Waking teens up
At my next visit to my endocrinologist, we discussed alarms. My endocrinologist told us that 70% of teens do not wake up to alarms, I was a part of the majority. For me the conclusion is clear: you cannot make T1D plans assuming that a Teen T1D will wake up to an alarm.
This episode happened when I was 11. I am now 17. In summer, I am, in general, able to wake up to alarms, except, possibly, in the first two hours following when i fall asleep. HOwever, during the school year, I am in general somewhat sleep deprived, and I often miss night alarms, even today.
Limiting the danger of night
Looking back at this story, I find it clear that late nights combined with late and heavy meals are a dangerous combination. When at home, I am generally able to eat earlier, and to choose a non-challenging meal if I have to eat late. Unfortunately, lack of sleep is not an avoidable condition for a teenager. Nonetheless, I think the following two factors are critical:
- Do NOT eat a heavy meal, or a meal with an uncertain number of carbs, late at night
- Plan for someone else to be with you at night if you feel that you are too sleep deprived to wake up on your own in the middle of the night.
Growing up T1D 