dawn phenomenon

[timbla]

was just reading about the production of hormones in the early hours before waking, that can result in high FBGs first thing, something which i have been struggling with a bit of late.

it seems logical to me that one way to counter this would be to get up before those numbers drift too high, and go for a run/walk or something. i am thinking this might be a useful strategy particularly for diet and exercisers, but of benefit of course to all.

is there anyone here who does this - ie, gets out of bed while BGs are still at a reasonable level (but ostensibly rising), and exercises?

i would be curious to know what kind of FBGs people get first thing in the morning too. any thoughts on this would be gratefully appreciated.

t

 

[Northerner]

Actually, one of the best things you can do is have breakfast, whether carby or not, as this usually 'switches off' the glucose production from the liver. 🙂

 

[timbla]

wow. that seems counter-intuitive to me. wake up, BGs higher than desirable, so eat breakfast. of course, this is exactly what ends up happening, but i would have thought this had the effect of elevating BG levels even further.

i am so frustrated with the breakfast thing to be honest...

 

[Northerner]

wow. that seems counter-intuitive to me. wake up, BGs higher than desirable, so eat breakfast. of course, this is exactly what ends up happening, but i would have thought this had the effect of elevating BG levels even further.

i am so frustrated with the breakfast thing to be honest...

It's one of the trickiest things to deal with unfortunately, your liver likes to give you a glucose boost when you wake and only stops when you eat. Bacon and eggs might help - protein breakfast but still stops the liver 🙂

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Some people find a late night snack (low in carbs but high in protein/fat) cam keep the liver happy overnight making it think the body is fuelled and reducing the need for the early morning glucose 'boost'. Of all aspects of diabetes counter-regulatory hormones are certainly the thing which cause me the most trouble.

 

[SusieGriff]

I find my BS are lowest when I've had something to eat just before bed. even if it's half a biscuit, it always seems to work for me.

 

[timbla]

i just dont understand why my morning levels have been rising of late. i have not done anything different. for weeks, i'd wake up and test and it would be anything between 5.4 and 6.0. i felt ok with this. i am not taking any medicines so this seemed reasonable. but i have not tested under 6.0 in over a week now. my reading this morning was 6.8, which i have never had before.

so how can this be?

i ate vegetable kebabs last night with nothing more sinister on them than lemon juice, salt and pepper. i also had one greek yoghurt, no fat, but added a tiny amount of honey. but i have been eating this for weeks too and havent noticed anything untoward in either my pre-bedtime or morning readings.

its really upsetting and suggests to me that perhaps the diet and exercise regime isnt very effective.

i wouldnt mind so much if id gorged myself on carb/sugar-heavy treats.

i know there are others here who are in far worse situations, and maybe i should still be a little more positive about things, but i am new to this still, and trying my hardest to stay moving and eat well, but i am not getting the results i should - apart from the weight loss which is nice.

 

[Copepod]

Timbla, you're also right that early morning exercise is good - walking / cycling / running to work suits me perfectly, but I'm not working outside house today and orienteering is tonight, so cycling there, then running, will be my main exercise of day. Already had low carb breakfast of strawberries (straight from garden) and yogurt.

 

[trophywench]

Peoples blood sugar doesn't always follow anyone's rules; it can go higher and lower and we usually say it's because there's an R in the month or Andy Murray won a match at Wimbledon, ie there appears to be absolutely no sensible reason for it.

Nobody's BG does the same thing every morning or every anything else. It will increase when it's cold and drop when it's warmer. That one is entirely logical though, cells are more efficient once they warm up - just like a car engine - and therefore need less insulin to get the job done so BG will drop and vice versa.

You could have a slight infection.

Virtually anything!

But do try the bedtime snack, shedloads of peeps find it works.

Finally you do realise, don't you, that despite all your best efforts you might have to have medications at some stage? - if your pancreas decides to carry on deteriorating? I mean you are clearly being pro-active about it which is brill and you aren't gonna sit there and let it sweep over you - but sometimes even the 'fittest' people need a helping hand - no reflection on you or them.

 

[novorapidboi26]

Another problem with getting up every morning to beat the hormone cocktail with exercise is that your body/body clock would adjust/adapt to your new time of waking and then start releasing the glucagon/stress hormones before you get up............so you can never beat it really.............

 

[timbla]

i accept that i may well need meds at some point. i was just hoping to delay it for as long as possible.

i will try the pre bedtime snack, although to be honest, one of the hardest things i have had to deal with over the years is my late-night eating habits which were partly to blame for my weight gain in the first place. so eating quite soon before going to sleep is something i do anyway.

i was actually going to try to do the opposite, and NOT eat anything before i go to bed and see if that helps.

its just weird that a few weeks ago the levels were within an acceptable range, and now they're not, and i have done nothing different to warrant that.

i just went for a 4 mile run, well walk/run and found a pound coin on the ground. i took that as a good sign, but then i am a sucker for little omens like that. i want to check my BG level now but just found i only have one test strip left, which i will need for tomorrow morning's test. i am still getting them prescribed from my doc, but having read some of the posts about this issue on here, i am wondering just how much longer that will continue.

thanks to all for your help.

i think for me at least, if i cannot manage my BG levels by what i am doing now, then the next stage, before getting on the meds, would be to give the raw food option a go. i have read a lot of positive things about raw food diets and the benefits for diabetics. its a daunting prospect, but surely worth a try. i know i asked on here before if there were any members who were on the raw food trip, and didnt get a response. so the enquiry goes out again...any raw foodies on here?

thanks again everyone.

t