What is the possibly remedy for the tiredness/fatigue even if blood glucose level is fine?

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s14ali

s14ali

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
I have type 1 diabetes and can keep my blood glucose levels between 6 and 8 mmol/L throughout the day. However, I am unsure why I feel tired if it wasn't high or low. I cannot focus on things and feel fairly sleepy for an hour or two hours then back to normal. It might be a lack of carbohydrate intake (low carbs) or something else such as blood circulation.

Does anyone have the similar symptoms or problems?
Can anyone advise me on how to deal with tiredness/fatigue when it happens?
 
Hi and welcome.

How long have you been diagnosed? If recently, could it be that your body is still recovering? I seem to remember I really struggled with fatigue 10 months after diagnosis, to the point that y arms would be weary just from holding my phone to my ear or washing my hair and my legs would sometimes feel like lead. I follow a low carb diet and I don't have problems now.... nearly 4 years down the line from diagnosis, but I do remember that phase really well. It may also have been a vitamin B12 deficiency as I was taking Metformin for the first 6 months at full dose, so might be worth a blood test for anaemia or vitamin deficiency.... obviously you would need to discuss it with your GP.

Another thing to consider is could it be a thyroid problem as that can go hand in hand with diabetes, so getting that checked out would be another line of investigation....

Most important thing is to talk to your GP and get checked out.
 
Welcome @s14ali 🙂 That’s a very tight range your blood sugars are in. Do you have a Libre? Is it possible your blood sugar is dipping low or going high briefly and you’re missing it? What insulins do you take? Even in people without diabetes, blood glucose moves up and down more than a couple of mmols, sometimes dipping into the 3s and, on occasion, going as high as 9 or 10 after a large meal.

As @rebrascora says, if you’re recently diagnosed it does take a while to get back to normal after the struggle of undiagnosed Type 1. It can be hard on the body.

Have you had a recent coeliac screen? Have you had your bloods checked for anaemia? Are you eating a balanced diet? How few carbs are you eating? Carbs are the body’s preferred energy source. Sometimes deficiencies of things like B vitamins and zinc can cause tiredness as well as the more obvious iron deficiency.
 
s14ali said:
I have type 1 diabetes and can keep my blood glucose levels between 6 and 8 mmol/L throughout the day. However, I am unsure why I feel tired if it wasn't high or low. I cannot focus on things and feel fairly sleepy for an hour or two hours then back to normal. It might be a lack of carbohydrate intake (low carbs) or something else such as blood circulation.

Does anyone have the similar symptoms or problems?
Can anyone advise me on how to deal with tiredness/fatigue when it happens?
Click to expand...
Check thyroid and coeliac disease if not already checked.
 
I just had my thyroid checked again due to extreme tiredness, and iron. They were fine which disappointed me a bit to be honest. Was hoping for an answer. Maybe I just need some hormone replacement or an antidepressant…. Or just more sleep. Feel like I’m walking through treacle
 
Vitamin deficiency, particularly B12 or anaemia are common causes of tiredness. You could try a multivitamin but worth asking for blood tests to check.
 
Diabetics get other problems too. It could be stress, or a deficiency. Take a multivitamin with decent amount of iron in and make sure you’re getting enough sleep, then if it continues speak to your GP
 
As well as the above, Vitamin D should be on the list. This time of year there isn't a lot of the natural stuff around.

For other options, there are the usual potential culprits, such as stress or overwork.

I do hope you have an answer soon.
 
rebrascora said:
Hi and welcome.

How long have you been diagnosed? If recently, could it be that your body is still recovering? I seem to remember I really struggled with fatigue 10 months after diagnosis, to the point that y arms would be weary just from holding my phone to my ear or washing my hair and my legs would sometimes feel like lead. I follow a low carb diet and I don't have problems now.... nearly 4 years down the line from diagnosis, but I do remember that phase really well. It may also have been a vitamin B12 deficiency as I was taking Metformin for the first 6 months at full dose, so might be worth a blood test for anaemia or vitamin deficiency.... obviously you would need to discuss it with your GP.

Another thing to consider is could it be a thyroid problem as that can go hand in hand with diabetes, so getting that checked out would be another line of investigation....

