Hi all,
My son is 13 you T1, his bsl are pretty good managed but when he goes to basketball ( 8pm) we feed him prior light dinner (6:30pm) he does not want to eat a lot ( eating an egg muffin with ham and cheese), his sugar is pretty good during game, he drinks water or Gatorade in case he goes low. Before bed I check his bSL/ although he has a G4, we calibrate before bed , usually he starts going low at 11 pm and remains low for 3 hours!! Give him juice twice and also a snack ( Ritz crackers with cheese).
I am looking for recommendations on type of food to give my son before bed. Low glycemic foods? or a balanced carb/protein meal… but what?.. I usually slow down his basal and set up a temporary basal for 2 to 4 hours but still it is very challenging to know what type of basal he needs. I go from 1. 25 to 0.40
Thank you!
Juliana
You son may be experiencing Post Exercise Late-Onset Hypoglycemia (PEL) which is more common in kids and can occur 2-48 hours after exercise. I personally found that eating after exercise actually helped suppress PEL. You may also find that eating protein rather than high glycemic foods is a better way of buffering against lows. We all actually digest during our sleep (actually more efficiently than when we are awake), so it isn’t really an issue of going to bed right after a meal.
My parents always gave me peanut butter and/or milk before bed. This works still, if I’m fearing a low will set in overnight due to IOB. This could be something to try… Also, a spoonful or pb dipped in chocolate milk is absolutely delicious!
I have to start a lower temp basal at least 30 minutes prior to starting exercise, then once I’m done I still have to keep a temp basal going for 2-4 hours that is not quite as low Unfortunately everyone is different, especially when puberty hormones are going nuts, so you’ll have to experiment some more. But try some variations on that pattern to see if it helps. Ditto on the protein foods pre- and post-exercise. Peanut butter, cheese, nuts, can all have a stabilizing effect on BG during the night.
edit I missed you are on a pump. I would ask about reducing the basal rate more on basketball night
I would also ask about having a high protein fat meal after sport
it takes longer to fully digest
https://healthonline.washington.edu/document/health_online/pdf/CarbCountingClassALL3_05.pdf
Peanuts and / or cheese works really well for me at bedtime… With no bolus…
When I exercise in the evening, I start a temporary basal rate immediately when I’m done and run it for 8-10 hours (so usually it goes back to normal sometime during the hours before I wake up). I find reducing it by 10-30% works for me, but it takes experimentation. If I’m still running low, then I extend the temporary basal rate through the next morning. When I’ve had a snack before bed, I find a cup of almond chocolate milk works really well.
Thank you all for your feedback. I will continue experimenting, will try protein before and after meal. I think eating after would work and of course setting up a temp basal through the night.
My son doesn’t like peanut butter… or peanuts… so I can try with cashew and cheese.
Thanks again!
Juliana