What Should Blood Sugar Be At Bedtime

How Can I Treat Low Blood Sugar

If youve had low blood sugar without feeling or noticing symptoms , you may need to check your blood sugar more often to see if its low and treat it. Driving with low blood sugar can be dangerous, so be sure to check your blood sugar before you get behind the wheel.

Carry supplies for treating low blood sugar with you. If you feel shaky, sweaty, or very hungry or have other symptoms, check your blood sugar. Even if you dont have symptoms but think you may have low blood sugar, check it. If your blood sugar is lower than 70 mg/dL, do one of the following immediately:

• Take four glucose tablets.
• Drink four ounces of fruit juice.
• Drink four ounces of regular soda, not diet soda.
• Eat four pieces of hard candy.

Wait for 15 minutes and then check your blood sugar again. Do one of the above treatments again until your blood sugar is 70 mg/dL or above and eat a snack if your next meal is an hour or more away. If you have problems with low blood sugar, ask your doctor if your treatment plan needs to be changed.

How Is It Determined If The Dawn Phenomenon Or Somogyi Effect Is Causing The High Blood Sugar Levels

Your doctor will likely ask you to check your blood sugar levels between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. for several nights in a row. If your blood sugar is consistently low during this time, the Somogyi effect is suspected. If the blood sugar is normal during this time period, the dawn phenomenon is more likely to be the cause.

Some additional clues that the Somogyi effect may be the cause include nightmares, restless sleep and overnight sweating as these are all signs of low blood sugar levels.

Great Bedtime Snacks For People Living With Diabetes

For some people, a healthy bedtime snack helps to prevent glucose swings during the night. By eating a small snack that is full of protein and healthy fats , your body may be better able to avoid an overnight high but if you take insulin, be sure to cover the carbohydrates in your snack even if it only requires a small dose of insulin.

Here are some snack ideas:

• Plain nuts or seeds try eating a small handful

• Raw vegetables, such as carrots, celery, cucumbers, or tomatoes, with a small amount of hummus or peanut butter

• Plain yogurt, and you can add berries or cinnamon

You May Like: Sugar Tablet Before Or After Food

Tips To Prevent Blood Sugar From Dropping At Night

Hypoglycemia, also known as low blood sugar or low blood glucose, occurs when blood glucose levels drop below normalwhich is typically below a level of 70 milligrams per deciliter . With levels more commonly dipping at nighttime, otherwise referred to as nighttime hypoglycemia, this condition affects mostly patients with diabetes.

Is It Safe To Sleep With High Blood Sugar

Glucose levels that are occasionally a little high at night generally dont pose serious, immediate health concerns. Most people with diabetes cannot avoid some high glucose levels. However, frequent or long-term highs particularly extremely high levels can be dangerous. It is important for people with diabetes to reduce high blood sugar as much as possible for two key reasons:

Read Also: How To Reduce High Sugar Level Immediately

Can Sleep Raise Or Lower Glucose Levels

Although it sounds contradictory, sleep can both raise and lower glucose levels. Our bodies experience a cycle of changes every daycalled a circadian rhythmwhich naturally raises blood sugar levels at night and when a person sleeps. These natural blood sugar elevations are not a cause for concern.

Restorative sleep might also lower unhealthy blood sugar levels by promoting healthy systems. levels. Even partial sleep deprivation over one night increases insulin resistance, which can in turn increase blood sugar levels. As a result, a lack of sleep has been associated with diabetes, a blood sugar disorder.

More research is needed to better understand the connection between sleep and blood sugar. So far, the following factors have been found to influence the relationship between sleep and blood sugar levels:

• Inflammatory markers IL-6 and TNF-? are increased by sleep deprivation and can cause insulin resistance, which impacts glucose

Best Bedtime Snacks For Diabetes

Now that weâve covered what to look for in bedtime snacks for diabetes and why bedtime snacks can be helpful here are some of my favorite bedtime snack ideas. These are all âhomemadeâ in that they involve a simple recipe and/or a quick combination of foods. For ideas for packaged snacks, make sure to check out my post on the 51 best packaged snacks for diabetes.

Don’t Miss: Can We Control Sugar Without Medicine

What Are The Signs Of Hypoglycemia

An individual may frequently wake up in the middle of the night as a result of nighttime hypoglycemia. In other instances, though, people may know if they experienced hypoglycemia during their sleep if they notice the following symptoms:

• Waking up with a headache
• Waking up in a sweat
• Getting unusual feelings of tiredness throughout the day
• Experiencing anxiety or heart palpitations
• Feeling confused, dizzy or weak

What Is Hemoglobin A1c

Hemoglobin A1C is a lab test. It indicates an average blood glucose reading for the last 90 days. It is done when you find out you have diabetes, and every 3 months after that at clinic visits. A person without diabetes has a Hemoglobin A1C of less than 5.6%.

The chart below shows the Hemoglobin A1C result compared with the blood glucose number.

