I find that there are a lot of small things that, if you get in the habit of doing them, makes living with Diabetes much easier. Sometimes these habits are so simple and straightforward that they seem like no-brainers, but put into action they have a profound effect.
Doing a blood test right before bed is a good way of getting 7 hours of good glucose numbers easily. Odds are good that if you are a good number when you go to sleep, and your basal rate is correct, that you will wake up an equally good number. Despite this, late-night lows are impossible to totally avoid (as you know if you've read this site, they are one of my "tough spots" with Diabetes). By keeping three things on your bedside table, you can make nighttime much easier and low-stress:
1. Blood test kit. By remembering to bring this to the bedroom when you go to sleep, it is easy to do a bedtime blood test. Also, if you wake up in the middle of the night you don't even have to get out of bed to see what your BGL is.
2. A low. Preferably some kind of candy that doesn't go stale quickly (Starburst or Skittles are two of my favorites.) This way, if you wake up low in the middle of the night, you don't have to take a dangerous walk to the kitchen to get sugar into your system. Try to avoid juices since it's easy to knock the glass over and make a mess. If you have juice that comes in sealed plastic bottles, that'd be perfect.
3. Insulin and a syringe. If you wake up having to pee and you're thirsty, do a blood test since you're likely high. If you need to dose to correct your BGL, both needle and insulin are right there, saving you another trip to the fridge.
I love little tips like these that you pick up over the years of being a diabetic. I'm to the point now where I can roll over in the middle of the night, do a bloodtest, and never wake up more than halfway. The power of simple habits continues to amaze me.
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