Most important thing is to talk to your GP and get checked out.
Click to expand...
It's been almost 10 years that I've been diagnosed. First, I had type 2 in 2013 then unexpectedly type 1 in 2017. I had metformin tablets (type 2) and it was bad for me as it made me tired. I use insulin injection (humalog - fast acting)

You are probably right about vitamin B12 deficiency. I don't eat protein foods much because it can affect on blood glucose if a large amount of foods even I correct the insulin dosage.

I try ask my GP about thyroid test.

Your HBA1C result (mg/dl) looks good but it seems still low. However, hope you are doing well.

Thanks for welcome me and your response.
 
Inka said:
Welcome @s14ali 🙂 That’s a very tight range your blood sugars are in. Do you have a Libre? Is it possible your blood sugar is dipping low or going high briefly and you’re missing it? What insulins do you take? Even in people without diabetes, blood glucose moves up and down more than a couple of mmols, sometimes dipping into the 3s and, on occasion, going as high as 9 or 10 after a large meal.

As @rebrascora says, if you’re recently diagnosed it does take a while to get back to normal after the struggle of undiagnosed Type 1. It can be hard on the body.

Have you had a recent coeliac screen? Have you had your bloods checked for anaemia? Are you eating a balanced diet? How few carbs are you eating? Carbs are the body’s preferred energy source. Sometimes deficiencies of things like B vitamins and zinc can cause tiredness as well as the more obvious iron deficiency.
Click to expand...
I don't have Freestyle Libre yet but will get one soon. I use Humalog insulin (fast-acting during meal). Certainly, my blood sugar range is tight. Sometimes, it goes up and down.

I don't think I have coeliac because I don't eat any medium carb foods such as bread, grain, etc. I stick with a variety of low carb vegetables.

I am thinking the same about the vitamin B, iron and zinc. I eat very small amount of protein foods and other foods. I will try sort this out to see if it works.

Thanks for your response.
 
Pumper_Sue said:
Check thyroid and coeliac disease if not already checked.
Click to expand...
Pumper Sue
I try ask my GP about thyroid test. I don't think I have coeliac because I don't eat any medium carb foods such as bread, grain, etc. I always stick with a variety of low carb vegetables.

Thanks for your response.
 
EmmaL76 said:
I just had my thyroid checked again due to extreme tiredness, and iron. They were fine which disappointed me a bit to be honest. Was hoping for an answer. Maybe I just need some hormone replacement or an antidepressant…. Or just more sleep. Feel like I’m walking through treacle
Click to expand...
Thanks for share your thyroid test result. I haven't ask my GP yet but if my thyroid was fine, I wonder why I feel very tired. I think I have insufficient iron and other mineral/vitamins.

Thanks for your response.
 
Leadinglights said:
Vitamin deficiency, particularly B12 or anaemia are common causes of tiredness. You could try a multivitamin but worth asking for blood tests to check.
Click to expand...
I've been thinking about the multi-vitamin tablets. I am quite concerned about anaemia because I saw my blood test result and it is quite low. I will ask GP.

Thanks for your response.
 
Lucyr said:
Diabetics get other problems too. It could be stress, or a deficiency. Take a multivitamin with decent amount of iron in and make sure you’re getting enough sleep, then if it continues speak to your GP
Click to expand...
It is true that I have a lot of stress, I need more rest and sleep.

Definitely, more iron and try multi-vitamin tablets could help.

Thank you for your response.
 
AndBreathe said:
As well as the above, Vitamin D should be on the list. This time of year there isn't a lot of the natural stuff around.

For other options, there are the usual potential culprits, such as stress or overwork.

I do hope you have an answer soon.
Click to expand...
Certainly, vitamin D is essential. I already know it but wasn't thinking about the other vitamins, especially thyroid.

Yeah, I have a lot of stress because I've been thinking about the work.

Thank you for your response.
 
s14ali said:
Pumper Sue
I try ask my GP about thyroid test. I don't think I have coeliac because I don't eat any medium carb foods such as bread, grain, etc. I always stick with a variety of low carb vegetables.

Thanks for your response.
Click to expand...
You would be very surprised what foods have gluten in so it's worth a check 🙂
 
What sorts of food do you eat? It may be that you’re not actually getting enough energy from your food. But yes everyone else has covered the things I would suggest asking your doctor to test for.
 
Although you are on insulin that should allow a more normal diet it sounds as if you are not eating a varied diet to be getting enough iron and other nutrients. If you are not eating carbs then you really need to be having protein and healthy fats.
 
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