Nocturnal Hypoglycemia: 6 Symptoms To Watch For And 4 Prevention Tactics

Nocturnal hypoglycemia occurs when your blood glucose levels fall under 70 mg/dl or 3.9 mmol/L while sleeping. While this health condition is dangerous, it can be prevented with adequate planning and awareness.

What you need to know:

Understanding nocturnal hypoglycemia
Causes of nocturnal hypoglycemia
Symptoms of nocturnal hypoglycemia
Preventing nocturnal hypoglycemia
Treatment and management

Understanding nocturnal hypoglycemia

Nocturnal hypoglycemia is a common health condition that occurs during the night and is prevalent among people with diabetes. It can go unnoticed and lead to very low blood sugar levels. Therefore, if you want to prevent it from happening, you must treat the underlying causes of nocturnal hypoglycemia.

Causes of nocturnal hypoglycemia

Here are some of the common causes and risk factors of nocturnal hypoglycemia:

Skipping and delaying meals
Suddenly increasing your physical activities
Not getting enough carbs
Exercising right before sleeping
Having infections
Low A1c haemoglobin levels (Average blood sugar levels of last three months)
High altitudes
Too much insulin
Hot or humid weather
Menstruation
Irregular timing of insulin dose
Suddenly changing your personal routine
Puberty (children with type-1 diabetes)

Symptoms of nocturnal hypoglycemia

Nocturnal hypoglycemia is typically problematic to detect as it occurs when you are sleeping. A family member or a roommate can help you in such times. Here are some of the symptoms of nocturnal hypoglycemia that can help detect your condition:

Having nightmares or crying out
Excessive sweating
Fatigue
Mental confusion
Blurry vision
Sudden headaches
Trembling/shaking or light-headedness
Excessive hunger
Dry mouth
Rapid heartbeat
Mental confusion
Abnormally fast heartbeat
Sudden changes in breathing pattern

Some of the risk factors that cause nocturnal hypoglycemia include:

Experiencing persistent low blood sugar over time
Having diabetes for a long period (5-10 years or more)
Taking specific medicines like beta-blockers.

Preventing nocturnal hypoglycemia

Here are some of the ways to prevent nocturnal hypoglycemia from happening in the first place:

Check your blood sugar levels before going to bed.
Have a balanced diet at regular intervals.
Find a physical exercise routine and stick with it.
Fix your insulin dose if you think it is necessary.

Treatment and management

People with this condition and their family members and partners should learn the symptoms of nocturnal hypoglycemia. Get a glucagon kit (emergency injection of glucose) that can be used if you don’t wake up. If you wake up, eat 15 grams of carbohydrates immediately (a glass of fruit juice or four glucose tablets). Check your blood sugar levels after 15 minutes, and it should be back to normal.

You can also use a CGM (continuous glucose monitor) to detect nocturnal hypoglycemia. It checks and tracks your blood sugar levels anytime you wear it. If you are experiencing an episode of nocturnal hypoglycemia, it will trigger an alarm loud enough to wake up the person or a family member.

Nocturnal hypoglycemia, when left unchecked, can disrupt your overall wellness and lead to severe health conditions, including coma. Therefore, regular monitoring and regular medication are vital to treat this condition.

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