Beth Miller tearing up the slopes.

During winter, most people’s schedules slow down; they cozy up inside their homes with a good book or two and wait for spring to come. I am completely opposite, when winter comes, I am the busiest kid around, and that’s why it’s important for me to set a goal or two for myself. Usually, I’ll only set a goal for my ski racing, a goal for an accomplishment in competition, or in training, but this year, Chris approached me and challenged me to think of a goal including not only my sport, but my diabetes too. I thought over his proposal and realized, this is a goal I should be taking on every year, it may even be more important than a competition goal. After a couple of moments of thought, I came to my decision.

Since last May, I have taken on the challenge of checking my blood sugars over night, a huge step to more independence, and I have realized that night time blood sugars are just as difficult and important to manage. I recently took a trip to the Yukon for a ski camp with my ski team, and I was on my own for my diabetes management; my night time numbers were a mess. That trip is the exact reason why I am taking on the challenge to push myself to good night time management on my own.

What my parents and I have noticed is that if my night time numbers are off, so will my A1c. Nights can make a huge difference in a 3-month average of blood glucose levels, and although my A1c is still in a good range, we have noticed it creeping up when my nights aren’t as good. So to keep my A1c numbers from creeping out of control, I am challenging myself to really commit to my night time blood sugars, even if that means setting louder alarms so I don’t sleep through them, going to sleep earlier, or reaching out for help or advice. I am challenging diabetes and myself, and I hope to crush this challenge over the course of this winter.