Frequently Asked Questions

• What is the SLEEP SENTRY® ?
• How does it work?
• Does the SLEEP SENTRY® read blood sugar levels?
• How low do my blood sugars have to go before the SLEEP SENTRY® alarm sounds?
• Will the SLEEP SENTRY® alarm sound for reasons other than Hypoglycemia?
• Is the SLEEP SENTRY® suitable for children?
• How accurate is the SLEEP SENTRY®?
• Is the SLEEP SENTRY® suitable for all people with insulin dependent Diabetes?
• Is there any pain or discomfort?
• Is the SLEEP SENTRY® waterproof?
• What is the cost of the SLEEP SENTRY®?
• Is there any other monitor or alarm available that addresses the concerns of low blood sugars in insulin dependent diabetics?
  

What is the SLEEP SENTRY®?
The SLEEP SENTRY® is a monitor worn on the wrist which detects perspiration and/or a drop in skin temperature, two common symptoms of Hypoglycemia. When either one or the other of these two reactions occurs, an audible alarm is sounded.

How does it work?
The SLEEP SENTRY® has sensors built into the back surface of the case which make contact with the skin and continuously send electronic information to the microprocessor in the circuitry. If information varies from the automatic preset levels established when the SLEEP SENTRY® was first attached a warning alarm will sound. When this occurs the diabetic must do a blood test to determine if hypoglycemia is in fact occurring.

Does the SLEEP SENTRY® read blood sugar levels?
NO. The SLEEP SENTRY® is only monitoring for the symptoms which may accompany hypoglycemia, namely perspiration and/or a drop in skin temperature. Either of these symptoms or a combination of both will trigger the alarm. If an alarm sounds you must do a blood test to determine blood sugar levels. You can not be sure that the alarm is sounding due to hypoglycemia, as perspiration of any kind will cause an alarm to sound, and many people perspire at night for reasons other than hypoglycemia.

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How low do my blood sugars have to go before the SLEEP SENTRY® alarm sounds?
This will vary from person to person, since every person begins to exhibit symptoms of hypoglycemia at different blood sugar levels. For some people 70mg/dl will cause symptoms to occur, while others may need to drop to 30mg/dl or below before they exhibit symptoms. You will need to monitor blood sugar levels after several alarms are triggered, and attributed to symptoms of hypoglycemia. This will give you an indicator as to what level your body begins to exhibit these symptoms.

Some people have "Hypoglycemia unawareness" and may not exhibit symptoms at all, or until their blood sugar levels are extremely low. These people should talk with their diabetes specialist about how to get their symptoms back before starting on the SLEEP SENTRY® monitoring program.

Will the SLEEP SENTRY® alarm sound for reasons other than Hypoglycemia?
Yes. These are called "false positives" and occur whenever perspiration is present or a drop in temperature occurs. This may happen for various reasons, such as when you are dreaming, sick, on medication or the room is too hot. It is not uncommon for some people to experience one false positive per night but these can oftentimes be reduced over time by determining what is causing the perspiration (perhaps bedroom is too hot), or drop in temperature (strap may be too loose, open window etc.) and working to eliminate these causes. We at Diabetes Sentry Products Inc. are more than happy to work with all customers to try and reduce the number of false alarms.

The SLEEP SENTRY® is designed for those diabetics who have a severe enough problem with nocturnal hypoglycemia that they are willing to accept "false positives" as part of the SLEEP SENTRY® monitoring program. It is imperative that the potential purchaser of the monitor completely understand the "false positive" potential and if it is not acceptable, the SLEEP SENTRY® monitoring program will not be suitable, as "false positives" are the key to understanding and accepting the SLEEP SENTRY® as a tool.

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Is the SLEEP SENTRY® suitable for children?
Yes, although children commonly perspire at night for reasons other than hypoglycemia, causing sometimes frequent "false positives". It is up to the parents to decide whether this is something they would consider suitable.

How accurate is the SLEEP SENTRY®?
From the clinical studies done on the original SLEEP SENTRY® we know that when hypoglycemia was confirmed as being present the SLEEP SENTRY® alarm sounded 90% of the time. The 10% of the time that the alarm did not sound was attributed primarily to human error, such as the monitor was worn too loosely. We know that the SLEEP SENTRY® will sound the alarm when either of the two alarm states is present and will do so with a very high degree of reliability. The SLEEP SENTRY® cannot determine why the symptoms are present, so whenever it detects these symptoms it sounds the alarm no matter what the reason. You must do a blood test every time the alarm sounds to determine if you are indeed experiencing hypoglycemia.

Is the SLEEP SENTRY® suitable for all people with insulin dependent Diabetes?
No. The SLEEP SENTRY® will only work for those people who exhibit the symptoms of perspiration and/or a drop in skin temperature, when hypoglycemic. The SLEEP SENTRY® is designed for insulin dependent diabetics who have frequent episodes of hypoglycemia and have had enough bad experiences over a reasonable period of time, so that they are very, very aware of the dire consequences of a nocturnal episode, for example the cost of medical attention and long term detrimental effects.

The SLEEP SENTRY® is not an appropriate monitoring tool for those who are not willing to accept "false positives" as a part of the monitoring program.

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Is there any pain or discomfort?
No. Straps have Velcro closures and can be adjusted for fit, simply and comfortably.

Is the SLEEP SENTRY® waterproof?
Not totally. The SLEEP SENTRY® is designed to withstand perspiration and may be cleaned with a wet cloth and towel dried, but should never be immersed in water (i.e. shower or bath).

What is the cost of the SLEEP SENTRY®?
The cost of the SLEEP SENTRY® is $389.00 US plus shipping & handling, this includes one set of batteries. The cost for the 3 replacement batteries is approximately $10.00-$15.00. Batteries should last 6 to 12 months. There are no additional accessories required.

Is there any other monitor or alarm available that addresses the concerns of low blood sugars in insulin dependent diabetics?

No. Please refer to literature enclosed titled "The SLEEP SENTRY® Monitor, An aid for detecting nighttime hypoglycemia", by John Walsh, PA, CDE

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