Diabetes doesn't care if it's 2 hours after you went to bed. Diabetes doesn't care if you just fell into a deep sleep. Diabetes doesn't care if you've counted all your carbs, bolused correctly, had a bedtime snack, did your exercise, and otherwise followed through with all of your normal "diabetic" routines. Diabetes doesn't care if you're sick, or tired, or if you have a big day the next morning. Diabetes doesn't care if you have carefully calculated your basal rates. When Diabetes wants to strike you with a "low" or a "high" then Diabetes is going to strike. Diabetes is 24/7 - 365. It doesn't break for holidays, sick days, birthdays, or Sundays. It doesn't EVER go away!
Monday night I went to bed at a decent hour. Back to a regular routine in the morning. My blood sugar at 10pm was 130. Just about what it had been all day long. Nice and steady.
I worked out at about 10am that morning, so it had been a good 12 hours since then. I ate my regular 6:00 dinner.
I had NO REASON to believe that my blood sugar would plummet. However, just about an hour into my deep sleep, I woke with the distinct feeling that I was low. When I was first diagnosed with Diabetes, I thought for sure that I'd never wake up with a low blood sugar. Little did I know, I just wasn't experiencing them. Once I did though, I knew they'd always wake me up. I don't know how my body does that. But I'm really glad it does. Sleeping through a low could be very dangerous. I wake up and think, "aw crap, I'm low". I reach over to the bedside table and flip on my light, test my sugar: 53. So I stumble down the stairs to the kitchen on my terribly aching feet and get the rest of the juice out of the fridge. There's only a half cup left and I water it down for the kids so I know it isn't going to be enough. I grab a slice of bread, pour some honey on it and climb back up the stairs to bed.
Then this post starts running through my head until I can finally fall back to sleep. My sugar at 7:30am the next morning: 130. Just what I thought it would be... without the escapades in the middle of the night.
I'm right there with you...36.5 years of this battle! I stopped waking up for lows about 20 years in, I would.drop into yhe 20s glucose-wise and have seizures. When my son was old enough and moved out on his own, I started on the pump. Much better, less frequent lows, and highs, but the war ceases. Hang in there!!!
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't care, and that's one of the most frustrating things. Hope the nights stay level and bring steady BGs! Thanks for writing this and sharing your thoughts!
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