Sleep is very important, and I am a huge proponent of sleep. As a result, my kids are good sleepers. We’ve known for a while that type 2 diabetes is closely linked with sleep apnea, a dangerous sleep disorder. Those who are overweight or obese often have sleep apnea. Sleep apnea means the person literally stops breathing during sleep. They then wake up and restart breathing. This happens repeatedly all night long, and the person has no idea.
Typically it’s a bed partner or someone living in the same home who complains about the person’s snoring. Signs of sleep apnea include difficulty getting up in the morning, daytime drowsiness, lack of energy, loss of productivity, irritability, and sometimes falling asleep at the wheel.
An article recently came out about sleep disorders in kids with type 1 diabetes. Poor sleep can lead to behavior problems, elevated blood glucose levels, and serious health problems down the road.
Checking overnight blood glucose is something parents may do for their children, and this is fine every once in a while. If it is becoming a nightly ritual, it’s time to consider something else; perhaps continuous glucose monitoring. Getting up every night to check a blood glucose leads to poor sleep for the parent and possibly for the child (even though we think they sleep through it).
Middle of the night low blood glucose can also cause lack of sleep (or poor sleep). The other night I woke up low, went downstairs to treat it and found my husband working on his computer. He decided it was time to have a full-blown conversation and kept me up for a while. Major sleep disruption. If you are experiencing consistent overnight lows, it’s time to talk to your health care provider about making a change in your medication or food.
Take sleep seriously. It’s important. Now it’s time for bed.