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 providee an answer of low BG. But with that said, it is usually a false alarm (compression low from Dexcom sensor) With the stable bedtime BG and a TSlim X2 pump using CIQ and Sleep Mode, I consistently sleep between about 85 and 110 every night. The key to this is going to bed with a stable BG (85-110) and not having any IOB.
Mary, when I first started jogging, I had terrible leg cramps. Then I learned two simple stretches before and after aerobic exercise. Stretch the calf muscle of each leg for 10-12 seconds. Then stretch the thigh muscle of each leg for 10-12 seconds. Do these stretches twice. Also make sure you’re getting adequate potassium. Bananas are a good source of potassium. Hope this helps.😎
My number 1 sleep interrupter is the OmniPod chance pod alert. The alert happens a couple of hours before pod shuts down. Since I change it around 5:25am before work – every 3 days I am awoken around 3am.
I wear omnipod and this function is adjustable on my control for the Pod. I can select times of an hour, two hours etc and the one I use is No Alert. I use Dash. I do not use the Omnipod controller. I am on Loop. It is a do-it-yourself closed loop and it works great for me.
The same as Carrolyn Barloco. I often get messages in the middle of the night that my blood glucose level was either high or low 2, 3, or 4 hours ago. This is a completely useless piece of information, and absolutely NO REASON to wake me up. This is nothing but an ANNOYING alert. Tandem and Medtronic, if you’re listening, please remove this function from your pumps.
I wake up with physical effects of lows. Odd thing is that if I am dreaming, I will often have the same effects within my dream. Like I will be on a plane to some exotic location and start searching for snacks! Does this happen to anyone else?
Yes, I appreciate device improvements but some are just plain annoying and make a difficult journey Worse, not better. And the main complaint is unnecessary alerts the user cannot adjust.
For a long time, I did not understand what people were talking about when they said “compression low’s”. However, I put my current sensor in a slightly different location, and I’ve been getting lots of compression lows from sleeping on my sensor. Now, I understand.
While middle-of-the-nght alerts are frustrating and irritating, I’m no longer terrified of dying from an extreme low in the middle of the night, so technology is still a win for me!
Depend on Dexcom except when it’s a compression low. Haven’t found the right site on arm with the G7. I keep trying. Have thin arms. And sleep on side. Any suggestions? Didn’t have this problem with G6. Abdomen out. Too much scar tissue.
My range/alarms are set 70-130, on injections and unable to make small basal adjustments I get an alarm if high or low. Generally the way the dose is I generally get 5-6 hours sleep than an alarm: if I dose for overnight levels than they rise in the day. But I’ve lived on 4-5 hours sleep since a child, no big deal.
When I first started Dexcom 6 a year or so ago, I was frequently annoyed with false low alarms disrupting sleep. Thru comments on this site, I learned about compression lows. I learned not to place the CGM too far to the left or to the right of my navel. Each new sensor gets moved just an inch or so. Problem solved.
I only marked alarms for lows. I set a sleep alarm schedule to silence the 180-250 alerts, so seldom do those wake me up. Seems to be some evenings at midnight, my BG plummets so I have to get up to treat a low. I think it’s because the stress during the day is gone once I get in bed. Stress is my true enemy, not T1D!
I providee an answer of low BG. But with that said, it is usually a false alarm (compression low from Dexcom sensor) With the stable bedtime BG and a TSlim X2 pump using CIQ and Sleep Mode, I consistently sleep between about 85 and 110 every night. The key to this is going to bed with a stable BG (85-110) and not having any IOB.
I get a notice of high glucose levels that occurred several hours ago!! WHY?
Extreme cramping pain in legs and hips.
Mary, when I first started jogging, I had terrible leg cramps. Then I learned two simple stretches before and after aerobic exercise. Stretch the calf muscle of each leg for 10-12 seconds. Then stretch the thigh muscle of each leg for 10-12 seconds. Do these stretches twice. Also make sure you’re getting adequate potassium. Bananas are a good source of potassium. Hope this helps.😎
My number 1 sleep interrupter is the OmniPod chance pod alert. The alert happens a couple of hours before pod shuts down. Since I change it around 5:25am before work – every 3 days I am awoken around 3am.
I wear omnipod and this function is adjustable on my control for the Pod. I can select times of an hour, two hours etc and the one I use is No Alert. I use Dash. I do not use the Omnipod controller. I am on Loop. It is a do-it-yourself closed loop and it works great for me.
Compression low (false low due to pressure on the CGM site) from DexCom! Ugh!
The same as Carrolyn Barloco. I often get messages in the middle of the night that my blood glucose level was either high or low 2, 3, or 4 hours ago. This is a completely useless piece of information, and absolutely NO REASON to wake me up. This is nothing but an ANNOYING alert. Tandem and Medtronic, if you’re listening, please remove this function from your pumps.
My pump, “I need to BG! I need to BG!” Such a cry baby it is!
I wake up with physical effects of lows. Odd thing is that if I am dreaming, I will often have the same effects within my dream. Like I will be on a plane to some exotic location and start searching for snacks! Does this happen to anyone else?
yes.
And sometimes I dream that I’ve run out of insulin and cannot get prescription refilled.
Yes, I appreciate device improvements but some are just plain annoying and make a difficult journey Worse, not better. And the main complaint is unnecessary alerts the user cannot adjust.
I use MDI’s and have been fairly successful managing my BS. Most often low alerts happen the night after I have changed my D6 sensor…
I can’t honestly remember a time when my sleep was disrupted because of T1D!!! Other illnesses disrupt my sleep more often than T1D does!!!
I didn’t select any of the above as my sleep is disturbed by a combination of many of those listed.
It is usually not a real low, but a compression low because I am sleeping on sensor.
For a long time, I did not understand what people were talking about when they said “compression low’s”. However, I put my current sensor in a slightly different location, and I’ve been getting lots of compression lows from sleeping on my sensor. Now, I understand.
While middle-of-the-nght alerts are frustrating and irritating, I’m no longer terrified of dying from an extreme low in the middle of the night, so technology is still a win for me!
My most frequent and favorite !!?? alarm at night is the one that tells me I had a high two hours ago! Duh!!!
Yeah. Totally agree! This is totally unnecessary and extremely annoying.
Depend on Dexcom except when it’s a compression low. Haven’t found the right site on arm with the G7. I keep trying. Have thin arms. And sleep on side. Any suggestions? Didn’t have this problem with G6. Abdomen out. Too much scar tissue.
My range/alarms are set 70-130, on injections and unable to make small basal adjustments I get an alarm if high or low. Generally the way the dose is I generally get 5-6 hours sleep than an alarm: if I dose for overnight levels than they rise in the day. But I’ve lived on 4-5 hours sleep since a child, no big deal.
Why isn’t going to the bathroom not on this list?
yes me also..
When I first started Dexcom 6 a year or so ago, I was frequently annoyed with false low alarms disrupting sleep. Thru comments on this site, I learned about compression lows. I learned not to place the CGM too far to the left or to the right of my navel. Each new sensor gets moved just an inch or so. Problem solved.
Pump reminds me no insulin has been delivered in 12 hours. Then I have to restart the insulin kind of a pain at 4 AM.
After wearing a Pump for over 40 years, everything except High and Low warnings are the only conditions I can’t control.
The most common alert / warning for me using the medtronic 770g is the need to calibrate the sensor.
I only marked alarms for lows. I set a sleep alarm schedule to silence the 180-250 alerts, so seldom do those wake me up. Seems to be some evenings at midnight, my BG plummets so I have to get up to treat a low. I think it’s because the stress during the day is gone once I get in bed. Stress is my true enemy, not T1D!