In the past week, how many nights was your sleep disrupted by device alerts, checking blood glucose levels, or treating a high or low?
Home > LC Polls > In the past week, how many nights was your sleep disrupted by device alerts, checking blood glucose levels, or treating a high or low?
Sarah Howard (nee Tackett) has dedicated her career to supporting the T1D community ever since she was diagnosed with T1D while in college in May 2013. Since then, she has worked for various diabetes organizations, focusing on research, advocacy, and community-building efforts for people with T1D and their loved ones. Sarah is currently the Senior Manager of Marketing at T1D Exchange.
I answered 5. Every few weeks, I hit a cycle of night time highs. I do not know why, but it’s a regular occurrence and I am in one now. Usually lasts a week or so. Under normal circumstances, it’s more like one or two.
I answered 7. I don’t keep a log, though maybe I should. It seems to me that every night was interrupted by some alarm from my Medtronic 770G system. One night it was so frustrating that I dreamed my BG was high and in my semi-conscious state I gave myself a bolus. A few minutes later, I jolted fully awake wondering what the hell I had done. I got up and checked my BG. It was 120 not 198. This was at 4:30 am. I fixed myself something to eat, made some coffee, and stayed up.
My Libre does not alarm. I am older and I wake up often during the night checking my glucose every few hours. If higher than I prefer I take a small bolus or treat for a low if necessary.
Had a bout with “compression lows” a few nights ago. There’s no way I can avoid sleeping on whichever side my Dexcom is located on, and generally that’s not a problem, but every once in a while I end up getting my chain yanked with false “urgent low!” alerts, always at stupid-o’clock in the a.m. Hate it when that happens.
I have had trouble sleeping because I have a broken down car sitting in my garage, and that is a troubling problem to solve. I don’t have alerts with the Freestyle Libre, but I check when I get up for bathroom trips.
Sadly a lot lately. When my TSlim gets less than 30 units in reservoir it doesn’t deliver right and I go high, so then I go take a shot and sometime I take too much, and go low. I’ve got to remember to refill to get me through the night better or change everything out early before it’s empty. Sigh.
Twice in the past week I’ve had to deal with false low alarms from a failing Dex sensor. When all the tech works together it’s wonderful, but if a component has problems it disrupts everything else.
I don’t have a CGM and can’t decide whether I want one. I NEED one but not sure about what you all are saying. I too am older and wake up at least once a night unless I stay up past 11pm. So, I check then. Normally when I go low, I get hot and that wakes me up, like last night. But only twice this week.
Trying to balance the highs and lows on this diabetes rollercoaster is very interesting. As I type this my Dexcom just alerted me NO READINGS ALERT – SENSOR ERROR – TEMPORARY ISSUE. WAIT UP TO 3 HOURS.
I started to use a CGM when the Freestyle Libre 2 came because of the alarm system. It works beautifully, but yes I was alerted four nights last very busy week. I turned 75, and this sensor systems is one of the better developments.
I’ve got to admit I really enjoy the Tandem G6 combo as well Keto have no interruptions what so ever. Actually the only interruption that I receive is the 12 hour warning for not touching or using my pump.
After 3 months I’m conditioned to ALWAYS put my Dexcom 6 receiver in my pocket before stepping outside, even if just to hang clothes on backyard clotheslines or just across the avenue to check mailbox. Over 20’ distance between sensor and receiver can yield NO READINGS ALERT. And I haven’t given up comparing my CGM readings to finger prick readings…yet. Comparing readings really helped to persist in calibrating the CGM which at first was interrupting sleep with inaccurate low readings. CGM helped lower my amounts of two glargine and three lispro amounts of insulin delivered by injections.
The alerts go off every night, but I have become accustomed to them unless they continue too long from long lasting low/ or very low BG. I also started wearing earplugs many year prior to T1D for help with sleeping.
I am awakened frequently. I have a high alert set at 140 because CIQ (Tandem) does not act quickly enough to stop the spike in BG. I use Sleep Mode to control the lows during sleep, which it does.
I do not worry about alarms overnight like I used to with the Medtronic Guardian sensor, 670G system. The alerts that happen with Tandem t:slim and Dexcom are not very concerning and I can generally ignore them or acknowledge and go back to sleep.
I answered 5. Every few weeks, I hit a cycle of night time highs. I do not know why, but it’s a regular occurrence and I am in one now. Usually lasts a week or so. Under normal circumstances, it’s more like one or two.
