Maths help please for how many grams of carbs to reach my bedtime level

[mum2westiesGill]

A few members know that maths isn't my best subject - a few members taught me some simple ways of how to work out insulin to carb ratios, insulin correction factors and the middle of your target range.

Something I would like to learn now is if my bedtime bg was for example 4mmol and I need to get it to 7 - 8mmols which apparently is a safe bg for me to go to bed on how many grams of carbs do I need to eat?

 

[JJay]

10g carb would "normally" raise BG by 3 mmol/L, so in that case - 10g! However you may be different so the only way to tell is - test!

 

[mum2westiesGill]

10g carb would "normally" raise BG by 3 mmol/L, so in that case - 10g! However you may be different so the only way to tell is - test!

@JJay thanks and that would be 2x rich tea biscuits?

Last night my bg was already 8mmol but I had 1x blue riband biscuit 11g of carbs and 1x rich tea biscuit 6g of carbs and no bgl this morning was 11.0mmol

19th November
Bedtime bgl was 6.9 - had 3x rich tea biscuits - 18g of carbs
Waking bgl was 4.4

 

[JJay]

@JJay thanks and that would be 2x rich tea biscuits?

Last night my bg was already 8mmol but I had 1x blue riband biscuit 11g of carbs and 1x rich tea biscuit 6g of carbs and no bgl this morning was 11.0mmol

19th November
Bedtime bgl was 6.9 - had 3x rich tea biscuits - 18g of carbs
Waking bgl was 4.4

That's right Gill - generally speaking. But as with most things diabetes - nothing is set in stone. There can be all sorts of reasons why sometimes you get unexpected results - eg what you had for tea and when, whether you've had alcohol and how much. Whether your basal dose is right (I know you've been testing this)

 

[Lucyr]

@JJay thanks and that would be 2x rich tea biscuits?

Last night my bg was already 8mmol but I had 1x blue riband biscuit 11g of carbs and 1x rich tea biscuit 6g of carbs and no bgl this morning was 11.0mmol

19th November
Bedtime bgl was 6.9 - had 3x rich tea biscuits - 18g of carbs
Waking bgl was 4.4

How much IOB you still had working would also affect these results, as well as alcohol, exercise, etc

 

[mum2westiesGill]

How much IOB you still had working would also affect these results, as well as alcohol, exercise, etc

How would I know how much insulin I've still got on board?

 

[Lucyr]

Can estimate total iob from the last bolus dose/time you took it, or your app will give correction iob

 

[mum2westiesGill]

Can estimate total iob from the last bolus dose/time you took it,

Can you give me an example of how you would do this please or?

or your app will give correction iob

To be able to see the correction iob you would need to put a blood sugar reading in and a carb amount

 

[Lucyr]

Can you give me an example of how you would do this please or?


To be able to see the correction iob you would need to put a blood sugar reading in and a carb amount

Example of how it works: if I took 4u of insulin 3 hours ago, and my insulin duration is 4hrs then I have at most 1u working. So if my bg is say 5.0 now it will likely drop by 2mmol (my correction factor) so I know I need a snack.

Your other comment about having to put a bg and carb value in, we are talking about your snacks here so surely you are putting the carb value in anyway. You gave both the bg and the carb value of your snacks in your post so you had all the information and the tools necessary.

 

[Robin]

Example of how it works: if I took 4u of insulin 3 hours ago, and my insulin duration is 4hrs then I have at most 1u working. So if my bg is say 5.0 now it will likely drop by 2mmol (my correction factor) so I know I need a snack.

I’d also have to factor in what I ate three hours ago. If the 4units of insulin was just a correction dose, and I hadn’t eaten, then being 5.2 at the three hour mark would need treating, to avoid a hypo. But if I was still digesting a slowly releasing meal, I might have enough carb left on board to go into my system to mop up that last hour of insulin.