How To Lower Morning Blood Sugar
It seems strange to be able to keep blood sugar levels in control throughout the day and have morning blood sugar high, right?
I mean, it doesnt seem logical. After all, you havent eaten anything so it should be lower shouldnt it?
Its a common assumption and it would seem logical, but it is common for people with type 2 diabetes to have high blood sugar in the morning.
Why?
Because your body continues to produce glucose even when you dont eat. Its called gluconeogenesis.
This is a natural process for all of us. But in diabetes many people have increased gluconeogensis.
Another reason is that cortisol is the hormone that slowly increases in levels from around 3 am onwards to reach its peak early in the morning. Cortisol has a direct influence on blood sugar levels too elevating them.
Still, there are practical things you can do to lower morning blood sugar levels, heres how
What Is The Somogyi Effect
A second possible cause of high blood sugar levels in the morning is the Somogyi effect, sometimes also called rebound hyperglycemia. It was named after the doctor who first wrote about it.
If your blood sugar drops too low in the middle of the night while you are sleeping, your body will release hormones in an attempt to rescue you from the dangerously low blood sugar. The hormones do this by prompting your liver to release stored glucose in larger amounts than usual. But this system isnt perfect in a person with diabetes, so the liver releases more sugar than needed which leads to a high blood sugar level in the morning. This is the Somogyi effect.
Target Blood Sugar Levels For Pregnant Women With Diabetes
It’s possible for diabetes to cause problems during pregnancy. For example, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, women with type 1 and type 2 diabetes who have uncontrolled blood sugar levels could experience an increased risk of having a premature baby, needing a C-section and more.
Gestational diabetes a type of diabetes that occurs in a pregnant woman who has never been diagnosed with diabetes before can also cause complications. These include giving birth to a baby who is larger than average and an increased risk of needing a C-section. The ADA suggests that pregnant women shoot for a target fasting blood sugar level of 95 mg/dL or less before a meal.
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What Causes High Blood Sugar Levels In The Morning
Commonly known reasons why your blood sugar may be high in the morning include high-carb bedtime snacks and not enough diabetes medications.
Yet two lesser-known reasons may be causing your morning blood sugar woes: the dawn phenomenon and the Somogyi effect. These causes of high morning blood sugar levels are a result of body changes and reactions that happen while you are sleeping.
How Can High Blood Sugar Levels In The Morning Be Controlled
Once you and your doctor determine how your blood sugar levels are behaving at night, he or she can advise you about the changes you need to make to better control them. Options that your doctor may discuss depend on the cause of the morning high blood sugars.
For dawn phenomenon:
- Changing the timing or type of your diabetes medications
- Eating a lighter breakfast
- Increasing your morning dose of diabetes medication
- If you take insulin, switching to an insulin pump and programming it to release additional insulin in the morning
For Somogyi effect:
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What Should I Eat Before Bed To Avoid Hypoglycemia
If you check and you notice that your levels are close to 70 mg/dL at bedtime, then you know you might be at risk, Dr. Shah says. In this case, he recommends eating some complex carbohydrates, like a peanut butter sandwich, an apple with peanut butter or one slice of multigrain toast with some avocado.
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What to Focus On:
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Why Is My Morning Blood Sugar So High
A complex array of factors affects blood sugar levels, including hormones, diet, and lifestyle.
Q: I have prediabetes and now eat minimal carbs and sugar. My doctor told me to monitor my sugar levels, morning and night. At night, two hours after eating, my sugar levels are between 112 and 130 mg/dL . But in the morning, my fasting sugar level is always higher than the night number. Why is that? What am I doing wrong?
There are a few reasons why your blood sugar may be elevated in the morning. First, its important to understand that certain hormonal changes that occur overnight may lead to high blood sugar levels in the morning.
Dont Eat If Your Blood Sugar Is Over 150 Mg/dl
Q: Recently I read an article in Post Graduate Medicine . The article suggests the patient not eat if the blood glucose is greater than 150 mg/dl. I would appreciate you reading this article and giving me your opinion. Donna Doty, RN, BSN, CDE Methodist Hospital Gary, IN My routine advice is as follows: if the blood glucose value is over 150 mg/dl before a meal, insulin should be taken and the meal postponed until the blood glucose is below 150 mg/dl. The glucose level should be checked hourly until it is below 200 mg/dl and then every 1/2 hour until it is below 150 mg/dl. A level that is still high after 1 1/2 to 2 hours without the patients eating is an indication that it was a good thing the patient didnt eat! In the past, most patients would have eaten, saying, my doctor told me never to miss or be late for a meal because I could get hypoglycemia. However, if the insulin was taken 3 hours previously and the blood glucose level remained above 150 mg/dl, food obviously was not necessary. What happens if the blood glucose level is still high after 2 to 3 hours? A few more units of insulin should be taken and the meal again postponed until the glucose level is below 150 mg/dl. OccasionaContinue reading >>
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Is 135 Blood Sugar High In The Morning
So its most commonly done before breakfast in the morning; and the normal range there is 70 to 100 milligrams per deciliter. Now when you eat a meal, blood sugar generally rises and in a normal individual it usually does not get above a 135 to 140 milligrams per deciliter.