I answered 7. I don’t keep a log, though maybe I should. It seems to me that every night was interrupted by some alarm from my Medtronic 770G system. One night it was so frustrating that I dreamed my BG was high and in my semi-conscious state I gave myself a bolus. A few minutes later, I jolted fully awake wondering what the hell I had done. I got up and checked my BG. It was 120 not 198. This was at 4:30 am. I fixed myself something to eat, made some coffee, and stayed up.
I answered 4. I started wearing a dexcom…. Love the device but man, you got to be on top of it otherwise it will alert you all night long.
I’m happy for the night alerts! I’d much rather my TSlim/Dexcom wake me up, than go high or low!
My Libre does not alarm. I am older and I wake up often during the night checking my glucose every few hours. If higher than I prefer I take a small bolus or treat for a low if necessary.
I answered 0 because my Tandem X2 follows
my Dexcom G6
I have wakened at 3:00 AM fit 47 years to chk blood sugar. My sensor can not help me with that.
Answer 4. There is a famous line at the end of Act 1 in Macbeth:
“I go, and it is done’ the bell invites me. Hear it not, Duncan, for it is a knell, that summons thee to heaven or to hell.”
Sigh!
Had a bout with “compression lows” a few nights ago. There’s no way I can avoid sleeping on whichever side my Dexcom is located on, and generally that’s not a problem, but every once in a while I end up getting my chain yanked with false “urgent low!” alerts, always at stupid-o’clock in the a.m. Hate it when that happens.
I have had trouble sleeping because I have a broken down car sitting in my garage, and that is a troubling problem to solve. I don’t have alerts with the Freestyle Libre, but I check when I get up for bathroom trips.
Sadly a lot lately. When my TSlim gets less than 30 units in reservoir it doesn’t deliver right and I go high, so then I go take a shot and sometime I take too much, and go low. I’ve got to remember to refill to get me through the night better or change everything out early before it’s empty. Sigh.
AutoMode insures active diabetes management every 4 hours.
Manual Mode insures sleep yet can result in too high or too low BG situations.
Twice in the past week I’ve had to deal with false low alarms from a failing Dex sensor. When all the tech works together it’s wonderful, but if a component has problems it disrupts everything else.
I don’t have a CGM and can’t decide whether I want one. I NEED one but not sure about what you all are saying. I too am older and wake up at least once a night unless I stay up past 11pm. So, I check then. Normally when I go low, I get hot and that wakes me up, like last night. But only twice this week.
Trying to balance the highs and lows on this diabetes rollercoaster is very interesting. As I type this my Dexcom just alerted me NO READINGS ALERT – SENSOR ERROR – TEMPORARY ISSUE. WAIT UP TO 3 HOURS.
Ain’t nobody got time for that lol 😂
I’ve been going through the same thing with my Dexcom G6 system for a month now. I wonder…
I started to use a CGM when the Freestyle Libre 2 came because of the alarm system. It works beautifully, but yes I was alerted four nights last very busy week. I turned 75, and this sensor systems is one of the better developments.
This week has been a bad one, with four bad sensors reading much lower than I was.
Rare that I don’t get multiple alerts for lows. Will reduce my basal again after I get my A1c this Friday.
I’ve got to admit I really enjoy the Tandem G6 combo as well Keto have no interruptions what so ever. Actually the only interruption that I receive is the 12 hour warning for not touching or using my pump.
T1D diabetes is worse than HIV. Change my mind.
I’ve learned to turn the alerts to silent each night.
Actually my wife hears it & wakes me but not for lows. I get awake when I get feelings associated with low or rapidly falling bg.
After 3 months I’m conditioned to ALWAYS put my Dexcom 6 receiver in my pocket before stepping outside, even if just to hang clothes on backyard clotheslines or just across the avenue to check mailbox. Over 20’ distance between sensor and receiver can yield NO READINGS ALERT. And I haven’t given up comparing my CGM readings to finger prick readings…yet. Comparing readings really helped to persist in calibrating the CGM which at first was interrupting sleep with inaccurate low readings. CGM helped lower my amounts of two glargine and three lispro amounts of insulin delivered by injections.
Too many! I so appreciate the CGM technology, but it’s a love-hate relationship due to alarm fatigue overnight.
The alerts go off every night, but I have become accustomed to them unless they continue too long from long lasting low/ or very low BG. I also started wearing earplugs many year prior to T1D for help with sleeping.
I am awakened frequently. I have a high alert set at 140 because CIQ (Tandem) does not act quickly enough to stop the spike in BG. I use Sleep Mode to control the lows during sleep, which it does.
I do not worry about alarms overnight like I used to with the Medtronic Guardian sensor, 670G system. The alerts that happen with Tandem t:slim and Dexcom are not very concerning and I can generally ignore them or acknowledge and go back to sleep.