Does diabetes feature in your dreams?

[TwilightMidna]

I'm fairly newly diagnosed and I had my first dream last night where I obviously had diabetes and it was the main feature of the dream. I was at some kind of event and felt a bit funny. I didn't have my blood glucose monitor with me but I had a Dexcom on my leg (in real life I use a Libre). I removed the transmitter and pushed it back in again, and this allowed the face of the transmitter to display what my blood sugar levels were. It said 32.5 ! I also then realised that I didn't have any insulin with me, and I also couldn't find my partner anywhere. I was wondering around thinking that I needed to get home and inject myself, and that I should probably check for ketones. Then I woke up!

I have a couple of other health conditions and I'd say I have one or two dreams per year that are specifically about that condition, but they don't seem to feature at all in my "regular" dreams. I'm curious to hear if anyone else has had a dream specifically about being diabetic, or if you're aware that you're diabetic in dreams about other things?

 

[nonethewiser]

Diabetes lives with us 24/7 so no surprise it can pop up in dreams.

Have very few if honest, when I do its recurring one where we are going on holiday & either realise on plane or at destination that I've forgotten my insulin, no idea why as I've travelled loads since diagnosis & forgot nothing in that time.

 

[Amity Island]

I'm fairly newly diagnosed and I had my first dream last night where I obviously had diabetes and it was the main feature of the dream. I was at some kind of event and felt a bit funny. I didn't have my blood glucose monitor with me but I had a Dexcom on my leg (in real life I use a Libre). I removed the transmitter and pushed it back in again, and this allowed the face of the transmitter to display what my blood sugar levels were. It said 32.5 ! I also then realised that I didn't have any insulin with me, and I also couldn't find my partner anywhere. I was wondering around thinking that I needed to get home and inject myself, and that I should probably check for ketones. Then I woke up!

I have a couple of other health conditions and I'd say I have one or two dreams per year that are specifically about that condition, but they don't seem to feature at all in my "regular" dreams. I'm curious to hear if anyone else has had a dream specifically about being diabetic, or if you're aware that you're diabetic in dreams about other things?

I can't remember having any diabetes related dreams. I did once wake up one morning and completely forgot I was diabetic. It was like I woke on a day before I even had diabetes.

 

[eggyg]

Funnily enough I had a diabetes related nightmare which woke me this morning. I was on a train going to a works conference of a company I last worked for 17 years ago! Whilst on the train I realised I’d left my diabetes gear at a hotel I’d stayed at. I was panicking about what I’d eat when I got there but I also realised I hadn’t shaved my legs and my legs were very hairy and I had a skirt on with walking socks which I pulled right up to my knees! I think that’s what made me wake up in a sweat rather than not having my insulin!

 

[nonethewiser]

Funnily enough I had a diabetes related nightmare which woke me this morning. I was on a train going to a works conference of a company I last worked for 17 years ago! Whilst on the train I realised I’d left my diabetes gear at a hotel I’d stayed at. I was panicking about what I’d eat when I got there but I also realised I hadn’t shaved my legs and my legs were very hairy and I had a skirt on with walking socks which I pulled right up to my knees! I think that’s what made me wake up in a sweat rather than not having my insulin!

You must have been some sight in that dream lol

 

[Robin]

I don’t think Diabetes has ever featured in my dreams. (it probably will, now!). If I have a stress dream, it’s that I’m about to sit my A levels and I haven’t done any revision. It's nearly 50 years since I sat my A levels, so maybe stress dreams featuring forgetting insulin will take a few more years to manifest themselves.

 

[TwilightMidna]

I don’t think Diabetes has ever featured in my dreams. (it probably will, now!). If I have a stress dream, it’s that I’m about to sit my A levels and I haven’t done any revision. It's nearly 50 years since I sat my A levels, so maybe stress dreams featuring forgetting insulin will take a few more years to manifest themselves.

I occasionally dream that I’m about to finish my university degree and suddenly realise that I never submitted any essays for one particular module. These types of dreams are so stressful!

 

[Inka]

I can’t remember ever dreaming about diabetes, but when I was first diagnosed I used to dream about puddings and desserts Things were less flexible then as I was on twice daily insulin and had to stick to regular meal times and carb amounts. The first week or two, I dreamt about puddings every night: treacle tart, that stodgy jam suet pudding you used to have for school dinners, bread and butter pudding - you get the idea

 

[Sharron1]

I'm fairly newly diagnosed and I had my first dream last night where I obviously had diabetes and it was the main feature of the dream. I was at some kind of event and felt a bit funny. I didn't have my blood glucose monitor with me but I had a Dexcom on my leg (in real life I use a Libre). I removed the transmitter and pushed it back in again, and this allowed the face of the transmitter to display what my blood sugar levels were. It said 32.5 ! I also then realised that I didn't have any insulin with me, and I also couldn't find my partner anywhere. I was wondering around thinking that I needed to get home and inject myself, and that I should probably check for ketones. Then I woke up!

I have a couple of other health conditions and I'd say I have one or two dreams per year that are specifically about that condition, but they don't seem to feature at all in my "regular" dreams. I'm curious to hear if anyone else has had a dream specifically about being diabetic, or if you're aware that you're diabetic in dreams about other things?

