When you first found out you had diabetes, you tested your blood sugar often. Doing so helped you understand how food, activity, stress, and illness could affect your blood sugar levels. By now, you’ve got it figured out for the most part. But then—bam! Something makes your blood sugar zoom up. You try to adjust it with food or activity or insulin, and it dips really low. You’re on a roller coaster no one with diabetes wants to ride. Show
Do you know all these blood sugar triggers? Knowledge is power! Look out for these surprising triggers that can send your blood sugar soaring:
Watch out for other triggers that can make your blood sugar fall. For example, extreme heat can cause blood vessels to dilate (widen). That makes insulin absorb more quickly and could lead to low blood sugar. If an activity or food is new, check your blood sugar before and after to see how you respond. Learn More
What is the dawn phenomenon that some people with diabetes experience? Can anything be done about it?Answer From M. Regina Castro, M.D. The dawn phenomenon, also called the dawn effect, is the term used to describe an abnormal early-morning increase in blood sugar (glucose) — usually between 2 a.m. and 8 a.m. — in people with diabetes. Some researchers believe the natural overnight release of the so-called counter-regulatory hormones — including growth hormone, cortisol, glucagon and epinephrine — increases insulin resistance, causing blood sugar to rise. High morning blood sugar may also be caused by insufficient insulin the night before, insufficient anti-diabetic medication dosages or carbohydrate snack consumption at bedtime. If you have persistently elevated blood sugar in the morning, checking your blood sugar once during the night — around 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. — for several nights in a row will help you and your doctor determine if you have the dawn phenomenon or if there's another reason for an elevated morning blood sugar reading. What you can doYour doctor may recommend a number of options to help you prevent or correct high blood sugar levels in the morning:
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. How can I lower my fasting blood sugar in the morning?How can high blood sugar levels in the morning be controlled?. 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.. What should your blood sugar level be in the morning before eating?What should your blood sugar be when you wake up? Whenever possible, aim to keep your glucose levels in range between 70 and 130 mg/dL in the morning before you eat breakfast, and between 70 and 180 mg/dL at other times.
Why is my blood sugar only high in the morning?In people with prediabetes or diabetes, morning blood sugar can remain high as the body becomes less sensitive to insulin or produces smaller amounts of insulin. This is known as the “dawn phenomenon.” High blood sugar in the mornings affects roughly half of all people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Why is my blood sugar high when I have not eaten anything?This means that your blood sugar may be high in the morning, even before you eat anything. A few things can cause this surge in blood sugar, including: hormone release early in the morning that increases insulin resistance. insufficient insulin or medication left in your body from the night before.
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