How Long Does It Take To Lower Blood Sugar On A Low Carb Diet
Lessons LearnedLow Carb ExperienceHigh Carb ExperienceTake insulin at meal start, after, or not at all.Critical to take insulin before mealsEasier to track boluses one or two unit boluses stop lowering blood glucose in ~2 hoursHarder to track boluses large doses can still be lowering glucose at 4+ hours
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Do Lemons Lower Blood Sugar
Lemons also have a low glycemic index , and a meal with a low GI promotes lower blood sugar and insulin levels after eating. Citrus fruits like lemons also contain flavonoids, naringin, and naringenin all of which can have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant effects, according to a 2014 study in Advances in Nutrition.
Have A Protein/ Fat Combined Snack
Many people find that a bedtime snack helps lower morning highs.
This is most likely because it shortens the fasting time and may slow down the livers own glucose production. If youre not using the apple cider vinegar method above, try having a mix of protein and fat combined before going to bed.
Here are a few ideas:
- A tablespoon of natural peanut butter
- A small piece of chicken with avocado or 5 olives
- A small handful of macadamia nuts
- A couple of slices of cheese
These are all simple snacks that contain both protein and fat.
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How Many Carbs Should A Type 2 Diabetic Have In A Day
The Basics of Counting Carbs
You can use these basic tips to help manage your carb consumption: Foods that contain carbohydrates include starches, fruits, vegetables, dairy products, beans, and sweets. Most people with type 2 diabetes should stick to eating around 45 to 60 grams of carbohydrates per meal.2 2016 .
What Is The Dawn Phenomenon
Your body uses glucose for energy and it is important to have enough extra energy to be able to wake up in the morning. So for a period of time in the early morning hours, usually between 3 a.m. and 8 a.m., your body starts churning out stored glucose to prepare for the upcoming day.
At the same time, your body releases hormones that reduce your sensitivity to insulin. In addition, these events may be happening while your diabetes medication doses taken the day before are wearing off.
These events cause your body’s blood sugar levels to rise in the morning .
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Why Does The Concentration Of Glucose In The Blood Increase
The concentration of glucose in a persons blood can increase after they have eaten a meal containing lots of carbohydrates. The concentration of glucose in the blood is regulated by the action of the hormones insulin and glucagon . These hormones are made in the pancreas and act on cells in the liver.
What To Expect From Your Blood Sugar In The Morning
After an overnight fast, a normal blood sugar level is less than 100 milligrams per deciliter , according to the American Diabetes Association . But, according to Susan Spratt, MD, an endocrinologist and associate professor of medicine at Duke University School of Medicine, not everyone with type 1 or type 2 diabetes has to shoot for “normal” levels.
“If you’re young, the goal may be to get your fasting blood sugar levels to less than 120 mg/dL,” Dr. Spratt says. But if you’re older and have other health conditions, that number may be higher, she says.
The ADA points out that not everyone will have the same blood sugar level goals. Instead, your endocrinologist or doctor will calculate your target number based on your age, how long you’ve had diabetes, whether you have health conditions like heart disease and other factors.
Keep in mind, too, that your fasting blood sugar levels can be too low. For example, a morning blood sugar reading below 70 mg/dL can indicate a hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar.
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Adopt A Healthy Morning Ritual
Developing a morning ritual is a great habit for a healthy mind and body and it will also help lower your morning blood sugar as well.
When you get up, have a small protein/ fat combined snack , then try doing some stretching or go for a shortwalk first thing in the morning just 5-10 minutes to get moving.
Exercise improves insulin sensitivity and moves glucose out of the muscles and into the cells.
Its often best to have that protein/ fat snack first though, before you do the exercise.
Speak To Your Physician
Make sure you speak to your physician and healthcare team about making dietary and lifestyle changes.
And, if you think your morning levels are way too high, or no matter what you do you cant get them down, talk to your physician or health practitioner to see if you might need to alter your medication.
When it comes to lowering morning blood sugar levels, it really is a combination of things that can help.
Start with the apple cider vinegar and cheese before bed and see how that goes. Then, try working on all the other things in this list.
Give it some time and no doubt you will begin to see some great improvements.
