One of the greatest fears for parents is their child having a hypo at night. “Will they wake up?” “Will I hear them?” “Will they come to any harm?”
Low blood glucose levels do happen at night, and your child may not be woken by the mild symptoms of a hypo. This means that the blood glucose level may drop further and the hypo may become more severe (see Severe hypos). If your child’s hypo hasn’t woken them, they may well feel very tired the next morning. They may also have a headache (a bit like a hangover).
The best way to confirm if your child is having hypos at night is to do a blood test during the night. Ask your paediatric diabetes team the best time for you to test as this will depend on the type of insulin your child takes. If a night-time blood test appears to show your child having night-time hypos, talk to your paediatric diabetes team because their insulin dose may need to be adjusted.