Morning Readings

[lyndasw]

Hi

It's been three weeks since I was diagnosed so still early days. Drastic changes to my diet and already have lost a fair bit of weight. I've bought the book that everyone recommended and keep dipping into that for advice. I pop on here most days for a 'read' and bought myself a meter and am testing my reaction to different food types and also doing a morning test before breakfast every day. What I don't understand is why my reading in the morning is virtually the same as when I went to bed I thought it would have dropped overnight? This is not a one off, it has happened everytime I have tested. Any ideas or is this normal?

Lynda

 

[Peter C]

Hi

It's been three weeks since I was diagnosed so still early days. Drastic changes to my diet and already have lost a fair bit of weight. I've bought the book that everyone recommended and keep dipping into that for advice. I pop on here most days for a 'read' and bought myself a meter and am testing my reaction to different food types and also doing a morning test before breakfast every day. What I don't understand is why my reading in the morning is virtually the same as when I went to bed I thought it would have dropped overnight? This is not a one off, it has happened everytime I have tested. Any ideas or is this normal?

Lynda

Hi there,
If it is becker's book you are referring to, check out the "Dawn Phenomenon" on page 82 -84.
basically in all humans the liver puts out glucose at dawn or before rising to set you up for the off the day. For nondmers it is no probelm, for us it can be. Its very annoying to go to bed with a sweet bg and get up with one several points higher.
There are variuos suggestions for cheatoing the Dp with different samll snacks at bedtime.

 

[Steff]

Hi lynda I cant say more then Peter he has pointed you in the right direction, I get the same almost every morning i go to bed on around 6.9-7.2 and wake up the same it got to me at first and i was very disheartened but now i know all about the DP i kinda think to myself deal with it .

 

[lyndasw]

Thanks both! Off to make a coffee now and sit and read the section on the DP

Lynda

 

[Northerner]

Hi

It's been three weeks since I was diagnosed so still early days. Drastic changes to my diet and already have lost a fair bit of weight. I've bought the book that everyone recommended and keep dipping into that for advice. I pop on here most days for a 'read' and bought myself a meter and am testing my reaction to different food types and also doing a morning test before breakfast every day. What I don't understand is why my reading in the morning is virtually the same as when I went to bed I thought it would have dropped overnight? This is not a one off, it has happened everytime I have tested. Any ideas or is this normal?

Lynda

Hi Lynda, it sounds as though you have got off to a great start! What sort of levels are you going to bed and waking on? If they are good (between about 5 and 8) then you have nothing to worry about. Although you are not eating whilst you sleep, your liver puts out a trickle of glucose to keep everything ticking along (your heart, lungs, brain etc.!) It's only likely to be Dawn Phenomenon if your levels are considerably higher in the morning than you went to bed on - this is when your liver decides to push out a lot of extra glucose as you wake, making your levels higher in the morning. From what you have said, your levels stay steady.

 

[lyndasw]

Hi Lynda, it sounds as though you have got off to a great start! What sort of levels are you going to bed and waking on? If they are good (between about 5 and 8) then you have nothing to worry about. Although you are not eating whilst you sleep, your liver puts out a trickle of glucose to keep everything ticking along (your heart, lungs, brain etc.!) It's only likely to be Dawn Phenomenon if your levels are considerably higher in the morning than you went to bed on - this is when your liver decides to push out a lot of extra glucose as you wake, making your levels higher in the morning. From what you have said, your levels stay steady.

Yes levels are normally between 7.0 and 8.5 (usually more in the 7s) both morning and night. I wont worry too much about this then. Thanks again 🙂

 

[Northerner]

Yes levels are normally between 7.0 and 8.5 (usually more in the 7s) both morning and night. I wont worry too much about this then. Thanks again 🙂

Those are good for three weeks in Lynda! And staying steady, which is also good🙂

 

[Carina1962]

hello Lyndasw, i was the same too, i was diagnosed last October (2009) and i felt the same about my fasting BG levels and it used to dishearten me too but now that i've had my first HbA1c and it was OK, i've sort of accepted it although i would love it to be in the 5's but my lowest one morning was 6.2 and it's a nice feeling to see that so hopefully they will some days drop down. I still get what i consider 'high' readings first thing in the morning but it's not every day and i find if i have a little protein snack before bed (ie a piece of cheese like a cheese string or a pepperami or peanut butter) with no carbs, my morning readings are better. Good luck with it all, there is a lot to take in at first but you will be fine, remember all of us here were at your stage 🙂