Have you tried something else that worked? Have some comments youd like to add? Leave them below and lets chat about it.
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Why Is My Blood Sugar High On An Empty Stomach
Blood sugar level rises every time you eat
Some peoples blood sugar level remains high two hours after eating, even though on an empty stomach it would be at a normal level. As a result, the risk of developing diabetes increases as insulin is not properly secreted, or does not work properly in the body.
High Blood Sugar Levels In The Morning
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A person usually has slightly higher blood sugar or glucose levels in the morning. But, in some people with diabetes, these levels are significantly high.
that get worse over time, due to these blood sugar spikes.
According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, healthy blood sugar levels are:
- from 80130 milligrams per deciliter just before eating
- below 180 mg/dl 2 hours after eating
In addition, they note that:
- A low blood sugar level is under 70 mg/dl.
- A high blood sugar level is over 180 mg/dl.
There are two main causes of high blood sugar in the morning: the dawn phenomenon and the Somogyi effect.
This article explores these causes, including what they can mean for a persons health and when to see a doctor.
The dawn phenomenon relates to natural body changes that occur during the sleep cycle.
In the morning, everyone experiences a slight rise in blood glucose levels. A person without diabetes will not experience effects, as their body can adjust. For a person with diabetes, however, this rise can be significant, and it may need treatment.
At the same time, the body is producing glucagon, another hormone, which can lead to a further rise in blood sugar.
This happens just as nighttime levels of insulin are starting to taper off.
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Why Your Blood Sugar Is High In The Morning And How To Lower It
- Your blood sugar levels might be high in the morning if you are experiencing the dawn phenomenon or the Somogyi effect.;
- The dawn phenomenon is most common in people with type 2 diabetes, while the Somogyi effect is more common for people with type 1 diabetes.;
- To lower your morning blood sugars, you can try light exercise before bed, limit carbohydrates in the evening, and put more time in between your last meal and bedtime.;
- Visit Insider’s Health Reference library for more advice.
People with diabetes have a more difficult time regulating their blood sugar. Those with type 1 diabetes are not able to produce insulin, the hormone that helps the body convert blood sugar into energy. And those with type 2 diabetes cannot use insulin effectively.;
As a result, blood sugar levels are often much higher for people with diabetes, especially in the morning. Here’s why.;
How Soon After Waking Up Should I Test My Blood Sugar
Blood sugar testing at home
In most cases, doctors ask people to measure fasting blood sugar immediately upon waking and before they have anything to eat or drink. It may also be appropriate to test blood sugar before eating or sometimes 2 hours after a meal when blood sugar has returned to normal levels.
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High Blood Sugar In The Morning: Is It The Dawn Phenomenon
If you have high blood sugar levels in the morning, you may be experiencing the dawn phenomenon, the name given to an increase in blood sugar that usually occurs between 2 a.m. and 8 a.m., according to the Mayo Clinic. One reason this occurs: During the early hours of the morning, our bodies secrete higher levels of a hormone called cortisol, says Dr. Spratt. When cortisol levels are high, it can make you more resistant to insulin, a hormone that helps regulate your blood sugar levels.
“Some people have a striking dawn phenomenon,” says Dr. Spratt. “You can look at their continuous glucose tracing and see that their blood sugar level suddenly goes up at 3 a.m.” If this is the case for you, your doctor may adjust your insulin medication or suggest you use an insulin pump .
Can My Dinner Affect My Morning Blood Glucose
Can My Dinner Affect My Morning Blood Glucose? Q: I have type 2 diabetes and control it with diet and exercise. My blood sugar is 130-142 mg/dl in the morning. What can I eat in the evening to get it lower in the morning? The rest of the day is fine: 100-104 mg/dl before meals and 130-135 mg/dl after meals. A:Fasting blood glucose is largely influenced by the liver’s overnight activity. The liver converts stored glucose into usable blood glucose during the night to keep the body from developing hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, while asleep. In type 2 diabetes, however, the liver tends to release too much glucose into the bloodstream overnight. This can result in elevated fasting blood glucose. Following a carbohydrate- and portion-controlled meal plan and staying physically active are smart things to do to manage diabetes — good effort on your part! But type 2 diabetes is progressive, meaning your body can’t efficiently use the insulin it makes, and it produces less and less insulin over time. You may need medicine to better use your body’s own insulin or to replace insulin it no longer makes. The medication metformin is now recommended on diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, in addition to using food and exercise, to keep blood glucose in control. Read our guide on oral medications for people with diabetes to learn more about metformin and other drugs. Virginia Zamudio Lange, R.N., M.S.N., CDE, is a member of Diabetic Living’s editorial advisory board.Continue reading >>
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