Easy Before Bed Routine for People with Diabetes
Managing diabetes - whether you are type 1 or type 2 - is a full time job. Your situation makes the clock out at 5pm when you're ready to take a break. You have to maintain your blood sugar checks, medication, exercise and eating habits all day to protect you from disease under control.
In fact, you should be careful of diabetes all the way to bedtime. Before you set the alarm and settle under the duvet every night, here are a few bedtime to-do's that would help you have more control over your diabetes and help you sleep more.
Checking blood sugar level
Routine blood sugar checks are an important part of managing diabetes. Checking your blood sugar before going to bed will help you and your doctor know whether medications and other treatments are adequately checking your blood sugar levels overnight. bedtime blood sugar should be in the range of 90 to 150 milligrams per target deciliter (mg / dL).
eat snack at bedtime
When you suffer from type 1 or type 2 diabetes, you may have experienced something called “dawn phenomenon” or Erken dawn effect in Early Morning. ”- it can often spike sugar between 2 am and 8 am - in your blood. This fluctuation of blood sugar can be the result of factors such as: early nighttime dosing, insulin resistance, inadequate insulin or morning hormone release, carbohydrate bedtime snack, or releasing an overnight burst of liver glucose.
To fight the dawn phenomenon, eat high fiber, low-fat snack before bedtime. Whole wheat wheat crackers with cheese or an apple with peanut butter are two good choices. These foods will keep your blood sugar steady and prevent your liver from releasing too much glucose. Keep only a small portion size so you do not exceed the recommended calorie or carbohydrate count for the day. Eat too much before going to bed The opposite effect can contribute to weight gain, when you have diabetes.
Foods can affect the blood sugar of different people in different ways. Monitor your blood sugar in the morning to help determine how much and what kind of a snack can be good for you.
stay away from stimulants
Avoid caffeine - coffee, chocolate, soda - within a few hours of bedtime. These caffeinated foods and drinks can stimulate your brain and keep you awake.
Also, limit your alcohol intake, especially if you find this to be disturbing your sleep and affecting your blood sugar levels.
Take a walk
Exercise helps to work more efficiently insulin. Just after dinner or before bedtime Taking a walk can help keep blood sugar under control through the following morning. According to the National Sleep Foundation , exercise on the bed very closely can affect how fast you sleep. However, this does not apply to everyone, while some people sleep fine after exercising before going to bed. Get to know your body and find the best way for you.
Prepare bedroom for sleep
To optimize your ability to fall asleep and stay that way during the night, the room needs to be quiet, cool, dark and comfortable.
set the thermostat between 60F (15.6C) and 67F (19.4˚C) for optimal sleep.
Turn off the lights. Shadows and curtains close so the rising sun wouldn't wake up in the morning. (If the light disturbs you, consider installing room darkening or blackout curtains.)
Move your cell phone to another room or put it in a drawer so that you can wake up incoming texts and calls. If you are noise sensitive, take a fan or white noise machine or use headphones to block any unwanted noises.
Kicking in all of this can help prepare sleep hormones and fall asleep.
Get into a sleep pattern
Between 40 and 50 percent of people with diabetes have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep during the night. Nerve pain, frequent thirst, needing urine, and hunger can all keep you awake. You can work with your doctor to control these issues to maximize your sleep hours, but one way is to get a bedtime routine.
Just before going to bed, do something to loosen your body and quiet your mind to prepare for sleep. Take a warm bath, do some light yoga or read a book. Keep it in low light. Turn off all computers, tablets and other electronic devices because they emit a kind of blue light that can stimulate the brain.
If you can not immediately fall asleep, leave the room and read or do other quiet activity for 15 minutes, then climb back to bed and try again.
12AXX
Diagnostics Direct 7314 Contour Next Normal Control Solution, Level 2, 2.5 mL
