New to site

[calaem]

Good morning, new to this but not diabetes, have been looking around all the posts and though I should join. I'm T1 and in quite good control but on my last hospital I had what was described as "dawn phenomenon" so a high start to my mornings everyday, many people can have this not only diabetic but interested is anybody has had the same and what they have been able to do to reduce these high starts to the day. Thanks

 

[SB2015]

Good morning @calaem , and welcome to the forum.

The Dawn Phenomenon is a bit of a pest and very common. Your liver is just trying to help out, and is dumping some glucose into the system to get you started for the day.

I don’t have regular pattern of getting up so this can hit at different times. My way round the problem is to nibble a couple of Brazil nuts, as soon as I wake up. This seems to tell my liver that it can hold off the glucose dump, as I am already eating. I then test and do my Bolus for breakfast. Depending on my reading I will then time my breakfast to straight away if I am low, after my shower if I am on target, and after my shower and some faffing around if I am high. I usually need about 30 min in the morning between a Bolus and breakfast (I like a long shower), but it is different for everyone so it is a case of test and see what happens. This combination gives me a reasonably flat glucose level through the morning.

I hope that helps and I am sure others will come up with some other ideas.

 

[Robin]

Hello, and welcome to the forum. I'm another one plagued by Dawn Phenomenon. My BG starts rising after 4am, having fallen up to then, so my overnight trace on my Libre looks like a slack washing line.
I’ve got my basal adjusted ( I take Levemir twice a day) so that, provided I go to bed round about 7.5, and wake around 6.0, my BG doesn’t dip below 4.0 in the night. Then it continues rising with a vengeance once I'm awake, I always bolus two extra units of novorapid, irrespective of what I'm going to eat, and wait an hour before eating breakfast. That seems to tame it.
The only time it doesn’t happen as viciously is when I’ve had a couple of glasses of red wine the evening before, when I get the fall after going to sleep, but not the rise, so I usually knock half a unit off my bedtime Levemir, and wake somewhere between 4.0 and 5.0.

 

[rebrascora]

My situation is similar to @Robin although I don't have Freestyle Libre so I don't know what is happening through the night but I need to inject 2 units of quick acting insulin to cover DP (plus additional units for whatever carbs I am going to have for breakfast) along with my daytime Levemir, as soon as I get up. Then I potter about for 45mins -1hr getting washed and dressed and having a glass of water and a cup of coffee with cream before I eventually eat breakfast. Even if I am skipping breakfast or having a boiled egg with no carbs, I need those 2 units to cover DP. Thankfully my DP seems to wait until I get up before it kicks in. Must be very frustrating for people who have it start at 4am.
.... Oh and please forgive my lack of manners 🙄..... welcome to the forum! Hope you find it as hugely beneficial as it has been for me this past year.

 

[calaem]

Hello, and welcome to the forum. I'm another one plagued by Dawn Phenomenon. My BG starts rising after 4am, having fallen up to then, so my overnight trace on my Libre looks like a slack washing line.
I’ve got my basal adjusted ( I take Levemir twice a day) so that, provided I go to bed round about 7.5, and wake around 6.0, my BG doesn’t dip below 4.0 in the night. Then it continues rising with a vengeance once I'm awake, I always bolus two extra units of novorapid, irrespective of what I'm going to eat, and wait an hour before eating breakfast. That seems to tame it.
The only time it doesn’t happen as viciously is when I’ve had a couple of glasses of red wine the evening before, when I get the fall after going to sleep, but not the rise, so I usually knock half a unit off my bedtime Levemir, and wake somewhere between 4.0 and 5.0.

Useful tips thanks a lot

 

[calaem]

Good morning @calaem , and welcome to the forum.

The Dawn Phenomenon is a bit of a pest and very common. Your liver is just trying to help out, and is dumping some glucose into the system to get you started for the day.

I don’t have regular pattern of getting up so this can hit at different times. My way round the problem is to nibble a couple of Brazil nuts, as soon as I wake up. This seems to tell my liver that it can hold off the glucose dump, as I am already eating. I then test and do my Bolus for breakfast. Depending on my reading I will then time my breakfast to straight away if I am low, after my shower if I am on target, and after my shower and some faffing around if I am high. I usually need about 30 min in the morning between a Bolus and breakfast (I like a long shower), but it is different for everyone so it is a case of test and see what happens. This combination gives me a reasonably flat glucose level through the morning.

I hope that helps and I am sure others will come up with some other ideas.

Thanks, i think injecting earlier before breakfast is what I'm going to try

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @calaem

Look forward to hearing more of your story over the coming weeks and months.

Hope you can manage to find strategies to help with DP. I am another who needs to be quite careful with dose timing around breakfast.