You May Like: Whether Banana Is Good For Diabetes

Nighttime Low Blood Sugars

Keeping your childs blood sugar higher at bedtime and overnight will help to prevent their blood sugar from dropping while theyre sleeping. The greatest risk for seizures due to a low blood sugar occurs during the night.

Nighttime low blood sugars can occur because of:

• Exercise during the day, which can cause delayed drops in blood sugar
• Insulin doses that are too high
• Not eating enough carbs for the amount of insulin given
• Difficulty detecting symptoms of low blood sugar because your child is asleep

If your child is 5 years or older, they should have a nighttime blood sugar range of 90-150. If they are younger than 5 years old, their blood sugar range at night should be 100-180.

Your Blood Sugar Isnt Just Because Of What You Eat

Mainstream media would have you believe that your blood sugar levels are impacted only by what you eat and how much you exercise, but people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes who test their blood sugars frequently could tell you otherwise.

Its especially important to keep this mind when looking at your own blood sugars and your goals because there are certain variables and challenges that impact blood sugar levels that you cant always control.

For example:

• Menstrual cycles: raises blood sugar and insulin needs
• Adrenaline rushes from competitive sports, heated arguments, rollercoaster rides: raises blood sugar and insulin needs
• The common cold and other illnesses: usually raises blood sugar and insulin needs
• Hormonal changes due to puberty and healthy growth in young adults: raises blood sugar and insulin needs
• An injury which raises overall inflammation levels: raises blood sugar and insulin needs
• Glucogenesis during anaerobic exercise: raises blood sugar

While you cant necessarily prevent these factors that affect your blood sugar from occurring, you can work with your diabetes healthcare team to adjust your insulin, other diabetes medications, nutrition and activity levels to help compensate for them when they do occur.

For example, when engaging in anaerobic exercise like weightlifting many people with type 1 diabetes find it necessary to take a small bolus of insulin prior to or during their workout because anaerobic exercise can actually raise blood sugar.

Recommended Reading: What Is Signs Of High Blood Sugar

What Can You Do

To keep your blood sugar in balance, try to get at least 7 hours of sleep each night.

If you work at night or have rotating shifts: Try to maintain regular meal and sleep times, even on your days off, if you can. And get some exercise during your breaks, like short walks or stretches.

If youâre concerned about your blood sugar: Getting a good nightâs sleep on a regular basis will go a long way toward helping your body use insulin efficiently. Along with getting enough sleep, avoid eating late at night, and try to get some exercise after dinner, like going for a walk.

If you have diabetes: If your blood sugar is often too high in the morning, talk to your doctor. You may need to do some extra blood sugar testing or use a continuous glucose monitor to figure out whatâs going on, which will determine how you should handle it. Your doctor may suggest a tweak to your diabetes medicines or your exercise routine.

Show Sources

What Is An Hba1c Test And How Does It Relate To Blood Glucose

HbA1c tests show average blood glucose levels over a sustained period of time. HbA1c is glycated haemoglobin and more of it is produced in the body by high blood glucose levels.

Different scores of HbA1c show good, fair, poor and bad control of diabetes. Increasing HbA1c levels indicate greater risk of complications.

You May Like: How To Bring Down Sugar Level Quickly

Change Your Life Today And Reduce Your Risk Of Diabetes

Diabetes can be a massive burden on both your health and your wallet. But, maintaining normal blood sugar levels, managing your weight, and staying physically active are great ways to reduce your risk of developing diabetes.

If you are looking to improve your health and monitor your risk factors for disease, getting covered is a great way to relieve the financial pressures of looking after yourself.

Why not contact us today at Insurdinary for a free, personalized, no-obligation quote from some of the best health care providers in Canada!

Are There Any Newer Technologies To Prevent Hypoglycemia

We are lucky that in this day and age, we can predict hypoglycemia and prevent it through technology like continuous glucose monitors, explains Dr. Shah. Additionally, he notes that there are newer insulins available to help decrease episodes of hypoglycemia.

One of our roles as your doctor is to educate every patient about the self-management of diabetes and to create a personalized care plan, explains Dr. Shah. By self-managing your condition you will really feel empowered enough to take control of your health.

Dr. Shah is located at the Hackensack Meridian Health Medical Group Diabetes Center, part of Hackensack Meridian Health Medical Group. Call to schedule an appointment at the office in Old Bridge.

Resources

Don’t Miss: Banana Bad For Diabetes

Prepare Your Bedroom For Sleep

To optimize your ability to fall asleep and stay that way throughout the night, your room needs to be quiet, cool, dark, and comfortable.

Set the thermostat between 60F and 67F the optimal temperature for sleep.

Dim the lights. Close the shades and curtains so the rising sun wont wake you up in the morning.

Move your cellphone to another room or put it in a drawer so incoming texts and calls dont wake you up. If youre sensitive to noise, get a fan or white noise machine, or use earplugs to block out any unwanted sounds.

All of these things can prep the sleep hormones to kick in and help you fall asleep.

