How do you handle overnights?

Hi, I'm visiting from the parents of CWD forum...where there is always lots of talk about overnight testing. I often wonder how, as an adult, my son will handle this. Most parents seem to get up most (if not every) night to test their kids...and I wonder if adults with D are setting their alarms every night as well? Never asked my nieces (with D) this...and was just wondering...on average, how do you all handle your overnights?

 

I'm 16, but while I'm home my mom checks me at night if I have to correct or am havign trouble with lows, once I'm in college I'll set my own alarm but not every night, when I'm away (like on a sleepover) I set my own alarm if need be

 

I asked this question a while back: http://forums.childrenwithdiabetes.com/showthread.php?t=59290

The consensus was that adults don't typically test at night - they especially don't set an alarm to regularly check every night.

 

Thank you! Very enlightening!

 

When I was a kid, my parents tested me occasionally at night: increased exercise, sickness, strange numbers during the day, low at bed, if they woke up, or if I woke up. Testing every night was not a normal thing when I was diagnosed. As I got older we did more night testing and my mom would always test me before leaving for work in the morning. In high school I tested at 3 or 5 in hopes of preventing morning lows (I drove myself to school). It was my choice to set an alarm to test, my parents would have if asked but I wanted to do this.
Now I am in college and living on my own. I set an alarm if: I exercised more than usual, if I had lots of ups and downs that day, if I drank alcohol that night, if my last check of the night was low/high. I will also test any time I wake up during the night or if I can't fall asleep. I do have a cgms which tends to wake me or my roommate up on a fairly consistent basis.

 

If I don't feel right, I'll test. I figure it's best to check. There have been a few times when it was 38. Most of the time when it's that low at night I'll be sweating, but there are time when I'm not.

 

Hello Julie:

We don't... night time is for sleeping not worrying. If a white coat wants a picture for/of the middle of the night, they can loan me the CGM... until then, not happening. I do not fear numbers whatever they might be. I accept screwy things happen, despite my vigil.

It is a serious problem to get too crazy about the numbers, doing so causes their own serious issues/problems.

 

How have your roommates reacted to your D? I often wonder how my son will handle that one day...if roommates will resent or get upset about alarms going off at night? I'm sure after freshman year, your roommates are your friends and want to support you. I wonder about how, during freshman year when you are assigned a roommate who does not know you...you handle it?

 

I'm interested in this as well. In the UK roommates are really uncommon and I only had the choice of a single room. I was happy with this because I like alone time and because I'd feel bad waking someone up with my CGM (it does alarm pretty much every night, often more than once). On the other hand, perhaps I'd be safer with a roommate - who knows? But yes, definitely interested in how people deal with this.

 

I try to walk that fine line between good management and not going crazy...I do fall off at times! I am, I think, in the minority in the parents' forum in that I DO sleep those nights when my son's BG is good at 11:00pm and nothing else is at play (illness, exercise). Some check every 2 hours at night, every night...which is admirable...but unattainable for me on a regular basis. I just cannot function like that...and it would have a negative impact on my entire family. I'm already absent-minded and forgetful as it is...even less sleep...I won't even remember their names! I do not feel that I am risking his safety in sleeping sometimes...although other parents do not agree with that...and figured that, when he grows up, he will not be checking every night either (which has been confirmed from what I read here.:cwds. I will need to teach him how to do that...and still be safe.

 

I don't want to derail this thread, maybe we should start a different one or I could PM you?

 

Thanks for your good manners. This was my thread, though, and I think it's run it's course...but feel free to comment here or PM.

 

Hello Julie:

Unfortunately I fear we are a "minority" in this regard. Even so I am not phased by it, not in the least.

Lows happen, highs happen, and nothing we do will prevent them. There are too many who fret, and make themselves completely nuts wringing their hands demanding answers for something that at times have no answers. Demand this nasty beast behave according to their program and I fear, completely unrealistic idealism.

They put themselves in a padded room doing so... and chain us (their diabetic) in that room with them. It is tragic to do so... Do not submit to it, if you can prevent it.

 

I know this is a relatively old thread that was revived, but I will still comment. I feel I need to based on the overwrought, dramatic tone of the post.

I disagree that there is nothing that can be done to prevent lows/highs. Getting a good handle on how your body reacts to certain carbs, knowing how to manage exercise, getting your basal's right, getting your I:C ratio right, all things that are manageable and can possibly prevent lows/highs. Checking often at night can also mitigate the danger from lows/highs as well.

I don't fret, wring my hands or make myself nuts with managing my daughters diabetes. I don't demand that diabetes behave. I certainly don't put myself in a padded room or chain my daughter there with me.

