Morning sugar management....

[layzellm]

OK, So I have been diagnosed with diabetes for a good few years now. A couple of heart attacks 18 months apart have encouraged me to start taking things a bit more seriously.

I am 46 years old, and have decided to embark on the couch to 5k, and improve my food choices.. I am also monitoring my blood sugar levels a LOT. About 8-10 times a day, to get a better understanding of how it fluctuates.

So, my problem is mornings. Some days I go to bed with a blood sugar of 6, and wake up with a blood sugar of 8+... despite no late night eating.
In the morning, I tried bran flakes or porridge, with no sugar - taking my Glic & Met tablets with the meal, and my bloods still spiked well into double figures, 2 hours later. (13 on average)
Now this morning, I woke up with an ok 7.8 - went for my day 2 couch to 5k run with only water consumed... checked my bloods on my return to find it at 9.8...

It seems that my body just generates sugar all by itself in the mornings, and I don't really know what I am doing wrong... Can anyone offer any advice?

I am trying a much more protein breakfast today, of turkey bacon & poached egg....1 more hour, and I'll see how this breakfast impacts things...

 

[Bruce Stephens]

It seems that my body just generates sugar all by itself in the mornings, and I don't really know what I am doing wrong... Can anyone offer any advice?

It does, yes. You get an increase in cortisol causing an increase in glucose. It's called the dawn phenomenon. Nothing much we can do about it except the usual things you might do (go for a quick walk, say), or in my case take a small dose of insulin. Some people claim that eating something (some nuts, say) can reduce it a bit.

 

[Ljc]

Cereals can be quite high in carbohydrates which boost our blood glucose levels, some people’s bodies can’t tolerate porridge even though it is healthy, so it might be raising your glucose levels as well as the dawn phenomenon that Bruce mentioned . DP. (dawn phenomenon) sometimes a small portion of a very low carbohydrate snack , ie cheese or a few walnuts /almonds just before bed helps prevent the liver boosting our glucose levels in the early hours so we have the energy to go hunting a mammoth for breakfast.

Are you using your glucose meter to find out which and how many carbohydrates you body can cope with , if not this blog by Alan S explains how

test-test-test.
I and others do it slightly differently
By testing directly before eating then two hours later as it’s the difference between the two readings that show how well you tolerated that meal/snack
Ie ifyour two hour test showed you to be 12 .O you would understandably think it was a no no, but your pre meal level may have been high to begin with ie 10.1 so that meal was actually fine fine .

 

[Drummer]

As you are eating carbohydrate in the form of starch there is no benefit in them being sugar free - they are carbs and will be absorbed as glucose as soon as they are digested.
Eating protein but low fat foods can result in the protein being broken down into glucose, as your body needs fuel, which when eating low carb is usually sourced from fats.
Your liver will release glucose from its stores if you exercise fasting - that is a normal reaction so you can hunt down something to eat. I find that eating about 10 gm of carbs along with breakfast will reassure my liver that there is food around and there is no need for any intervention.
For many type twos it is enough just to eat low carb foods - with the medication you are on you could go low if you were to reduce carbs as low as I go, and with having had heart problems your medical team probably want you to eat low fat as that is the normal advice. You might find that you do not have the energy to do the training for a 5K run, as it is problematic - the gliclazide will be getting rid of glucose, and the exercise will be burning it, and you could experience hypos.

 

[layzellm]

Here is a typical morning for me. Up at 6:30, check blood - 8.2, damn a little high.... Quick shower, get dressed, pack bag and drive to work, only consume water (No tea/coffee or breakfast yet) - check bloods 7:40am - 9.6..... double damn.

 

[Barbie1]

And congratulations on starting C25K, a brilliant programme to get fitter.

Can’t help on the blood sugar front myself, as am totally useless at controlling my own, but I do find if I start exercise on blood sugar too high, it actually increases instead of decreases, so I do try to reduce it to below 10 in the morning before I go out. You may find your own crucial level is different.

BTW I would recommend joining the NHS Health Unlocked C25k forum, it is full of very supportive people who are doing or have completed the programme, including some others with diabetes

 

[layzellm]

I've decided to try eating a small handful of low GI dried fruit in front of the run, to try and convince my body that food is coming, and don't panic...I'll let you know how it goes next week,...

 

[Bruce Stephens]

Worth a try. It's also the case that some exercise (anaerobic exercise) can increase blood glucose rather than decrease it. You might be doing some of that if you're mixing in episodes of sprinting, say. (I don't think anyone would say you shouldn't do that, but if you are it might explain what you're seeing.)

