Losing sleep with type 1 diabetes
Sleep can be challenging with type 1 diabetes.
Sleep affects every part of your health, including type 1 diabetes (T1D), which means taking action to improve your sleep should be a priority.
Factors that impact sleep with T1D
Getting a good night’s rest is important for anyone’s mental health. It can be particularly challenging to sleep well if you live with type 1 diabetes. T1D can impact the sleep of caregivers and partners, too.
Your sleep can be interrupted by:
Intense thirst, needing to urinate more often, and managing insulin doses to correct the high can all interfere with good sleep.
Needing to eat and worrying about safety can interrupt sleep and make it harder to fall back asleep, too.
This technology improves your safety while you sleep, but the alarms can be tedious and frustrating.
Pumps come with plenty of alarms and complications, too, including occlusions, batteries, and simply getting comfortable in bed with the device on your body.
As the parent of a child with T1D, your sleeping hours are often dedicated to monitoring their safety. Every alarm requires your attention, with plenty of worry in between.
Tips to get more sleep
- Work with your healthcare team to establish a consistent pre-bedtime routine regarding insulin dosing and meals. The more consistent your food choices are before bed, the easier it will be to dose insulin for those meals and stay in your target range.
- Address recurring highs or lows with your healthcare team and get support in adjusting your insulin doses. If you wake up every night with highs and lows, it’s a sign that your doses need some fine-tuning.
- Consider adjusting your overnight target settings in your CGM to reduce the incidence of alarms. Your healthcare team can help you establish nighttime alarm thresholds to reduce the alarms without sabotaging your goals.
- Address anxiety if it keeps you up at night. Whether your anxiety is related to diabetes or something else, talking to your healthcare team about therapy or potential medications can make a big difference.
- Get moving during the day! Daily exercise can impact your ability to sleep well through the night. Keep in mind that a new exercise routine can impact your insulin sensitivity, which means you may need to reduce your insulin doses to prevent overnight lows.
- Consider your habits around caffeine and alcohol. The more you consume, the more it can interfere with falling and staying asleep. Even too much coffee during the day can affect you in the evening. Take a closer look at your habits regarding caffeine and alcohol.
Getting enough sleep is a huge part of managing your physical and mental health. If you’re losing sleep with type 1 diabetes, ask for help.
More mental health guidance
Learn how to cope with the emotional weight of the condition
Understanding the difference between these mental health concerns
Tips on seeking out help
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