What I do is be diligent, continue to learn and explore better management techniques, teach my daughter to be diligent and independent in her care. And I do check every night, because I feel it is a good management technique. And most importantly, I strive for balance, making sure she is a kid first and a kid with diabetes last.

Do I think my daughter will check herself every night when she is an adult? Probably not. But I do hope she takes a reasonable, informed approach to her diabetes management that will give her the right balance between good health, safety and a happy life.

 

And now if I may ask a question. Since it seems that many adults don't check at night, why is that? Knowing the dangers from lows and the damage from highs, why not check? Are adults diabetes more "stable"? Or is it just too difficult to function as an adult while waking several times to check? Or do most adults use a CGM and only wake for alarms?

Thanks in advance.

 

For me, I was diagnosed in 1994 and spent 12 years going to an AMAZING diabetes clinic at a nationally recognized children's hospital. While growing up, my diabetes medical people put a lot of emphasis on trying to get things right, but also not fretting on when things go wrong, knowing things will go wrong, etc. I was also brought up with the mindset of doing basal testing maybe 3 or 4 times a year, and aside from that, unless sick, exercising a lot, or other extenuating circumstances ensue, not checking overnight - and this was before CGMS existed for the public.
I have always been one that wakes up at night from lows, and if I ever get up in the middle of the night to pee, I check as well. I also focus a lot though on making sure I'm comfortable with my pre-bed BG and that I don't have much if any insulin that's still active from boluses, corrections, etc.
I have had a CGM for a few years now, and wear it about half the time...
That's what works for me, and this has led to NO diabetes complications 18 years in, never having a low I couldn't handle, and only being hospitalized once since diagnosis for something diabetes-related, and that was from a really flukey pump failure that we didn't catch right away... No, my A1Cs might not be the absolute BEST they can be, but I'm happy and healthy and working a CRAZY stressful job that doesn't always play so nicely with my diabetes... I'm cool with it, and so it my diabetes team... I have never been told I need to consistently check at night, or asked by my care team why I don't...
Now, wanting kids in the future, I'm sure my mindset about nighttime checking will change dramatically - at least while trying to get pregnant and while carrying a baby, but that's a whole other topic for a different time and thread...

 

I can't trust myself willingly to get up before 6 or so. Because of this, I normally try to make absolute sure that I'm stable before going to bed. Even if that means staying up till 3, I'll do it. However, sometimes a low will still happen, but I have always been able to count on myself waking up if it gets serious.

 

I have been T1 for 50-plus years and I have never tested at night. Not once.
I've never had a problem; never gone to the hospital for a D-related event, never endured a situation I couldn't address on my own. I have no complications and I find living with D easy and stress-free. (There have been times when I arrive home 2 am, 3 am or later and test then but I'm not counting those instances.)
My one and only meter stays downstairs and I have no food on my bedside table. Why? Because I have a system and discipline and experience that's served me well. And yes, when I was young we didn't have meters so that explains some of it. But today my control is so regular and D presents so few surprises there's simply no need. I always test before going to bed and not again until I wake in the morning.
This is just me. I know others are different. That's not only fine but understood and appreciated. The beauty of D is there are multiple paths to the same place. This is the one I choose and the one that's worked best for me.
A longer explanation can be found here for anyone who's interested.

 

I don't check overnight unless I'm up or I think something is up. Just like parents wouldn't expect their 13 year old child to wake up, Im just not setting an alarm to wake up as college students need all the sleep they can get. Plus I consider setting an alarm would be particularly rude to my roommate. I make sure I go to bed above 90, no insulin on board. For highs I know my correction factor is right, so it doesn't require another test. Also it helps that I can detect my lows when I'm asleep, even though I don't usually realize till under 60.

I used a CGM for maybe 1 month, I personally didn't get a real big use as I'm relatively stable, I just liked seeing the spike and the gradual decline after eating. Also I do check 2 times before I go to bed, around an hour before and right before I climb into bed, just to see if there is any drops going on. I also keep food on my nightstand, along with my PDM, and phone.

I wouldn't say that we are more stable, there are some adults who can drop or rise real quick. I don't happen to be one of them, but I know plenty that are.

I consider myself lucky as in 7.5 years I've never had a seizure, a hospitalization (other than diagnosis), or ER visit due to diabetes even during my times of being less than meticulous.

 

I think that is great for you, but from everything I have read and heard, your experience is the very rare exception. And I would not want a parent to read your post and think it was OK to never check their child at night. So I appreciate you adding the caveat at the end.