December 16, 2001
Behavior
Question from San Antonio, Texas, USA:
My 58 year old husband, who has had type�2 diabetes for 12 years, falls flat asleep for one-half to two hours every time he eats. He does this at home, restaurants, alone, or with groups, and he is also having extreme fits of anger, mood swings,and personality changes. He just had a check-up, and his sugar levels are okay. Is this normal?
Answer:
This problem may have many causes. First, I would recommend checking his blood sugar two hours after he eats to see if the post-meal blood sugar is significantly elevated which can be treated. In addition, I would look to other common problems which occur in individuals with pronounced daytime somnolence. Does he snore? Is he overweight? Could he have obstructive sleep apnea? Does he sleep at night? Is he depressed? Is he on medication which causes excessive somnolence? These questions need to be answered with help from your husband’s physicians.
JTL
