Finding the chase and cutting to it

My name is Sam J Watkins and since I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1977 at the age of four I have been bone crushingly tired.

This phrase was used by a politician returning to the Scotish Parliament after the birth of her child.

I had a baby in 2000 and the lowering of my blood sugar caused by breast feeding meant that for once, I always had normal blood sugar when I went to bed which allowed me to get substantially more sleep than my average 5 hours.  For four months, I had continuously good sleep patterns.  Then I stopped breast feeding.

High blood sugar (hyperglycemia) for me is anything above 6.8mmol/l when I am trying to sleep.  It causes dehydration, brain swelling, lack of energy, mood swings, frequently needing to visit the toilet and when higher, physical pain.  This is because glucose in my blood is being forced out not used by the body.

Ironically, not sleeping can then raise blood sugar as it causes stress (dehydration, brain swelling etc).  I test more after 8pm than any other time of the day because getting that right increases my chances of getting a good nights sleep.

But along with high blood sugar, low blood sugar (anything below 4mmol/l) causes its own issues including night sweats, panic, fitting, headaches and the need to treat which can lead to high blood sugar.  Treating a suspected low before sleep is easier for me as I’m on a pump than it would be if I were injecting but a sudden drop in the night can lead to a nightmare which wakes me up.  Typically that’s between 2 and 4am.

Sleep deprivation

Lack of sleep has been studied: it damages health because this is the key time the human body repairs.

It harms the brain, causing cognitive impairment and depression.

It impacts learning.  This is before we take in to account the whole impact of high and low blood sugar on the brain.

Many low term diabetics state the condition is like having a demanding toddler on their back 24/7.  Because until we get a good period that’s what it is like.

What can you do?

Generally, I roll with the punches.  The summer is always bad for me as I have hayfever – if I don’t use antihistamine, I have high blood sugar and if I do use it, I have very low blood sugar, so in the spring, I have a major adjustment to my insulin levels.  Again the pump helps me do that.

I use a fit bit to track sleep (which is how I know about the levels.  5 hours is very typical, a brilliant night is anything over 6.5 and a very poor one is barely 3hours and that’s without the physical impact of the high and low blood sugars).

I also use a Freestyle Libre to continuously monitor my blood sugar and painlessly check what’s going on.  It also doesn’t need callibrating.  Unlike other CGMS, it doesn’t beep at me which means, if it’s got it wrong, it doesn’t beep incessently and doesn’t beep to require callibration.

Which means, even if I cannot sleep, I can at least see what is happening.

Last night, by the way, was perfect.