 

[ChrisT2D]

I agree with Ljc, I've just started testing to understand my tolerance to different foods. Yesterday morning after waking my reading was 9.2 I had 2 slices of granary (massive carb cravings after trying to go low carb) and 2 hours after my reading was 17.9!!! Comparing this to today, I had scrambled eggs with mushrooms and a 95% pork sausage and the reduced sugar and salt baked beans. Pre reading was 9.1 post breakfast was 12.2. Test away (cheapish lots and strips on amazon) and keep a diary (I use an app now for recording my readings)

 

[Drummer]

I've decided to try eating a small handful of low GI dried fruit in front of the run, to try and convince my body that food is coming, and don't panic...I'll let you know how it goes next week,...

That is a very dense high carb food. It might work - or it might make things worse - we are all different. GI has no relevance for me.
Personally, I eat about 10 gm of carbs first thing, along with protein and fat as that seems to reassure various organs that all is well.

 

[ColinUK]

I’ve got the joy of testing to come as my BG monitor is currently winging its way to me.

How are you getting on with the C25K? I really enjoyed the Zombie Run version last year until I tore a tendon but I’ll do it again I’m sure.

 

[ChrisT2D]

My frustration at the moment is I never seem to get a low reading. I had lunch at 12 today, tested when I got home at 6:30pm and was 9.1. Taken all my meds as usual. The weight loss is important to me at the moment. Doing lots of walking. Considering joining that low carb diet programme for inspiration but it's 14.99 a month!

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

My frustration at the moment is I never seem to get a low reading. I had lunch at 12 today, tested when I got home at 6:30pm and was 9.1. Taken all my meds as usual. The weight loss is important to me at the moment. Doing lots of walking. Considering joining that low carb diet programme for inspiration but it's 14.99 a month!

Lots of low carb suggestions in the ‘what did you eat’ thread here, and no charge!

https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/boards/threads/what-did-you-eat-yesterday.30349/

Good to see your determination to increase activity and reduce weight. Don’t worry too much about the highish readings for now, just concentrate on reducing the differences before-after meals and the overall levels will come down smoothly and gently (which is better for the body than sudden changes).

 

[PhoebeC]

I’ve got the joy of testing to come as my BG monitor is currently winging its way to me.

How are you getting on with the C25K? I really enjoyed the Zombie Run version last year until I tore a tendon but I’ll do it again I’m sure.

I love the Zombie Run, but it's been a bit misty here recently so I have been a bit of a wimp and haven't used it.

 

[ColinUK]

I love the Zombie Run, but it's been a bit misty here recently so I have been a bit of a wimp and haven't used it.

lol
Where I am it’s very built up (slap bang in the middle of tourist London) so it was never hugely scary but it was more fun than the typical coach screaming “You can do this!” type ones.

 

[Neens]

Here is a typical morning for me. Up at 6:30, check blood - 8.2, damn a little high.... Quick shower, get dressed, pack bag and drive to work, only consume water (No tea/coffee or breakfast yet) - check bloods 7:40am - 9.6..... double damn.

Lots of good advice here for you. Stress can increase BG - often I find the most stressful part of the working day is getting there... could that explain some of the rise?

 

[Drummer]

I agree with Ljc, I've just started testing to understand my tolerance to different foods. Yesterday morning after waking my reading was 9.2 I had 2 slices of granary (massive carb cravings after trying to go low carb) and 2 hours after my reading was 17.9!!! Comparing this to today, I had scrambled eggs with mushrooms and a 95% pork sausage and the reduced sugar and salt baked beans. Pre reading was 9.1 post breakfast was 12.2. Test away (cheapish lots and strips on amazon) and keep a diary (I use an app now for recording my readings)

The Sainsbury's beans have 42 gm of carb in a tin - maybe your results would be better without them?
I found that peas and beans seemed to spike me higher than the carb content would indicate, so I avoid them entirely, along with grain and other high carb foods. I like the low carb diet as there is always so much to eat - and it is so satisfying too.

 

[layzellm]

Ok, it's been over 3 weeks since I wrote the original post, and things are a lot better. As usual, I think impatience is the biggest problem I have. With the modified diet I am happy on, with reduced carbs (portion size control - more protein, less carbs) my bloods are consistently in the right ranges most of the time. I am not beating myself up over an 8.2 reading when the rest of the day is between 5 & 6... I still drop a bit too low in the late evenings, and I am having to eat a slice of whole-meal toast or risk a serious overnight low, but when my next nurse appointment comes around, I might change my evening meds a little. (according to my little app, my average blood sugar readings for the last 4 weeks is now 6.6mmol/l, off 150 readings)

I have kept up the exercise, which I believe is also making a huge difference. I am still completing the C25K, (W5, run 2 was this morning) and I walk at lunchtimes mon-fri for about 5km. I have no evidence, but I believe the effort made in these activities is helping even on the days when I do nothing..

My weight has dropped from 92kg to 85.1kg...

I just need to keep it going. Strangely I am looking forward to the next nurse appointment, which is a new experience for me... after so many visits with nothing but bad news and guilt...

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Well done on your great progress so far @layzellm !