Sleep problems

[gfriend]

Hi,

My husband was diagnosed with diabeties type 1 and high colesterol in July this year. The colesterol part was a surprise as he is actually the right weight for his height but the diabeties was expected as he had a lot of symptons.

I have been really worried about him lately as since starting insulin ( 2 injections a day - may be increasing to 4 next month poss) he has been having a lot of sleep problems. He can get to sleep but then wakes up 2-4 hours later and can't get back to sleep.

As you can imagine it's been making him feel quite down and frustrated like the insulin is making him worse not better. One positive is that his colesterol is much better now at least.

Has anybody else experienced sleep problems with diabeties like this? Could it just be cos his blood sugar is not on a level plain yet (it's a bit up and down - hence poss move to 4 injections a day) and it's disrupting his sleep?

His diabetic nurse and doctor drew a blank on this one as it doesn't seem like he's having hypos in the night.

Thanks,
gfriend

 

[Northerner]

Hi gfriend, welcome to the forum!🙂

Certainly, fluctuating sugars can disrupt sleep, whether falling too low or climbing too high. As he is recently diagnosed, it is likely that his sugars were quite high for a while beforehand (hence the symptoms you observed). Now he is on insulin his levels will be much reduced for a lot of the time, and often fall to their lowest during the night - however, he may not be having a hypo, but possibly a 'false hypo' which is disturbing his sleep. This is when the body is adapting to the lower levels which it misinterprets as a hypo.

Also, I had problems for several months after diagnosis (not always sleep problems), and it was only after a while and things settled down that I realised what confusion my whole hormonal system had been thrown into - not just insulin, but other hormones like adrenaline, cortisol etc. All this could also be contributing. This should pass as his sugars become more under control, and he may actually start feeling healthier and sleeping better due to the adaptations regarding diet and activity that we become more aware of as diabetics.

Hope this helps a little, don't lose faith and try to be patient - things will improve! They already have improved with the cholesterol, so he is moving in the right direction!🙂

 

[Steff]

hi gfreind and firstly welcome to the froum , I myself struggled to sleep about 4 months after diagnosis i would sweat really bad and it would be so uncomfy i would sleep downstairs with door open on the couch , the high sugars did neo help me neither it took a good while before that was sorted and now i go 8 hours(barring the odd blip), as Northener said the chlosteral things is good so he is moving in the right direction x

 

[sasha1]

Hi Gfriend

I would just like to second what Northerner has ... In the first several months after diagnosis Nathan had very similar problems with sleeping .. Once blood sugars had settled and his body became adjusted to his insulin regime, issues surrounding sleep disappeared.

Heidi
xx🙂

 

[Patricia]

Second what everyone has said here really -- my son's sleep is always disturbed when sugars fluctuating, and before diagnosis he was sleeping very strangely...

But also wanted to add that I hope your OH will find his way to 4 injections if everyone thinks it appropriate. My understanding is that good control is much more feasible on these multiple daily injections. Two injections of a mixed insulin is incredibly hard work and often not very rewarding, I hear.

All best wishes in any case and welcome.

 

[Copepod]

A few other possible causes for sleep problems: (1) high blood glucose / sugar levels means more urine is produced, including through the night - although if this is the cause, it will reduce as his blood glucose levels improve; (2) depression / low mood - can cause early morning waking; (3) something else eg noises outside - milk float / fighting cats etc?!?
Not easy to put into practice, but not worrying about not sleeping is the standard advice. A GP might be able to help, perhaps more than a diabetes specialist doctor.