4 Tips On How To Sleep In Late With Type 1 Diabetes

Date May 16, 2022

Sleeping until noon… A guilty pleasure that is nice to indulge once in a while. And yes, you can sleep in with Type 1 diabetes! Need some guidance on how to enjoy this treat without worrying too much? Follow our 4 practical tips.

1 | Know Your Sleeping Patterns

First step: learn to know your body. How many hours are usually necessary to maximize your energy levels? How do stress or fatigue affect your cycles? Does your weekend routine require that you adapt your habits ?

In addition, it could be useful to be able to keep an eye on your BG levels at night – with the help of a continuous glucose monitor for example – to avoid preventable lows. Do not hesitate to raise the issue with your doctor during consultations, so you can work out a plan together.

2 | The Secret To Sleeping In: Plan Your Diabetes Treatment In Advance

Some medicines require a regular intake. For instance, anti-diabetic pills (for Type 2 diabetes) or basal insulin taken twice a day (morning and evening). Sleeping in can disturb this routine and increase the risk of nocturnal hypoglycemia.

Tip: set an alarm at the usual time you take your treatment… even if it means going back to sleep afterwards!

If you’re a heavy sleeper and need reassurance, you can also set an alarm in the middle of the night to control your blood sugar.

Pumping or following a “basal-bolus” regimen with a single injection at bedtime? You might even not be affected.

3 | Prevent Nocturnal Hypoglycemia (And A Possible Hangover)

It’s common to sleep in late after a good night out (drinking) and/or a copious meal. Of course, these excesses can disturb your sleep and lead to the inevitable “hangover”. It is also important to remember that alcohol consumption tends to increase the risk of hypoglycemia.

To reduce such risks, here are a few tips: drink plenty of water before going to bed in order to avoid alcohol-related dehydration; avoid eating fatty foods just before going to bed (farewell to junk food when leaving the club!); put yourself in a relaxing environment (night mask, lavender essential oil… not to mention closing shutters or curtains to avoid morning rays).

And since nocturnal hypoglycemia cannot always be avoided, remember to keep your favorite low treatment near your bed!

4 | Manage Close Meals

Lazy Sundays often mean brunch. Breakfast and lunch are then close together in time, sometimes even combined. A shorter time between these two meals means that morning prandial insulin can still be active at the time of your lunchtime injection.

Interpretation of the results should therefore be taken with caution to determine the optimal bolus.

Talking about food, eggs are considered a good source of cysteine, an amino acid that is supposed to play a detoxifying role. Good to know, right?