Change text size 
Print
ShareSleep Safe and Sound Without Going Low
Worried about your blood glucose dropping when you sleep? The right bedtime routine can help ease your mind. Putting a plan in place will reduce stress and decrease the number of times you need to check overnight blood glucose levels.
An Important Reading
Sleep should be restful, yet for people with diabetes it can be stressful. So many factors can affect glucose levels when you sleep. For starters: your body's varied needs for insulin, how much glucose the liver produces, what and when you eat before bed, and how much and what type of exercise you've done during the day and near bedtime.
It's essential to check blood glucose an hour or so before bedtime. "This is the most important reading of the day," says Gary Scheiner, M.S., CDE, owner and director of Integrated Diabetes Services in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. "If you take insulin, you'll learn how well dinner was covered by your dinnertime insulin. If your bedtime glucose reading is low, have a light snack. If it's high, you may need to take a few units of rapid-acting insulin."
