When to stay up at night?

[Shell]

I am trying to already stay awake an additional 1 + 2 hours so I can get a PM test. It is not feasible for me to remain awake all night long, or to get up every hour to take a test.

Recently, he's had a couple of hair balls overnight and the AM numbers have been in the hundreds. This is really concerning to me if this is going on at night. I brush him and everything. The summer is causing some shedding.

How do I know if I should stay up? Because getting no sleep is not good or safe for me.

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

How do I know if I should stay up?

With Glargine, it usually doesn't start to "kick in" until about +2, so that's a good test to get because it can almost act like a crystal ball that predicts where kitty might go later in the cycle.

If the +2 is about the same as the PS, they're usually going to go gradually down to nadir and then climb back up to the next PS. If your cat has been nadiring in safe numbers, you can probably go to bed. (a lot of us drink a big glass of water in the evening so we "have to" get up....and as long as we're up, might as well grab a test!)

If the +2 is higher than the PS, that usually means the cat is starting a bounce (or got into something they shouldn't have, like kibble). If they are bouncing, it's usually a sign you can go to bed and not worry about getting more tests in.

If the +2 is lower than the PS, that's your "Early warning" that they might be going a lot lower later in the cycle. On those cycles, it's important to get tests later in the cycle to make sure they don't drop too low. You'd either need to stay up or set an alarm to check later in the cycle. We sleep in about 45 minute increments (going from one stage to the next to the next and then it all starts over) so if you can plan your tests so you can sleep about 45 minutes between them, it can help you from being super-tired the next day.

In some cats, the +3 is a better indicator. Testing is the only way to find out which one works best for your cat.

 

[Shell]

With Glargine, it usually doesn't start to "kick in" until about +2, so that's a good test to get because it can almost act like a crystal ball that predicts where kitty might go later in the cycle.

If the +2 is about the same as the PS, they're usually going to go gradually down to nadir and then climb back up to the next PS. If your cat has been nadiring in safe numbers, you can probably go to bed. (a lot of us drink a big glass of water in the evening so we "have to" get up....and as long as we're up, might as well grab a test!)

If the +2 is higher than the PS, that usually means the cat is starting a bounce (or got into something they shouldn't have, like kibble). If they are bouncing, it's usually a sign you can go to bed and not worry about getting more tests in.

If the +2 is lower than the PS, that's your "Early warning" that they might be going a lot lower later in the cycle. On those cycles, it's important to get tests later in the cycle to make sure they don't drop too low. You'd either need to stay up or set an alarm to check later in the cycle. We sleep in about 45 minute increments (going from one stage to the next to the next and then it all starts over) so if you can plan your tests so you can sleep about 45 minutes between them, it can help you from being super-tired the next day.

In some cats, the +3 is a better indicator. Testing is the only way to find out which one works best for your cat.

45 minute increments, okay. But, I am just assuming that isn't every night? It's when our attention may be needed, is what I am assuming.

He's had that little bout with seasonal hairballs. And, I am suspecting that for some strange reason he is avoiding his food, too. He isn't showing interest in his regular Science Diet. So, I got him his 2nd favorite which is Fancy Feast Turkey and Chicken and he ate a small scoop of it happily and took a nap. I am not sure why he may be avoiding his regular food. Maybe, he just got bored of it for a moment.

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

But, I am just assuming that isn't every night?

No, it shouldn't happen every night. Some night's it'll be a "normal" cycle, some nights will be "bounce" cycles and some nights you may need to stay up or set alarms.