Blood Sugar Levels and CPAP Therapy Question

Hi,

Background:

I am under my Drs orders to shed pounds ( another 35 more lbs. the man's a TYRANT! lmao).
Anyway, I have been getting my blood sugars under phenomenal control on my new diet (waking @ 102-110). The thing I noticed (reviewing my Sleephead Data) was that when my blood sugars came under really tight control, my AHIs went down from an average of 8-8.5 to 5-5.5 (11 days data) with two nights @ < 2.5 AHI avg. I haven't , as yet, lost a lot of lbs (3) so I don't think it's a weight loss effect.

OBTW, I have been on CPAP therapy since March 17, 2010 and this is, by far the best stretch that I have ever had.

Oh Yes, and a big "shout out to all the forum members for your invaluable help throughout it all". THANK YOU ALL!!!!

My question:

Anybody know of any studies that link Blood Sugar levels to good/bad sleep and, consequently, better OSA numbers? I am just curious and would like to research the phenomenon.


Cheers,

Dave

park_ridge_dave wrote:...
My question:

Anybody know of any studies that link Blood Sugar levels to good/bad sleep and, consequently, better OSA numbers? I am just curious and would like to research the phenomenon.

...

Ask, and you will receive!

One stream of research found that controlling sleep apnea helps control blood glucose:

Type 2 Diabetes, Glycemic Control, and Continuous Positive Airway Pressure in Obstructive Sleep Apnea
http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article ... eid=486425

And to specifically your point, another stream found that:

In patients with type 2 diabetes, increasing severity of OSA is associated with poorer glucose control, independent of adiposity and other confounders, with effect sizes comparable to those of widely used hypoglycemic drugs.

Of course, it's not clear from just that whether they believe that tighter glucose control would yield tighter apnea control. However, this appears to be a closed system .. where one factor influences another. Increase one the other increases. So, it is logical that improving glucose control can also yield better apnea control. Why? High glucose levels could well interfere with nerve conduction and muscle tone. Improving glucose control would allow the nerves and muscles to function more optimally.

Impact of Untreated Obstructive Sleep Apnea on Glucose Control in Type 2 Diabetes
http://ajrccm.atsjournals.org/content/181/5/507.short

Hope that helps.

John,

Thank you! I knew someone here would have the answer! Yes I am sure that they both go together, but, it is fascinating to see the "science". I am feeling so much better on this latest "round" of dietary modifications.

Cheers,

Dave

(and keep dancin' bro! )

park_ridge_dave wrote:... I am feeling so much better on this latest "round" of dietary modifications. ...

Glad to hear you've been able to bring your blood sugar levels under such good control. I know it can feel frustrating, but it's REALLY important that you do keep it under control. My father-in-law (who had Type 1 Diabetes) had a heart attack and commented afterwards that EVERYONE in the heart care floors had Diabetes. Not one or two patients, not even 90% of the patients ... EVERYONE!. Yikes! Hearing something like that tends to make you want to take it very seriously and keep the diabetes (and blood glucose levels) under good control.

So, keep up the good work. The more you can do without medications, the better it is for your body and overall health. Keep up the good work!!

My doctor and the sleep tech both told me that amongst the many benefits of PAP therapy would be a reduction in the amount of Insulin I would have to take. I have also heard the same thing about "Low T".
I'm currently a pump user who has to use U-500 Humalog to get more than a day out of a 3CC pump reservoir. Since my other hormones are getting back in order, I've had to adjust my basal insulin rate to keep from waking up in a full-blown sugar crash every day. I expect I'll have to adjust even more as my sleep gets better.

John from Brookston wrote:... I'm currently a pump user who has to use U-500 Humalog to get more than a day out of a 3CC pump reservoir. ...

John, you have my empathy. I fortunately don't have to use a U-500 humalog. (I'm especially fortunate, since my prescription drug plan does not cover any U-500 insulin at all). I'm able to get two days out of a 315unit (3.15 cc) pump reservoir. (Of course, medicare only covers a new infusion set and reservoir once every three days ... but that's another frustrating battle). But I can tell if I did not sleep well. My insulin resistance increases (I need more insulin). And it's not a gradual change. It's pretty immediate. Fortunately, a good nap helps.

I think you will find that you will be able to keep better blood glucose control with better sleep. Even if it does not significantly decrease your insulin resistance, it will definitely be easier to keep your BG values in the proper range.

I have not seen ANY change in insulin needs since XPAP. I mix 200 units a day of two types of insulin. Lately I have been using AndroGel 1.62%, for the last 6 months, is seems to help the insulin work better allowing me to reduce the size of my injections. Short term insulin levels are hard to figure out, too many variables, the body reactions change all the time, often without reason. I treat it like skeet shooting, guessing the correct lead isnt easy, I keep Reese cups around if needed, my favorite. Jim

But XPAP, making a big difference in insulin, I don't buy that!

park_ridge_dave wrote:Hi,

Background:

I am under my Drs orders to shed pounds ( another 35 more lbs. the man's a TYRANT! lmao).
Anyway, I have been getting my blood sugars under phenomenal control on my new diet (waking @ 102-110). The thing I noticed (reviewing my Sleephead Data) was that when my blood sugars came under really tight control, my AHIs went down from an average of 8-8.5 to 5-5.5 (11 days data) with two nights @ < 2.5 AHI avg. I haven't , as yet, lost a lot of lbs (3) so I don't think it's a weight loss effect.

OBTW, I have been on CPAP therapy since March 17, 2010 and this is, by far the best stretch that I have ever had.

Oh Yes, and a big "shout out to all the forum members for your invaluable help throughout it all". THANK YOU ALL!!!!

My question:

Anybody know of any studies that link Blood Sugar levels to good/bad sleep and, consequently, better OSA numbers? I am just curious and would like to research the phenomenon.


Cheers,

Dave

Hi Dave!

To me it only makes sense that effective PAP therapy would reduce the Blood Sugar and other numbers. All events cause stress and so stress hormone released and so with that sugar in the bloodstream is generated - it is preparation for “fight of flight” - the body makes itself ready with energy to go into the fast lane. A "fight" that never actually occurs so you end up dumping the sugar through the kidneys (bathroom runs for most) and have insulin response problems otherwise over time.

As most of the research already posted in this thread shows – very notable changes in blood sugar measurements.

Good reason to work toward better and better sleep indeed!

Have a great day!

Todzo

note - PubMed and Google Scholar are your friends!