it was better for my ability to sleep enough. So, I would go to bed when i got home from work in the morning, sleep until 2-3, get up and eat and start my day from there. I’d eat a snack before work, and then eat pretty much a meal around midnight and then eat later if I was hungry. Sometimes I’d eat a little snack before I went back to sleep in the morning. It sounds like you’re on the right track with what you’ve started. My suggestions is to eat when you’re hungry if you can, and just test a lot to see what happens.
From what I remember, it probably took a good month to make the switch to working graves, but once I did, my hunger cues returned and my sleep schedule evened out. I found out that a huge key to good glucose control while working graves was getting enough sleep. I had to tell all of my friends and family to not try to contact me until after 3pm so I would be able to get a full 8 hours. I turned my cell phone off entirely when I was sleeping, and made my bedroom super dark and semi-sound proof with dark curtains and a fan to block out noise. I had to get pretty strict with some of my friends/family about not bugging me when I was sleeping, they just didn’t get that “sleeping in” until 10am wasn’t enough sleep. I finally had to tell one person “hey, when you call me at 10am, it’s like me waking you up at 3 in the morning.” Then they finally got it.
If you are working graves exclusively, I’d highly suggest just totally switching schedules to being awake at night and asleep during the day if you can. Even on days when you don’t have to work. It REALLY sucks for a social life, but I found it much more helpful for controlling blood sugars. I had my lowest A1C of my life while working graves, so it can be done!
