Reducing Early Morning Sugars

[Steve711]

I am fairly newly diagnosed and at the moment trying to control with diet and exercise.
I had my first DN visit yesterday and she is really pleased that i have gone down from my initial HBa1c of 99 in April down to 63 in June so far but still need to keep going to get 42 or under.
She wanted me to start checking my blood sugars just before each meal and first thing in the morning and i got a first reading yesterday of 8.3 then last night before dinner it was 7.8 and she tells me that this should keep going down as weight comes off and i stay low carb.
When i woke up this morning i checked and wow its shot up to 12 what can i do to reduce this ?

 

[Docb]

One thing you might do when you get a result that does not fit your usual pattern is to do a retest. If the second test (on a different finger) fits your normal pattern, then treat the first as an error. If both are out of pattern, then see what you get at your next scheduled test. If that is also high, then maybe time to put the thinking cap on. Chances are that it will be where you expect it to be and the high reading will go down as "one of those things".

 

[Maca44]

This may sound like a silly answer but do you make sure you wash your hands and dry them before taking your reading, when I say wash I mean with soap not anti bac gel.

 

[rebrascora]

Exercise the night before can help to bring levels down overnight. Maybe go for a brisk walk after your evening meal.

Also, it makes a difference when you test on a morning, so if you tested later this morning then you can expect it to be higher. This is due to Dawn Phenomenon (DP) or Foot on the Floor syndrome (FOTF). Basically as the body starts to wke up and get ready for the day ahead the liver starts to increase the amount of glucose it releases into the blood stream. This is believed to be a throwback to prehistoic times when we didn't have a kitchen full of food and had to go and hunt/forage for food, so the liver was supplying the body with energy for that task. If you don't test for half an hour or more after getting up, your levels can rise my several whole mmols just as a result of this effect. Most of us tend to test as soon as we wake up and before our feet touch the floor so we get a more realistic indication of our waking reading although some people are unlucky and find that DP kicks in before they wake up, particularly at this time of year when dawn is so much earlier. You might like to do a second test on a morning to see if this is happening with you. Do the first test immediately when you wake up and a second test when you have been up half an hour or so and pottered around a bit but before you have breakfast and see if you are experiencing an obvious rise.

 

[rebrascora]

Good diabetes management is all about experimenting and learning how your body works as we are all very individual, so don't be frightened to do extra tests here and there to see what is going on. You could also try setting an alarm and testing in the middle of the night if you continue to get high readings on a morning to see if your levels are dipping in the dark hours and then rising with DP before you get up.

Lastly, waking readings are renowned for being the last to show the effects of your lifestyle changes so look for longer term trends rather than day by day reduction. If your weekly average is reducing then you are heading in the right direction even if daily results might be a bit up and down. I would expect your lifestyle changes to take maybe 3-4 weeks to have a significant impact on waking readings.

I have to say your nurse sounds like a star. Most people would not get a chance to tackle their diabetes through lifestyle changes alone with an HbA1c of 99 and the fact that she is advising and encouraging low carb is really good to hear.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

If it’s DP or FOTF that is causing a BG hike with your pesky liver sticking its oar in, some people find that a late night snack (low-ish carb with some fat/protein) can keep their liver happy.

Alternatively, ensuring breakfast is eaten as soon as possible after rising can ‘switch it off’ if it only gets going when you get out of bed.

 

[Leadinglights]

If it’s DP or FOTF that is causing a BG hike with your pesky liver sticking its oar in, some people find that a late night snack (low-ish carb with some fat/protein) can keep their liver happy.

Alternatively, ensuring breakfast is eaten as soon as possible after rising can ‘switch it off’ if it only gets going when you get out of bed.

Sounds like an excuse for breakfast in bed 🙂

 

[Steve711]

Good diabetes management is all about experimenting and learning how your body works as we are all very individual, so don't be frightened to do extra tests here and there to see what is going on. You could also try setting an alarm and testing in the middle of the night if you continue to get high readings on a morning to see if your levels are dipping in the dark hours and then rising with DP before you get up.

Lastly, waking readings are renowned for being the last to show the effects of your lifestyle changes so look for longer term trends rather than day by day reduction. If your weekly average is reducing then you are heading in the right direction even if daily results might be a bit up and down. I would expect your lifestyle changes to take maybe 3-4 weeks to have a significant impact on waking readings.

I have to say your nurse sounds like a star. Most people would not get a chance to tackle their diabetes through lifestyle changes alone with an HbA1c of 99 and the fact that she is advising and encouraging low carb is really good to hear.

Thank you for your replies and yes i wash my hands before any tests.
And yes my DN is great and fully behind what i am doing now as i have showed her i am really trying to reduce weight and completely changed my diet and the numbers are coming down but still a way to go yet.
I did tell her though from day 1 I don't want any medication apart from the blood pressure tablets as my blood pressure at the time was 180/94 but now i am off the tablets and my average is 120/77 so happy with that now.