Type 1 diabetic unable to sleep

[DuchessOfDisaster]

My sister is Type 1 diabetic and has been from childhood. She is having problems with eating - never feels hungry so doesn't eat - has lost a lot of weight and eats lots of carbs, often cream crackers/toast with jam, marmalade and lemon curd when she does feel hungry. She never makes meals from scratch. Basically I am worried about her.

She also cannot sleep at night and this is having a knock-on/Catch 22 effect. She's awake until the wee small hours and gets up after lunchtime, feeling terrible and sluggish, then doesn't want to eat, and it all starts again.

There's a lot I don't understand about diabetes, and I don't know how to help her. Any thoughts or ideas please?

Not sure how to help

Poor sleep isn't a symptom my Dh experiences unless his sugar level is very badly controlled when he wakes me up. Poor sugar control can also lead to weight loss. And the diet sounds like one that could lead to lots of poor control

Stress can cause poor sleep and diabetecs have more to be stressed about than others

They can also have periods of denial and depression, it's a relentless illness. It is possible to control but that takes a lot of effort which just wears people down . Especially if they just want to be able to enjoy life like their friends can

How old is your sister?

Diabetes uk may also be able to help
They used to run an outdoor adventure course for diabetics which really helped DH, just seeing and being with people who still did amazing things inspired him and gave him hope

@midgemagnetoThank you for this. I'll try Diabetes UK. She's 50 was always the sensible older sister five years older than me. I need to get some information and I think the blood sugar levels aren't controlled properly hence the sleep issues. Thanks for your help.

Oh hec menopausal diabetic , likely that even when she tries hard it's harder to manage

I think at 50 hormones may be coming into play heavily on the sleep front as well as sleep issues something that affect many women going through peri menopause and menopause.

There are now continuous monitoring machines that apparently are available on the NHS in some areas if people meet a certain criteria, we’re hoping DH may be able to get one:

www.freestylelibre.co.uk/libre/

Also there are some new long acting insulins available now which are much better than previous ones, my friend who is a diabetes nurse was saying how good they are recently.

Could you persuade her to get an appointment with whoever does her diabetes care and to be honest with them about how she is feeling? She might also need an appointment with GP to discuss menopause as well.

Is she possibly at risk of Diabulimia? Intentionally restricting insulin so she loses weight?

She's at risk of more than weight loss if her sugars are sky high. She needs urgent assessment to avoid life threatening DKA. www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/complications/diabetic_ketoacidosis

You need to get her to be seen urgently.

It sounds like her blood sugar is always high so she doesn’t feel hungry. Her blood sugar bring high makes her fatigued which makes her crave carbs, which in turn make her blood sugar high, a horrible cycle. She desperately needs to focus on getting them back down in control and eating better.

@NeverDropYourMooncup

Is she possibly at risk of Diabulimia? Intentionally restricting insulin so she loses weight?

She's at risk of more than weight loss if her sugars are sky high. She needs urgent assessment to avoid life threatening DKA. www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/complications/diabetic_ketoacidosis

You need to get her to be seen urgently.

No - she's mentioned this to me and assured me it isn't that. If she's telling me the truth - I've no reason to disbelieve her I don't think. But I will keep an eye on it.

I do think she needs to have a review pretty quickly to see what is going on.

I agree seeking a review, hopefully they understand the interaction between all the different hormones