Why People with T1D Can't Sleep Through the Night

SHOW NOTES:

When's the last time you actually slept through the night? No CGM alarms. No blood sugar math at 3am. No lying awake wondering if your number was stable. If you can't remember, that's exactly the point.

In this episode, Neil digs into something that doesn't get said often enough: type 1 diabetes makes sleeping harder in specific, documented ways. Not in a general "I have a lot on my mind" way -- in a real, researched way that affects sleep architecture in T1D adults compared to those without the disease. From CGM alarms to actual lows to the anxiety of lying awake next to a flat-line CGM your brain still won't fully accept, this episode names what 3am with T1D actually feels like.

We're in Week 1 of the While You Were Sleeping Challenge. If you missed Friday's episode, here's the whole thing in one sentence: we're tracking our sleep for eight weeks and figuring out what it's actually doing to our blood sugar.

In this episode:

What actually wakes T1D people up at night -- and why it's not always the alarm
The documented differences in sleep quality between T1D and non-T1D adults
Why people with T1D spend more time in lighter sleep stages
What "T1D sleep mode" looks like (the nature documentary version)
Why being awake at 3am with a stable number is not you being irrational

This Week's Challenge: Write down what woke you up last night. One line. Alarm? Low? Anxiety? Just woke up? You're collecting data.

Helpful resources and newsletter: https://yourbestt1dyear.com

Connect with Neil: TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@the.betes Instagram: https://instagram.com/thebetes Facebook: https://facebook.com/neilgreathouse LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/neil-greathouse-a607b912 Website: https://yourbestt1dyear.com

Books on Amazon: Type 1 Diabetes – One Day at a Time: https://a.co/d/6UHooWJ Type 1 Diabetes – True Stories: https://a.co/d/dfIlyI1

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