How Can I Treat High Blood Sugar

Talk to your doctor about how to keep your blood sugar levels within your target range. Your doctor may suggest the following:

• Be more active. Regular exercise can help keep your blood sugar levels on track. Important: dont exercise if ketones are present in your urine. This can make your blood sugar go even higher.
• Take medicine as instructed. If your blood sugar is often high, your doctor may change how much medicine you take or when you take it.
• Follow your diabetes meal plan. Ask your doctor or dietitian for help if youre having trouble sticking to it.
• Check your blood sugar as directed by your doctor. Check more often if youre sick or if youre concerned about high or low blood sugar.
• Talk to your doctor about adjusting how much insulin you take and what types of insulin to use.

Recommended Reading: Blood Sugar Increase Symptoms

Blood Glucose Levels Before Bed For Non

May 27, 2021

Are your blood glucose levels high right before you go to bed? Using a continuous glucose monitor can help you manage them better. Hereâs how.

Even if you are not diabetic, you can reach high glucose levels in the evening. This can cause restless and poor-quality sleep as we discussed in our glucose and sleep article. Having optimal glucose values during the night and while sleeping will help you feel better and perform better the next day.

Generally, you want to aim for glucose values around 70-100 mg/dL before bed and while you are sleeping. This range of values sets you up to hit a target of 70-90 mg/dL upon waking, which research indicates is an ideal range for fasting glucose levels

What Should I Do If My Glucose Levels Are Too High

You should establish a treatment plan with your doctor. You may be able to manage your glucose levels through diet and other lifestyle changes, like weight loss. Exercise can also help lower your glucose levels.

Medications may be added to your treatment if needed. Most people with type 2 diabetes will start on metformin as their first medication. There are many different types of diabetes medications that act in different ways.

Injecting insulin is one way to quickly reduce your glucose levels. Your doctor may prescribe insulin if you need help managing your glucose levels. Your doctor will determine your dosage and go over with you how to inject it, and when.

Let your doctor know if your glucose levels are consistently high. This could mean you need to take regular medication or make other changes to your diabetes treatment plan. Working with your doctor to get your glucose levels under control is important. Consistently high levels can lead to serious complications, like diabetic neuropathy or kidney failure.

Recommended Reading: How To Mix Nph And Regular Insulin

You May Like: How To Control Pp Sugar

What Should A Non Diabetic Blood Sugar Be At Bedtime

4.1/5

Similarly, it is asked, what is normal blood sugar level before bedtime?

One may also ask, can a non diabetic have a high blood sugar? Hyperglycemia is a fancy way to say high blood sugar. People without diabetes usually maintain a fasting blood sugar of less than 100 mg/dl. There is no specific value used to define hyperglycemia in all individuals. In general, a glucose level above 160-180 mg/dl is considered hyperglycemia.

Keeping this in consideration, what should a non diabetic blood sugar be?

And they’re less than 140 mg/dL two hours after eating. During the day, levels tend to be at their lowest just before meals. For most people without diabetes, blood sugar levels before meals hover around 70 to 80 mg/dL. For some people, 60 is normal for others, 90 is the norm.

What is a good diabetic snack at bedtime?

Try one the following healthful snacks before bed to help manage blood sugar levels and satisfy nighttime hunger:

• A handful of nuts.
• Low-fat cheese and whole-wheat crackers.
• Baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, or cucumber slices.
• Celery sticks with hummus.

/5how To Tell The Difference

The major difference between the two is that the Somogyi effect leads to hypoglycemia followed by hyperglycemia. One of the easiest ways to find out if the spike in the blood sugar level is due to the Somogyi effect is to check blood sugar levels at bedtime and after waking up. If the blood sugar level is low at night then it is due to the Somogyi effect. In case it is normal or high it can be due to the dawn phenomenon. Another point to keep in mind is that the Somogyi effect can occur any time of the day when your body has a high blood sugar level.

Also Check: How To Reduce Sugar Level Immediately

Tips For Tracking Your Blood Sugar Patterns And Using Your Results

Here are some great tips:

Have a blood sugar chart on your phone or a written notebook nearby to compare your numbers

For my patients during the class entitled, Monitoring your Blood Glucose, I pass out individual notebooks, and packs of different colored highlighter pens for pattern management. Inside, there are copies of an enhanced blood sugar log.

Patients log their blood sugars at different times of the day, and color-code them with highlighters. This helps patients to pick out their blood sugar patterns, and to do different things to adjust their blood sugars to get them in a target range.

Patients may either take a walk following a high carbohydrate meal, take more insulin if they are correcting blood sugar with insulin, decrease the amount of carbohydrates at the next meal, etc. By seeing what their blood sugars are at different times of the day, they can work their blood sugars into their target ranges. Once blood sugars are in the target range, their A1C should also be on target.

I have included a copy of the enhanced blood sugar log that I use to make a pattern notebook for my patients. Readers here at TheDiabetesCouncil are welcome to copy the form for their own use in self-managing their diabetes. You can also download our comprehensive log book here.

Phone Apps

You May Like: What Should Be Fasting Blood Sugar Level