BG levels and sleep

[Joe Corcoran]

Do high blood sugar levels affect sleep in any way? Eg the quality, the kind, the duration. If so this also adds another dimension to what to eat and when before going to bed. I'm newly diagnised and am intrigued by whether unusual sleep patterns can be due to very low or very high BG levels (or even moderately low or moderately high) during the night.

 

[rebrascora]

Very high BG levels make you so thirsty you spend the day and night drinking and consequently weeing. I was going to the loo 5-6 times almost every night at diagnosis so that certainly scuppered any decent sleep. If I take too much insulin and go hypo as I have the last 2 nights that also wakes you up and you need to eat or drink something with glucose in it to bring you back up before you go back to sleep. If you are not injecting insulin then you are very unlikely to go too low.

 

[Toucan]

Hello Joe,
Welcome to the forum.
I haven't come across any information regarding the effect on sleep, but maybe someone else has knowledge of this.
However personally I try to not eat much after around 7.30pm, and make breakfast as late as possible in the morning, which gives my system as many hours as I can of fasting and recovery period.
When I do eat later, I certainly don't sleep as well.

 

[Amity Island]

Do high blood sugar levels affect sleep in any way? Eg the quality, the kind, the duration. If so this also adds another dimension to what to eat and when before going to bed. I'm newly diagnised and am intrigued by whether unusual sleep patterns can be due to very low or very high BG levels (or even moderately low or moderately high) during the night.

Great question!
It's a question I have wondered about for many years but never asked anyone.
The key to your question is if blood sugars are just moderately high?
As Rebrascora said, there's a good chance that very highs and hypos will definitely effect your sleep.
I wonder if there has ever been any studies into blood sugars and sleep quality.

 

[PhoebeC]

If I’m very high I sleep like a log, have very vivid dreams and wake up feeling like I’ve had no sleep at all!

 

[Ditto]

Hello Joe and welcome to the forum. 🙂 I think eating late at night can make a huge difference to how you sleep. I try to eat at 6 and then nothing after otherwise I'm wired.