My 13yr old son has been t1d for almost 1 year. We are no longer in the honeymoon phase. Sleep has always been a problem for him, but we have used melatonin and it seems to help him sleep. I thought something was wrong with his pump last night, so we changed the site and tubing, and attempted to correct the number all night long. I googled and found that melatonin can increase insulin resistance. Does anyone know how to figure out what the insulin requirements could be when it’s used? Or does anyone have other ideas to help sleep. Melatonin is a great, natural sleep aid for him, but now I’m not sure that we should use it.
Hi Karen @katie6407, I do not have experience with Melatonin so I can’t advise directly on that - that question should be discussed directly with his endocrinologist.
I will mention that a proper amount of sleep is especially essential for everyone’s management of diabetes, and especially for the younger. Rather than giving him another chemical, melatonin, you and he, and maybe your son alone with his doctor, should discuss natural methods to promote a good night’s sleep with knowledgable professionals such as his/your doctors. Healthy, vigorous activity during the day [but not just before bedtime], a good diet and his effective diabetes management might help him sleep better. Possibly a reduction in his stress level, such as worry about school might help him develop a more comfortable positive attitude about himself.
I have used melatonin in the past and I don’t remember it causing blood sugar problems; but I do know for a fact that it’s a short term sleep aid because it will at some point start causing severe headaches. Things that help me sleep are ibuprofen, and black cherry juice (this has natural melatonin in it). I hope this is some help so he can get his very important sleep at night!
Hi Karen!
I have used melatonin for years and have not experienced any side effects from it. Like ur son it helps me sleep which is vital to glucose management as u already know. In my opinion the insulin resistance from not getting enough sleep is a greater problem than any insulin resistance you would get from melatonin.
Maybe he’s going thru a growth spurt or his body is ramping up to start a growth spurt. As I’m sure ur aware, all the changes a kid goes thru at his age can wreak havoc w his levels!! Maybe that’s the one of the causes of his higher levels at night??!! Does he experience “dawn phenomenon in the wee hours of the morning??
Hang in there!!! Ur doing a GREAT job and ur best is all that can be asked of u!! Let us know how it’s going as u guys progress w this disease!! HUGS!!!
Sandy
Check with your doctor about the validity of the claim that melatonin causes insulin resistance. If he is recently over his honeymoon and is further into puberty, that could be the cause of your issues with insulin adjustments. We very recently went through a similar experience. My son is on Adderall and his numbers were very high. It was suggested more than once on this site that Adderall causes insulin resistance. The endo suggested it was more likely that it was puberty. The endo then adjusted the formula and his numbers are better. Dr. also said that there will likely be more adjustments in the opposite direction as puberty comes to an end. It’s probably worth it that we all research puberty a little more.
Good luck.
Hi
I also think this is a question for the endocrinologist.
I’m not familiar enough with Melatonin to comment on that part.
But just a thought that, 13 year olds are in the puberty stage and produce growth hormones at night. He may just need some basal adjustments If he is on a CGM, a couple of nights of data might show when the spikes start and be useful for your doctor or CDE ot help make some basal adjustments.
Hope this helps
Anne
I see this is an old thread, but I am experiencing the same, or similar. Our son is six, and was diagnosed with t1d one year ago.
He was restless at night, and we began melatonin, with his dr’s blessing.
But he is going sky high, inconsistently. Sometimes it is when he falls asleep, sometimes before. Some night he doesn’t go up at all.
Can you provide any guidance?
@Mbennettbrown As others have said, that’s a question best addressed by your doctor.
But it’s very odd. I mean, for myself, I’ve been on a few types of melatonin and prescription medications that work on melatonin receptors, and they never affected my sugars. But body chemistries and side effects vary. I know that Lantus works well for me but Levemir gives me headaches and brain fog. Makes no sense, but changing over instantly caused those side effects, they stuck with me for months, and changing back instantly fixed it.
Thing is, melatonin is a natural human hormone with one specific function (to tell the brain it’s time to sleep). Unless you’re using time release melatonin (which you shouldn’t), it breaks down almost immediately. There shouldn’t be any lasting physical effects. The only major side effect is weird dreams.
I suppose maybe if it’s causing nightmares that could trigger an adrenaline spike that could affect blood sugar? Have you asked him about his dreams?
But if it’s inconsistent, it might not be the melatonin at all. Have you tried tracking other factors? What he eats and how active he is each day and whatever else might be relevant? It could be a food sensitivity. Or if you’re mainly counting carbs it could be excess fat or protein. Some carbs digest more slowly than others. Exercise can have effects hours afterwards.
Could also just be his honeymoon period ending and his insulin requirements going up.
Talk it over with your doctor. Melatonin seems like a long shot to me, especially if he’s taking it consistently and the sugar spikes are unpredictable.
If the spikes are on random nights while he’s asleep, it might be growth spurts (or nightmares, as was suggested above). Those require extra insulin, and of course there is no warning about which nights they’re going to happen. Before bed, though, I’d be looking for another explanation. Is he on injections or a pump?
He is a pump/Omnipod. His basal is increased at the approximate time of the rise, but since it can happen at different times, and sometimes not at all, I am actively managing this every night, into morning.
And he was diagnosed about a year ago, you said? Definitely check with your endo, but I’m thinking about the honeymoon phase and where he is along that path. As the disease progresses, it’s first relatively easier to keep BG in range, then wildly difficult and unpredictable as his body makes less and less insulin as a general matter, but still on occasion makes some, which can result in surprise lows (if you’d been used to him needing more then) or surprise highs (if you’d been used to him needing less then). Add in those growth spurts, and it makes for a lot of lost sleep. I’m sorry. I’ve been there, and it sucks. No melatonin use at our house, but it sounds like the same phenomenon. Just another day in the life with T1D.
If the Tandem with Control IQ is an option, you might consider it, but also Omnipod is awaiting FDA approval of its own version of that same kind of automated system, where the pump “talks” to his CGM and will adjust basal and even bolus as needed. They’re saying sometime this summer, but of course it’s never real until it’s real.