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noblerare Asked June 2016

Grandfather wakes up hungry in the middle of the night. Any ideas of what might be the problem?

My grandfather is 87 years old and lives on his own. His wife died 7 years ago which was hard on him emotionally but he has been hanging in there. He's always had a hard time sleeping and whatnot but so far so he's gotten by. Only until recently (for several months now), he's been complaining that he wakes up hungry in the middle of the night. The doctor prescribed him some sleeping medicine to help him sleep deeper and not wake up. This was helpful for a while; he didn't wake up hungry and slept until morning. However, now the waking-up-hungry symptom is kicking back up again and now I am worried if it is a symptom of something else going wrong. The obvious answer is to just have him eat more at night but he isn't hungry and besides, he's been doing the same thing for the last several years without a problem. This whole waking-up-hungry thing only started a few months ago. Does anyone have any ideas of what might be the problem?

pamstegma Jun 2016
A nice bowl of milk and cereal always works for me. I am old.

jeannegibbs Jun 2016
Has grandfather had his blood sugar checked lately?

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Sunnygirl1 Jun 2016
It is a mystery. I think I would start with a good physical exam and if he's already had one, get another with this new info as the reason. I would ask to have his blood sugar level checked. Is he diabetic? Does he take medication for this? Has he ever had low blood sugar levels? Some people have this, even if they are not on medication. I am diabetic and if my blood sugar drops low in the night, I will awake feeling VERY hungry as well as shaky and nervous. I have to drink juice and have a snack, but I could easily eat a sandwich and much more. Just something to check out. Also, some medications can make you hungrier.

JessieBelle Jun 2016
It may be that nothing is the problem. Maybe his blood sugar is going down some. Buy him some of the snack packs of crackers that he can munch on if he wakes up. A trip to the bathroom, a few crackers, and a touch of water and maybe he can sleep again.

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