I woke up in a pool of sweat

[milehi]

Hi everyone. This is my first time here. I woke up this morning freezing and then discovered that my clothes and sheets were soaked. I immediately checked my blood sugar and it was 68. I then remembered that at some point in the night I woke up feeling low and was going to get sugar, but I obviously fell back asleep. I know I must have been lower than 68 during the night for that reaction. I was diagnosed 7 years ago and just a few months have passed since being separated from my spouse. I feel scared because this is the first time I fell back asleep during a night low and the first time since being diagnosed that I have been alone. I am looking for any suggestions.

[DeusXM]

Firstly, you should work out WHY you had the low. Did you eat a different meal that evening or do some more exercise than normal? Maybe your body's insulin requirements have simply changed again.

If this happened as a result of a one-off, then it's not something massively to worry about. If your routine was unchanged, it may be time to review your insulin requirements. Obviously there's also the usual checking your BG before bed and eating a snack if appropriate

Secondly, your main problem was that even though you knew you were low, you weren't awake enough to get any sugar. 68 isn't particularly low so I think we can rule out you passing out as a result of low BG. However, you clearly did fall asleep as you suggest. Your best bet is to have some ready form of sugar right next to your bed. That way you don't even have to get up and move much. I keep a pack of glucose tablets on my bedside cabinet and a 2L bottle of Lucozade down by my bed so I've got two forms of sugar I can get into my system without me having to even get stretch too far, let alone get out of bed.

As some further back-up you might also want to have some starchy carbs that can be kept in your room for long periods of time without them going off. I find crisps are pretty good for this because they're not massively loaded in carbs but they're still potato so they'll slowly release during the night and keep you level. But the best tip I can offer is definitely have an energy drink with an easy release cap next to your bed. It's a lot easier than stumbling round with a full-blown hypo in the dark!

[Tokyo Cate]

:dito:

Something to add to your arsenal of tools is an alarm that wakes you when you have hypo symptoms. Check this out: http://www.diabetessentry.com/

I have never lived alone since being diabetic (have either had a roommate or a partner) but will be living alone starting this summer and am a wee bit concerned.

Bedside juice (or something that you will happily take when low) is a necessity. I woke up with a killer headache a few weeks ago and vaguely recalled having been low in the night and not treating it--oops.

[Cyborg]

Welcome aboard...

I had a bad problem with this while on MDI. I ended up moving my Lantus from night time to morning injection and that helped tremendously.

Now whenever I suspect I might go low at night I'll eat a piece or two of lunch meat and cheese. The protein and fat take awhile to digest and will raise my bg a little while I sleep.

[Erin]

Deus gave all of my good tips. Have something to treat a low right next to your bed, so you don't have to get up. I keep a granola bar and a can of fruit juice on my bedside table. Keep your glucometer right next to your bed so you can check without having to get up.

Also train yourself to turn on the light when you wake up feeling low. This kind of prevents you from falling right back to sleep.

I know it is scary to have to live alone for the first time since dx, but believe me, it's really not bad at all. I'm coming up on 2 years of living completely alone, and that's after 4 years with useless roommates, who i'd almost be better off living alone! You'll be fine.

[am1977]

I agree with what has been said :top:... I'd also suggest testing more often and even setting your clock to test in the middle of the night a couple times- just to see what's going on. It's possible you are dropping low and it is something you want to be careful of.

I live alone and haven't had a problem. Yes, you need to take some precautions, like testing a lot and not going to bed too low, but those things are easy to manage. I think you will be ok. :)

Welcome to the forums, by the way :shakehand

[Cyborg]

setting your clock to test in the middle of the night a couple times- just to see what's going on.

That's exactly how my trainer started my pump training.

[DeusXM]

Another good tip for making sure you wake up is to get yourself a touch bedside lamp - you know, one of the ones you just tap the base lightly and it switches on. No fiddling around for buttons!

[Starlight]

If im low during the night, my body wakes me up...its sort of a strange feeling. Its then impossible to fall asleep. It just..wont let me. I cant really feel much of a low in bed..just something different. Its until i stand up out of bed that i can feel the severity of the low. But there have been occasions where i havent actually woken up, most likely because im in too much of a deep sleep, or the low happens earlier into the morning. The results of a morning low sometimes aren't very nice...to say the least.:ahhhhh:

[Cyborg]

The majority of people (more than 50%) do not wake up during a low, according to the Pumping Insulin book.

[kgm0612]

Welcome to the forum. I always keep Starburst candies in my night stand to treat a low during the night.

Karen

[milehi]

Very good suggestions. Thank you. I feel much better knowing there are others out there living alone and doing just fine.

[playgtar]

It seems everyone offered good suggestions, so I'll offer a bit of humor. I too experience the sweats. Before I became a diabetic I bought a comfort pad for my bed. One of those space age materials, that conforms to your shape. Well, as luck would have it. It also acts like a sponge. So my night sweets get absorbed and keep me freezing all night. It took a bit to figure it out. My shirts were soaked, so I'd change, but I'd still be cold. I guess I could try to kick the wife out of bed and use her side. Don't think she'll go for that though.

[Shellbelly]

I alos get the night sweats then freez. How come this only happens when I am sleeping. I never get like that when i am awake and have a low sugar?

I remember when I was a child my mom would always tell me to wake her up if i woke up in the middle of the night low so she could help down the steep stairs so i wouldnt fall and break my neck and then of course make sure i ate something...but no matter what i would go down those stairs eat the entire kitchen and then asked my self "how the **** did i make it down those stairs having a low sugar of like 30"?

its amazing that are body is just like give me foooooood!!!!!:lollypop:

when your sugar is low do you feel like eating everything????? i usually eat like 2 bowls of cereal and want more???:the of course i feel like a big fat elefant:

[Cyborg]

How come this only happens when I am sleeping.

I think the lower your low is, the more of a chance you will get the sweats and the subsequent chills. I have gotten very low once or twice, in the 30's, and had this happen.

[notme]

I have a bad habit of trying not to get up when I am low. I really don't know why I do this, but I fight getting up. I will lay there and try and try to go back to sleep, but I just can't do it. Finally, when I get low enough, it makes me need to (sorry about the graphics here) pee. Then I am caught between needing sugar and needing the bathroom. I have solved all of this by keeping something next to my bed so I don't have to get up.

[Shellbelly]

this has nothing to do with this post....but i was wondering how like Cyborg quoted what i said, and then put his statement. thats a cool idea but i havent figured it out yet????


thanks

[Lynne1]

this has nothing to do with this post....but i was wondering how like Cyborg quoted what i said, and then put his statement. thats a cool idea but i havent figured it out yet????


thanks


You hit the "Quote" button on the bottom right hand side of the post. Then you can take out any text you don't want to quote.

[Pitzi]

It happens to me as well. If I overindulge the night before, and over-treat as a result I will wake up in a pool of sweat and generally feeling ill. Worse thing that can happen is actually releiving your bladder on your bed, I wake up once a night to pee, but on a couple of occasions in the last 10 years I have gone hypo overnite and as a result didnt go to the toilet. :(

[Shellbelly]

thanks lynne1!!!!!