Question:
Many mornings I wake up covered in sweat. Could this be a sign of night time hypoglycemia?
Background:
Asked by:
Amber T.
| October 30, 2009 Categories:
Insulin & Pumps,Type 1
Answer:
Nighttime hypoglycemia can certainly present like this. It happens much more with the older insulins like NPH, which have a peak in action, as compared to the newer long acting insulins like glargine (Lantus), or detemir (Levemir). Detemir does still have a peak, but not as much as NPH.
One easy way of finding out if you are having nighttime hypoglycemia is to set your alarm for around 3 am and you can check your sugars. The body is particularly sensitive to insulin in the very early morning hours, like 2-3 am. This means that the insulin that is present is more effective at lowering blood sugars. This could be compounded by a peak in insulin action, if you are taking something like NPH.