Does BG level affect quality/quantity of sleep?

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Windy

Windy

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Pre diagnosis, my sleep was terrible. I'd regularly wake up at 3am, have hot sweats (which I thought was the menopause) and not fall back to sleep for 3 hours, then I was frazzled all day. Plus I snored terribly (probably still do) and that meant the sleep I did get wasn't good either.
Since diagnosis, I've lost weight and got my blood glucose levels steady and lower, and I'm sleeping like a baby.
Has anyone else found this? Are sleep and BG linked? My HbA1c was 80, so I'm guessing my BG was into double figures pre-diagnosis, it's 5ish, fasting, now.
 
Yes, BG levels affect quality of sleep and both quality and quantity of sleep affect BG levels, or at least that is my experience as a Type 1 whose BG levels can vary quite dramatically from one day/night to the next.... and of course I monitor my BG levels day and night with Libre so I can see what is going on and relate it to how I feel.

I now wake up when I get above 10, feeling too hot, restless and uncomfortable..... twice last night I woke up on 10 and 11 and injected insulin each time to bring me down. I have been really sluggish this morning to wake up.

My soundest and most restful sleep is often when my levels are steady and low and even if they dip slightly into the red, ie just below 4. I am now sort of mentally programmed to wake up when that happens but it is the deepest most lovely sleep and I eat a jelly baby and return to it immediately.

If I go to bed early my overnight levels are usually much better than if I am night owling.

It is difficult to separate cause and effect but yes there is definitely a link.
For me losing weight stopped the snoring. I was also suffering with menopause and and HRT patches fixed that so I no longer wake up sweating and needing the loo.
 
If I wake in the night, the first thing I do is check my blood sugar levels.
Both highs and lows can affect my sleep.

Likewise, a bad night's sleep can affect my levels the next day.

And well done on reducing your numbers. Glad to see you are already experiencing the rewards for your efforts
 
Yes, I find lows mean I struggle to settle to sleep, and highs can make me hot and restless. Both affect my sleep. I don’t snore but high sugars would cause dehydration and maybe that contributes.

A nice, steady in-range blood sugar is best, I think, for a good night’s sleep.
 
I think for those of us on insulin a good steady in range reading is preferable for safety but I think that the body naturally drops many people to quite low levels during the night (sub 4 sometimes), particularly that deepest darkest part of the night and my gut feeling is that there is some resting/healing/regenerative process involved in the body being reduced to that minimal level for at least part of the night.
We have well controlled Type 2 members of the forum who regularly wake up in the low 4s, so I think it is reasonable to assume they are dropping into the red through the night.
 
helli said:
If I wake in the night, the first thing I do is check my blood sugar levels.
Both highs and lows can affect my sleep.

Likewise, a bad night's sleep can affect my levels the next day.

And well done on reducing your numbers. Glad to see you are already experiencing the rewards for your efforts
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Thanks Helli, I'm doing so much better than I'd hoped when I was diagnosed. My diet was seriously bad before that, and after 11 weeks of 800 calories a day, I'm hoping I can do a lot better and not go back to my bad eating ways. Just need to get my weight down a bit more so I don't snore and rattle the windows!
 
Sounds like me.
Sleep apnea.
I was actually stuck onto a machine that measured my heartbeat and breathing.
The conclusion was that I was overweight, and the weight of fat was pressing down onto my windpipe, diaphragm, etc, and causing the issue.
The snoring was also related to that.
Losing the fat made a lot of difference.

I'm not entirely sure about BG, I think a high number will wake me up, but never tested when I woke, as I have relaxation techniques from Tai Chi and can clear my mind, and drift off back.
I don't like being in the 4's when I wake, I wake up with the usual glucose dump, which I can normally feel, and I use that to get out of bed.
The only time I'm in the 4's is after heavy work, or hard exercise, I can mostly feel it, but not always.
 
@travellor how do you feel the glucose dump? i get very hot or sweat just as i wake and wondered if this was the glucose dump., as i don't have this any other time of day.
 
Loobyloo said:
@travellor how do you feel the glucose dump? i get very hot or sweat just as i wake and wondered if this was the glucose dump., as i don't have this any other time of day.
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We all feel them differently.
Mine feel quite pleasant, sort of waking up, more a warm feeling, and realising I don't feel like going back to sleep.
It really is like a burst of energy.
 
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