Hungry in the middle of night: Cereal seems to bring blood sugar down

The best understanding I ever read was from a paper back book when I was diagnosed with low blood sugar. It showed charts on how the blood sugar goes up and down over a 24 hour period. It is not just the sugar food but the amount of fat in the food that helps determine how high the blood count goes. With fat, as in peanut butter, the rise is slower and it takes longer to digest. Your sugar level was perhaps in the down level so it was probably going down despite the rice checks. I really don't know how the blood acts in the middle of the night, but I have had the same experience of eating in the night but I never check my blood so soon after eating. The 212 number could have been caused by the cortisone shot, depending on how long it stays in the blood. I haven't studied that.
Just know that the blood sugar is going up and down, rising two hours after eating, and then dropping, and then starting back up again but not as much on an empty stomach. I was told to eat something at bedtime, to get the metabolism working, but then after the food is digested, I can get hungry in the night.
You will need to read a textbook to get some understanding of the whole process, I believe. Your best help comes from a certified nutritionist. Even then, she handed me a book and I had to study on my own. I will try to find something because I am interested in the matter myself. I am trying to go more than twelve hours at night before eating breakfast. I would like to sleep like a log all night, but that isn't happening. I am working on it. Medicare paid for my expensive consultation with the nutritionist, by the way.

Because I have a $10,000 deductable we are holding off on a few other problems until July 1🍀. I've seen this endocrinologist only twice. The second visit was to tell me about having diabetes. She once mentioned a prescription to see a nutritionist but I think after July 1 I will pester her about that. My liver tests ALT and ASP? we're high and we're holding off on an MRI for that. I wonder if diabetes has an effect on that too. I'm happy to hear about your nocturnal eating. This has just started like when she said I was diabetic. I never sleep a night.
I've been hypothyroid for 25 years. My husband was treated for serious cancer
for a couple years and he's in remission for now but I've held it together because he's alive but physically it's taken a toll on me. My thyroid strength had to be doubled because I was so tired. I called the Dr. to see if we could do a blood test. I only had energy to drive us to Mayo. In 2018 he had 4 surgeries, 4 months of chemo being in the hospital and 25 rounds, 5 days a week for 5 weeks on the proton beam. But..... we've always tried to live our normal life. I feel like we need duct tape to hold me together until July🍀
My mother and sisters are diabetic and I have native American and Spanish in me.
The thyroid problems are over and taken care of. My numbers are good.
I'm glad to hear about the dietician being covered by Medicare. It was interesting about maybe my number was in the way down anyway. I feel like I know so little but I've already learned several things from this forum. Thanks 😊
Loaks

I read on the web but didn't understand it well because it was about type 1 diabetes, and I know little about that. The article recommended a small snack with apple and a little peanut butter or whole wheat crackers with cheese. I never eat anything like rice crackers because it is a carb, and I certainly wouldn't eat it in the middle of the night. I drink milk before bedtime and it seems to make me content and a little sleepy, and I know it digests slowly. Rice cakes wouldn't do anything serious to your sugar levels in ten minutes, anyway. You need to get recommendations from a nutritionist and a schedule that works for you. You can't do much about numbers in the night, so planning ahead is the answer. I learned to count carbs during the day and then scheduled my food to limit the carbs and increase the exercise if I eat too many carbs at a meal. I learned to skip high carbs and I don't miss them at all now because I eat the foods that I like that are not a problem for me. I need lots of variety, however. This past week I ate spaghetti squash with eggplant in the casserole. The cheese make it taste very good. I didn't care for the spicy sausage. More later. Dorisena

We are into old VW's. This was in December last year getting ready for the electric parade. We had a lot of support from different VW clubs and friends. through my husband's cancer. I think he'd just been told he was in remission. His beard had been growing back for 9 months.
I have this forum full of information and wisdom. Leslee

Hello @loaks and welcome to Mayo Connect and thanks for those great pictures! I am sorry to hear of your husband's battle with cancer. I'm sure that has been difficult for you both.

I've been reading about your problems with hunger at nighttime. You have kept good records and seem to find what works for you when you have interruptions in your sleep during the middle of the night. I have a very similar problem.

Here is an article from Google Scholar regarding sleep interruptions and diabetes that you might find interesting, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0026049518300635

If you care to share more, I'm wondering if you had sleep problems prior to being diagnosed with diabetes?

I was having problems. Even when I sleep all night I was still lacking energy. I attributed that to my thyroid. My energy is better now with my thyroid at normal levels but getting up every night wears on me. Last night was better. I only got up to snack, go to the bathroom and went right back to sleep.
Yesterday when I got the cortesone shot it was for my heel that has been a problem for 6 months. We were walking but that's out. When we live in the valley we ride bikes but we're up north now with no bikes and me not wanting to go to the gym. I'm sorry I can't exercise more because I think exercise would help. The Dr thinks I have a nerve in my heel that needs released but until July I'm holding off on that too. I'm going to look up your suggestions for reading. I was the one to ask my endocrinologist if I could be checked for diabetes.
Thanks Leslee

I have many of the same issues. Some years ago I found a therapist who prescribed certain exercises which stretched my left leg and relieved my pain if I kept at it. She sent me to buy expensive orthopedic shoes to which I inserted my leather orthotics as well, and this has solved my foot pain. I did stretching exercises with rubber bands and my grandchildren thought it was fun to help stretch me. This took about a year. The shoes last forever, so I wear the older ones even in the garden for support. It has made a world of difference but has kept my bank balance low at times. To me it is the same as a prescription but sometimes they have shoes on sale. I forgot to remind you that with your eating, it is important that every meal or snack be balanced, and not just a carb or just a protein or just a fruit. You could eat a munch of veggies at one time, however. I have spinach to pick in my garden today. Hooray! Dorisena

@loaks, great pictures. I encourage you to upload one as your profile picture. See how to update your profile here:
– How to Update your Profile: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/page/about-connect/newsfeed-post/how-to-update-your-profile/

You'll notice that I expanded the title of this discussion. This will help other (and future) members with similar issues to find the discussion and benefit from the tips members have offered you. You may also be interested in these related discussions:
- Blood Sugar and A1C levels: Tips and Insight for Staying in Range https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/sugar-levels/
- Middle of the night "episodes" https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/middle-of-the-night-episodes/
- My Diabetes 2 Backwards Numbers---Anyone else? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/my-diabetes-2-backwards-numbers-anyone-else/

Loaks, I'll be interested in hearing what your doctor says about your readings.

If your deductable is 10.000.00 wouldn't it be smarter to do the test before the deductable resets July 1st

I was taught that drugs like cortisone can raise the blood sugar. The cereal may have lowered the blood sugar because it lowered the stress from being hungry and you relaxed. Just my experience. it is difficult to measure the stress level when you have blood sugar problems.