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Hi anybody have low blood sugar between 3-5am

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Hi @Denise62
Can you explain more about what you mean?
 
Thanks for the clarification.

What meds are you on and how are you finding your control generally?
 
I take novorapid at 5.30 between 8-9 units and Lantus Glargine at 5.30 20-21 units, have tried dropping my Lantus but sugars go up the next day, I’ve been type 1 for 42 year, had a lot of stress over the past 6 months so it has effected my control a bit. Normally have had good control but since getting the libre 6 month ago I react to much to the trend arrows and can do 15-20 readings a day, seems I’ve lost a bit of confidence.
 
Are you taking you low readings from a Libre sensor or are the lows waking you in the night which you test with a finger prick?
I ask because if you are relying entirely on a Libre, they may be "compression lows", especially as they are happening at night.
When we apply pressure to a CGM or Libre, it will read falsely low. This typically happens at night when we lie on ourt sensors whilst asleep.
 
Yeah from my libre. Maybe I should double check it with a finger test. but it’s always between 3-5am, doesn’t happen every night, but you feel as if your just waiting for your libre alarm to go off. So frustrating, but I guess that’s diabetes.
 
Yeah from my libre. Maybe I should double check it with a finger test. but it’s always between 3-5am, doesn’t happen every night, but you feel as if your just waiting for your libre alarm to go off. So frustrating, but I guess that’s diabetes.
My Blood glucose starts dropping the minute my head hits the pillow, reaches a low around 4am, then rises steadily until I wake up.
I used to hypo quite a lot on Lantus, because like you, if I lowered it, I was high during the day. I solved the problem by swapping to Levemir, which I take twice a day, and I take a much larger dose in the morning than at night. I also find a lump of cheese or something with Protein and fat in it just before bed helps.
In order to stay out of the red overnight, I then have a steep rise when I wake up, which I counter by getting my breakfast bolus in quickly, and adding a couple of correction units to it. I don’t eat breakfast for anything up to an hour, if I’m having something carby, I like to see that my Libre graph has started to turn the corner and start to fall again. Or I bung in a couple of units of Novorapid, and have a carb free option like scrambled eggs.
The other option is a pump, so you can have a variable basal rate when you need it, but I haven’t gone down that route, because I have basically fixed the problem with MDI.
 
The human body has a natural rhythm - the circadian rhythm. This means that the time the body experiences its lowest natural blood glucose is in the early hours of the morning. Then a couple of hours or so before it naturally wakes up from sleep, the BG starts to increase.

Nob all you can do about it - unless you stop being human!
 
My Blood glucose starts dropping the minute my head hits the pillow, reaches a low around 4am, then rises steadily until I wake up.
I used to hypo quite a lot on Lantus, because like you, if I lowered it, I was high during the day. I solved the problem by swapping to Levemir, which I take twice a day, and I take a much larger dose in the morning than at night. I also find a lump of cheese or something with Protein and fat in it just before bed helps.
In order to stay out of the red overnight, I then have a steep rise when I wake up, which I counter by getting my breakfast bolus in quickly, and adding a couple of correction units to it. I don’t eat breakfast for anything up to an hour, if I’m having something carby, I like to see that my Libre graph has started to turn the corner and start to fall again. Or I bung in a couple of units of Novorapid, and have a carb free option like scrambled eggs.
The other option is a pump, so you can have a variable basal rate when you need it, but I haven’t gone down that route, because I have basically fixed the problem with MDI.
Ok Thankyou
 
Sorry you are having a rough time Denise :(

Do you take your Lantus at bedtime @Denise62 ?

My experience with lantus was that it had a mini-peak approx 5 hrs after injecting, which also coincided with the body’s dip in cortisol hormone levels around 3am

It really helped me to take my Lantus at breakfast time - though i did have to fiddle with my breakfast dose timing to allow for Lantus’s onset.

Might be worth considering, or discussing with your DSN?
 
Sorry you are having a rough time Denise :(

Do you take your Lantus at bedtime @Denise62 ?

My experience with lantus was that it had a mini-peak approx 5 hrs after injecting, which also coincided with the body’s dip in cortisol hormone levels around 3am

It really helped me to take my Lantus at breakfast time - though i did have to fiddle with my breakfast dose timing to allow for Lantus’s onset.

Might be worth considering, or discussing with your DSN?
I take my Lantus at 5.30pm
 
Last edited:
Hiya @Denise62. When I was on Lantus, I really struggled with overnight lows - 3-6 hours after taking it (at 10pm). I switched to Tresiba. 🙂
 
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