Thank goodness I haven’t had that dream or any dream where diabetes features. Yet

 

[TwilightMidna]

I can’t remember ever dreaming about diabetes, but when I was first diagnosed I used to dream about puddings and desserts Things were less flexible then as I was on twice daily insulin and had to stick to regular meal times and carb amounts. The first week or two, I dreamt about puddings every night: treacle tart, that stodgy jam suet pudding you used to have for school dinners, bread and butter pudding - you get the idea

Aww bless you. So glad you can eat more flexibly now! When I was wasting away to nothing this summer I remember I dreamt about eating a huge plate of cheesy chips

 

[eggyg]

You must have been some sight in that dream lol

Oh I was! It was a particularly horrible skirt all flowery and elasticated waist. I can’t remember the last I wore a skirt and I’ve never worn a flowery one! And I’ve never worn knee high socks since I was at school!

 

[eggyg]

I don’t think Diabetes has ever featured in my dreams. (it probably will, now!). If I have a stress dream, it’s that I’m about to sit my A levels and I haven’t done any revision. It's nearly 50 years since I sat my A levels, so maybe stress dreams featuring forgetting insulin will take a few more years to manifest themselves.

You could be right because I did forget my insulin on Wednesday when I met my friend for lunch so it was obviously on my mind. I’m not sure about the hairy legs and flowery skirt though!

 

[Flower]

I can’t ever remember dreaming about managing my diabetes but in my dreams I don’t have my diabetes complications- I’m not partially sighted with my leg in a cast on crutches. I’m more Challenge Anneka meets Lara Croft running around in sports gear & trainers jumping over things not hobbling around in a cast & tripping over stuff!

 

[TwilightMidna]

I can’t ever remember dreaming about managing my diabetes but in my dreams I don’t have my diabetes complications- I’m not partially sighted with my leg in a cast on crutches. I’m more Challenge Anneka meets Lara Croft running around in sports gear & trainers jumping over things not hobbling around in a cast & tripping over stuff!

That’s very interesting. I can relate to an extent - I have arthritis and in my dreams I don’t have it (or it doesn’t affect my mobility anyway), apart from in those dreams that are centred around it. It’s weird running around in my dreams when I think the last time I actually ran was 2008! About to check out your blog 🙂

 

[Robin]

I had further thoughts on this. When I need a wee in the middle of the night, frequently I wake up having been in the middle of a dream where I'm looking for a loo, and every time I think I’ve found one, there’s something wrong with it..wrong height, no door on the cubicle, etc etc, then I wake up and think Ah, I need to go to the bathroom, that’s what that was all about!
But when I wake up feeling a bit hypo, I have never been in the middle of a dream about looking for jelly babies, or such like. I always just wake up, think, why am I awake?… Ah, check blood glucose!

 

[Inka]

Low blood sugar gives me whacky, confused dreams, so before I got my Libre then Dexcom, if I woke up from a dream thinking “That was mad!” I always checked my blood sugar. Weirdly, most of my mad hypo dreams involved running around, which is the last thing anyone with low blood sugar should do

 

[harbottle]

Low blood sugar gives me whacky, confused dreams, so before I got my Libre then Dexcom, if I woke up from a dream thinking “That was mad!” I always checked my blood sugar. Weirdly, most of my mad hypo dreams involved running around, which is the last thing anyone with low blood sugar should do

Interesting.
I've always had (And thoroughly enjoyed) crazy dreams, but before I was diagnosed I'd stop dreaming.
When I got levels back to normal the dreams came back with a vengeance. In fact, they're positively insane these days and quite vivid, although I still dream about my late parents a lot which isn't fun (Both died relatively young, and my Dad had T2 diabetes as well - which he was struggling to control.)

I haven't had any hint of diabetes in any dream, although these days I don't think about it much.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I can’t remember and specific examples where it was the full focus, but it has certainly popped up from time to time. Just some of that ’post processing’ of events I guess?

I’ve woken some days recently realising i’ve just been dreaming about the most mundane things imaginable, like sorting the recycling or whatever - and not even in an interesting or dreamlike way!

 

[TwilightMidna]

I can’t remember and specific examples where it was the full focus, but it has certainly popped up from time to time. Just some of that ’post processing’ of events I guess?

I’ve woken some days recently realising i’ve just been dreaming about the most mundane things imaginable, like sorting the recycling or whatever - and not even in an interesting or dreamlike way!

Yes I guess my brain’s started processing everything that’s been going on over the past few months! I have those very mundane dreams too - sometimes they’re so “normal” that I think they actually happened, and only realise party way through the day that I didn’t Hoover or make toast that day

 

[Sharron1]

I can’t remember and specific examples where it was the full focus, but it has certainly popped up from time to time. Just some of that ’post processing’ of events I guess?

I’ve woken some days recently realising i’ve just been dreaming about the most mundane things imaginable, like sorting the recycling or whatever - and not even in an interesting or dreamlike way!

Sorting recycling???? Ha ha