Diabetes Tech: Friend or Sleep-Sabotaging Frenemy?
CGMs, pumps, closed loops, lifesavers by day, sleep wreckers by night. Here’s how to tune the tech without losing your mind (or your rest). Today, We’re Covering: How diabetes tech affects sleep Smart ways to adjust alarm settings Why...
The episode, word for word
I'm Neil Greathouse, I've been living with type 1 diabetes since 1992, and this is Your Best T1D Year. This podcast is under 5 minutes, about as long as a CGM calibration screen... that still feels like it lasts a lifetime. Each episode, we focus on one small habit that helps us feel less overwhelmed and more in control of life with T1D.
This month, we're talking about sleep, and today we're looking at how diabetes tech can help... and hurt... when it comes to getting real rest.
Look, I love my CGM. It's saved me more than once, and probably saved my wife from having to wake me up mid-low correction with a glucose tablet to the face. But let's be honest...
The "urgent low" alarm hits different at 2:17 a.m.
That "rising fast" arrow makes you bolt upright like you're in the Hunger Games.
And the pump? It'll chime, vibrate, and throw a tiny tantrum until you respond.
These alerts are designed to keep us safe. But sometimes? They destroy our sleep rhythm.
The goal isn't to get rid of the alarms, it's to fine-tune them. Here's what might help:
Raise the high alarm threshold if it's waking you constantly but not medically urgent
Use vibration only mode for night alerts that still wake you, but not your entire household
Adjust loop or pump targets overnight if your closed-loop system is being a little overdramatic
And if you're a caregiver? Share the data, but customize who gets alerts and when
The tech should be a teammate, not a whiny dog with separation anxiety.
Here's the big idea: We're not trying to silence the support, we're just trying to sleep while still staying safe.
And that might mean experimenting with your device settings... or talking with your endo to make overnight targets more realistic.
The perfect number on a screen doesn't mean much if you're running on zero rest. We're not just managing diabetes, we're trying to manage energy, sanity, and staying in the fight long-term. It's okay to rework the settings. That's not giving up. That's called customizing your survival.
I'm Neil Greathouse, and this is Your Best T1D Year.
New episodes drop every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
You don't owe anyone a perfect sleep score, you just need sleep that lets you show up again tomorrow.
And you're doing it. One habit, one decision, one better night at a time. And I'm right here with you.
46 - May 30
This is the script as read on the mic, lightly tidied for reading. Education, not medical advice. Talk to your care team before you change anything about your insulin.