# Blood sugar before bed



## Flower87 (Nov 9, 2009)

Hello all,

This is a problem that I always struggle with. I know it's different from person to person, and changes depending what you've been doing in the day, but.... what is the general feeling about a good blood sugar to go to bed on??

Mine do seem to dip slightly in the night time, so I often feel nervous about going to bed lower than 7. What do other people do?


I think my nurse told me 5 is too low to go to bed on, but perhaps that's just me??


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## Northerner (Nov 9, 2009)

Hi Flower, for a while after I was diagnosed last year I wouldn't go to bed below 9 or 10 - I'd have a snack if I was below 8. However, since managing to sort my lantus out I find I can now go to bed at 5.x and wake around the same level. I still don't risk it if I am below 5, I have a snack. I used to be on 20 units of lantus, now I'm on 6!


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## allisonb (Nov 9, 2009)

I normally aim for between 4 and 7 although would only be happy to go to bed with a BS at 4 if I was confident that there was no quick acting insulin in my body (ie: I'd eaten quite early).

Allison


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## Steff (Nov 9, 2009)

I like now anyways that my levels are under control to go to bed between 4 and 7


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## Smit (Nov 9, 2009)

Anything under 6 and i have a little biscuit. My Lantus floors me every night can go to bed sky high and wake up with blood at 2 or 3. I've tried everything but even the hospital has admitted that the lantus makes me drop very quickly. If i lower it i go sky high. You will know yourself after a while what you feel comfortable with. x x


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## Northerner (Nov 9, 2009)

Smit said:


> Anything under 6 and i have a little biscuit. My Lantus floors me every night can go to bed sky high and wake up with blood at 2 or 3. I've tried everything but even the hospital has admitted that the lantus makes me drop very quickly. If i lower it i go sky high. You will know yourself after a while what you feel comfortable with. x x



Have you tried splitting the dose, or taking it in the morning? I'd always prefer to be hypoing during the daytime rather than at night. Lantus used to peak for me too, but I think that because I have lowered the dose so drastically that the peak is far less intense.


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## sofaraway (Nov 9, 2009)

I usually go to bed with a level of 9-12, but thats not by choice, I just end up there. I could go to bed at 7 and wake up in range. I usually have a snack because I want one, not because I need to. 
If you are on a flat basal and the dose is right then you should be able to got to bed without a snack and not hypo. if you are on a peaky basal or a mix then you will likely need a snack


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## Hev (Nov 9, 2009)

HI Flower,

I find that I have to have a snack before bed or I will end up waking up in the night in a cold sweat having a hypo. I dont think it is because my lantus dose is too high because my levels seem to be ok most of the time the rest of the day... I have always done it and just assumed that was what all diabetics had to do and never really questioned it before!
Hmm interesting...

H x


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## aymes (Nov 9, 2009)

I'm comfortable going to bed at 5.5 or above, anything below that and I'd have a small snack. I'm fairly confident that I have my lantus level pretty much right though so I never tend to drop by much overnight.....(hmmm, what's the betting I've talked up a night hypo there....?)


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## aymes (Nov 9, 2009)

Hev said:


> HI Flower,
> 
> I find that I have to have a snack before bed or I will end up waking up in the night in a cold sweat having a hypo. I dont think it is because my lantus dose is too high because my levels seem to be ok most of the time the rest of the day... I have always done it and just assumed that was what all diabetics had to do and never really questioned it before!
> Hmm interesting...
> ...



The theory is that you shouldn't to snack, although for many that's not the case. If it were me I might consider adjusting the timing of the dose, even though lantus should be peakless some people do notice a peak a few hours after injecting so changing the time could possibly have an impact...? Although if you're happy with the way it works now with snacks before bed then there's probably little need to change.


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## OlaIsm (Nov 9, 2009)

Was advised that mine should be between 7 - 10 before going to bed, probably because I am new to this. Felt dizzy when my BS was down to 4.6


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## squidge63 (Nov 9, 2009)

I tend to go to bed happy if I am between 9 - 11, my dr and the dsn are happy if my night time is 10.. I have been to bed on 5.7 which worried me at first but nothing untoward happened during the night so if it is that level then I am not bothered, but usually it is about 10..


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## sofaraway (Nov 10, 2009)

OlaIsm said:


> Was advised that mine should be between 7 - 10 before going to bed, probably because I am new to this. Felt dizzy when my BS was down to 4.6



If you are newly diagnosed then I think your team will be being cautious to begin with, until things are more settled and you are confident of your doses. You will have felt hypo symptoms though not technically hypo because before you were diagnosed you would have been running high and your body will have got used to that level, when it starts to come back down to normal ranges you body feels like the blood sugar has dropped low. I don't feel hypo in the 4's but i feel uncomfortable there and don't hang around there.


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## Flower87 (Nov 10, 2009)

hmm might discuss with nurse when i have appointment. Perhaps i should swap to morning... although that's one more thing to remember in the mornings...!!!

I do this stupid thing sometimes where I can't sleep and start feeling low even when I'm not... it's really annoying! But i think it's more psychological than diabetes caused!


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## Northerner (Nov 10, 2009)

Flower87 said:


> hmm might discuss with nurse when i have appointment. Perhaps i should swap to morning... although that's one more thing to remember in the mornings...!!!
> 
> I do this stupid thing sometimes where I can't sleep and start feeling low even when I'm not... it's really annoying! But i think it's more psychological than diabetes caused!



I sometimes get that as sometimes I don't trust what adjustments I've made to my insulin to cope with exercise and I can't tell whether I'm dropping off or dropping into a hypo!

I'm 5.1 before bed tonight and wondering if I need a biscuit or something.


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## Flower87 (Nov 10, 2009)

I would, but that's me! Sleep well!


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