Night time snack question...

[grace girl]

This has to do with my other thread, but I thought I would post it seperate to keep things less complicated.

If you eat a snack at night, should it be one that you don't bolus for?

If it is a snack that you should bolus for, and you do, does bolusing for the snack negate any effects the snack would have on keeping your blood sugar even? Does it cancel it out since you cover it with insulin??

I've had every diabetes dr and cde I've gone to tell me that either a) ALL diabetics should have a snack at night or b) diabetics should NEVER have a snack at night....

What's the truth?

[Scratch]

I don't think there is a hard and fast answer to this, because it's dependent upon some variables.

For me, if it's 10 PM and I test my BGL and it's less than 120, I'll eat a snack to push me up towards 150 if I've been physically active during the day. I'd rather sleep a bit on the high side and give me margin against going low while I sleep. So I guess it means any snack by me is dependent upon the following variables:

1. BGL result at 10 PM.
2. How much exericse I've had during the day

As you might guess from what I've stated, I don't bolus for this snack. The purpose of the snack is to raise my BGL to a level I consider safe to sleep at and avoid hypos during the night.

[spike]

This has to do with my other thread, but I thought I would post it seperate to keep things less complicated.

If you eat a snack at night, should it be one that you don't bolus for?

If it is a snack that you should bolus for, and you do, does bolusing for the snack negate any effects the snack would have on keeping your blood sugar even? Does it cancel it out since you cover it with insulin??

I've had every diabetes dr and cde I've gone to tell me that either a) ALL diabetics should have a snack at night or b) diabetics should NEVER have a snack at night....

What's the truth?

As usual, the truth lies somewhere in between. ALL diabetics do not snack before mealtime. Some snack; some don't. Some snack sometimes. If you snack because you are hungry, and not low, you should be bolusing or you will go high, won't you? :)

[Tsukia]

I normally do have a snack at midnight with my lantus for two reasons:
a) it is my third meal
b) I find that it keeps me in range for morning bg

even if i am high close to 20(canadian) but in the morning i am at arround 4ish
then again I am also taking metforman

I think it does though depend on the diabetic because some people can't eat at night others can; some also grew up with it so is hard to go without; and again with the insulin that depends on how it works with your body

I would try a small snack at first maybe 1-2 starches and 1 protein and see how that carries you through going on how that effects you without bolusing for it will determine weather or not it is overcompensating and you may need to do some insulin (I personally wouldn't do a full count for it. maybe about half of what you would normally take with it if needed)

But most that snack at night don't bolus in my experience because it is to prevent the low and thus needs to remain in the blood system.

good luck :)

[David_S]

I snack about two hours or so after dinner. My night time numbers were higher, like over 200. Dr. had me start 2 units of novolog at dinner time. I take lantus 10 units at 10 p.m. I wasn't sure if the lantus was wearing off around 10 and taking an hour to start working.. casing the high number. It has improved with the novolog at dinner. I had 172 tonight. But my morning fasting numbers are around 86. So I feel like I need the snack to carry me over or I might be low in the morning.

[Cyborg]

My control is pretty good and the settings on my pump are very tuned. I pretty much bolus for everything that I eat.

[Keezheekoni]

Ditto what Cyborg said. Though my dad is type 2 on NPH insulin and goes really low overnight, so he has a half peanut butter sandwich right before bed (taking nothing with it-last dose of NPH at around 6 PM) and that has helped him stay at a safe number lately.