September 2007

Getting A Good Night's Sleep

Welcome to the Second Edition of our Challenge of Childhood Diabetes Newsletter! This issue is focused on getting a good night's sleep and helping our children have safe and consistent overnight numbers. As parents, we have the responsibility to keep our children safe AND take good care of ourselves, so that we are all rested and healthy in the long run. In the first year after my son Danny's diagnosis in 2002, his overnight numbers appeared to have no rhyme or reason. My husband and I checked his blood sugars several times per night and often found him very high or very low.

Since that time, Danny moved from NPH and Humalog to Lantus and Novolog, and, finally, to an insulin pump. With every transition, his overnight numbers improved, but we still struggled with highs and lows, and we were exhausted. It wasn't until we looked at dinner and bedtime snacks, late afternoon and evening carbohydrate/fat intake and daily exercise levels, that we were able to tuck Danny into bed at an in-range number, check him once at 1:00 AM, and have him wake within goal range. I hope that our learning curve can help ease yours and that you and your family can sleep well.

My best to you,
Laura Plunkett

Hi Laura,

We had our regular appointment last week and my son's Hba1c is 5.9 for an eight year old! Diabetics can do it as long as they know the blood sugar number to carbohydrate ratio. Its all about the insulin and whole grains we eat for a true carb ratio...We eat only whole foods, nothing processed, and only whole-grain bread or pasta.

We eat dinner early to resolve night issues. I make sure not to serve any high-fat food, so he doesn't go too high. At 7:00, if he is higher than 180, I give insulin and retest at 9:30. At bedtime, I give him a half-teaspoon of natural peanut butter along with one corn chip which slowly digests. If he has had a regular day and no extra insulin on board, I sleep through the night. If not, I get up and test. I suggest parents log everything and make a trending pattern of what works best.

I hope this helps.

Julia Hart, co-founder of HighLow Diabetes, Newbury, MA

Hi Laura,

Here are some suggestions: One of our best dinners is some type of meat with kale, spinach or broccoli and a little brown rice. The braising cookbook will soon become our bible for this meal! At bedtime, snack is still a struggle. I am so tired of cooking! I found a gluten-free pretzel that doesn't spike him if I combine it with white bean dip made with tons of olive oil! I tried cold cereal as an experiment to see if I could figure out a way to use the pump so it wouldn’t spike him, but it creates BG havoc no matter what, so I gave that up.

Carrie McIntire, Worcester, Vermont

Author's note:

Danny is now a growing thirteen-year-old with a hearty appetite. If he is low at bedtime, he has maple syrup or honey to bring him into goal range and then he has peanut butter and banana, blueberries and cream, or one-half of a Larabar for a snack. If he is in range or high and hungry, he has a cheese stick, a handful of nuts, a spoonful of peanut butter, some unsweetened yogurt or a salad.

Share Your Tips

Do you have suggestions for helping your children maintain good glucose control and manage diabetes stress during the holidays? I’d love to hear from you at newsletter@challengeofdiabetes.com.

September 2007