{"id":592,"date":"2025-05-21T17:40:48","date_gmt":"2025-05-21T16:40:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/doze\/?p=592"},"modified":"2025-06-06T14:35:28","modified_gmt":"2025-06-06T13:35:28","slug":"i-thought-i-had-insomnia-but-it-was-diabetes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/doze\/2025\/05\/21\/i-thought-i-had-insomnia-but-it-was-diabetes\/","title":{"rendered":"I thought I had insomnia but it was diabetes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For months, Josh Bachu lay awake in the stillness of his room, his mind racing as the hours ticked by with what he thought was insomnia. He\u2019d seen doctors and tried all sorts of remedies, bedtime routines, calming teas, even sleeping pills, but nothing was a permanent fix. His exhaustion piled up, but his sleepless nights only continued. It wasn\u2019t until one doctor said Let’s just run a diabetes check, that the truth of Josh\u2019s restless nights was revealed. What he thought was insomnia was diabetes. Suddenly, it all made sense; the sleepless nights weren\u2019t just about the inability to rest but a sign of something more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Diabetes can be disguised as insomnia <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Josh has had sleep issues since the age of 15, first manifesting during a stressful exam period. Ever since then, he has had on-and-off periods of sleepless nights, with them hitting an all-time high last January. University dramatically impacted his sleep schedule from sleeping at 3 am to midnight dinners. Josh developed lots of unhealthy habits that he blamed for what he thought was insomnia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After years of struggling, six unbearable months and six different GPs, Josh finally had his sugar levels checked. They were a shocking 6 times higher than the average male for his age. As a paramedic science student, Josh was well aware of how dangerous this was. \u201cI thought, oh my god, am I going to die?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Someone with those high sugar levels should be taken to the hospital immediately, which is what Josh\u2019s GP contacted him about. Josh says, \u201cI should have been collapsed, unable to get out of bed, let alone function.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The problem was, Josh\u2019s body was so used to the high blood sugar levels that he was able to walk around and function. \u201cI say I was functioning now I look back I really wasn\u2019t but it just became my new normal and you get used to it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Symptoms<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Although there may not seem to be many similarities between insomnia symptoms and diabetes there are a few notable ones in Josh\u2019s case. The first being the constant tiredness, lack of sleep but almost a high at night, experiencing bursts of energy in the evening, Josh says, \u201cI would become so alert, I remember at one stage I started writing all my assignments at night, getting the urge to go to the gym because I couldn\u2019t sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like the opposite of being exhausted, but not full of energy, sounds crazy I know, but I just couldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is because the early symptoms of diabetes mimic the signs of insomnia. Due to increased glucose levels, Josh was becoming more resistant to insulin. The more resistant the less energy his body had. So, he would eat something in the morning and have no energy because it can\u2019t break the glucose down into something that can be used to charge up the ATP in your cells. Essentially, it would take all day for the food he ate to break down into energy, which then created the \u2018insomnia\u2019 because all of a sudden at night, he would get a massive burst of energy from everything he ate, and this would happen on a continuous cycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another persistent issue affecting Josh\u2019s sleep was waking up in the middle of the night to go to the toilet. This is because having high blood glucose levels can cause the body to excrete glucose via the urine. When more sugar appears in the urine, it stimulates extra volumes to be produced, in turn, this adds to the high levels of thirst those with diabetes experience. Josh says, \u201cI was so thirsty, and what I mean by thirsty is an unquenchable thirst. You could be downing litres of water, and yet you\u2019re still thirsty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m a paramedic, so I was aware of these symptoms. But I was in complete denial. I was like, “No, I can\u2019t have diabetes at 24.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How it affected Josh<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The symptoms of diabetes, mixed with the lack of sleep, had huge effects on Josh\u2019s day-to-day functioning. \u201cIt was like someone put a weight on my shoulders, and no matter what I did, I just walked along dragging it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re so tired that you feel it in your bones, you don\u2019t have the energy to move or talk. I became so snappy it really affected my mood.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lack of sleep also started to impact his work and ability to focus, which was detrimental as a paramedic student. \u201cI developed this mental fog during lectures and on placement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI would be with a patient while they\u2019re telling me how their loved one passed away, and all I can think about is keeping myself alert and awake. I would have to get my mentor to step in, it\u2019s so unprofessional and awful to experience those negative aspects.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How he dealt with it <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When Josh was diagnosed alongside medication, he also made a lot of lifestyle changes, including eating healthier and reducing sugary food, as the lower his sugar levels, the better he slept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Josh also made conscious improvements to his sleep schedule, regulating his bedtime and scrapping late-night snacks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alcohol is another factor that can cause blood sugar levels to spike, sometimes causing Josh to have bad sleep. But the main difference he finds is that the mix of Coke and orange juice hugely affects Josh. \u201cIt\u2019s trial and error. I just have to learn what works for me, without hugely missing out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Josh is currently taking the drug metformin but is in talks with his doctors about changing to the drug Ozempic, popularly known for weight loss, but originally used to treat type 2 diabetes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Helping others<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As a paramedic student Josh is dedicated to helping others and making sure that they do not have to deal with the same struggles as him. He has already educated and referred a number of patients for diabetes checks and diagnosis, helped individuals understand their medication and monitor their sugar levels after hypoglycaemic episodes where they\u2019ve collapsed and been unresponsive. \u201cIt\u2019s nice to be able to take my personal experience and professional knowledge and go and make a difference to someone else\u2019s life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Josh\u2019s experience shows just how deeply sleep can be impacted by underlying health issues, and how easily those issues can go unnoticed. His story highlights the importance of viewing persistent sleep problems as potential signs of something more serious. Now, with the right diagnosis and lifestyle changes, Josh is reclaiming his nights and  As a paramedic student, he’s helped others understand that sleep isn\u2019t just about rest, it\u2019s a vital sign of overall health. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have any concerns about the topics raised in this piece, contact your GP<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information on key disruptors:<\/p>\n\n\n\n