Why are my sugar levels higher firstbtning in the morning?

[Roobee]

Hi,
I have been told by my GP that my sugar levels are on the high side and I need to watch my diet and get more exercise to avoid developing type 2 diabetes. I havebeen monitoring my levels this week and they seem fine during the day - varying from 5.8 to 7.2 2 hours after food but always up first thing in the morning, between 6.4 - 7.8. Can anyone explain why this might be and how I lower it? My GP wants it below 6!

Thank you.

 

[Bruce Stephens]

but always up first thing in the morning, between 6.4 - 7.8. Can anyone explain why this might be and how I lower it? My GP wants it below 6

The dawn phenomenon, possibly. Your body's releasing more glucose to help you cope with the morning and maybe you're not producing enough insulin to handle that (as people without diabetes would).

You could try eating your evening meal earlier, with maybe less carbohydrates. That's what's suggested in https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/dawn-phenomenon-or-somogyi-effect (though that's for people with diabetes). (Obviously using insulin or changing when you take medications isn't appropriate for you.)

If I were you, I'd also not be too worried about 6.4-7.8. At those sorts of levels our meters are +/- 15% (at least 95% of the time), so I'm not sure those numbers are much to worry about.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Sorry to hear you are seeing higher readings in the morning @Roobee

Dawn Phenomenon isn’t at all unusual unfortunately, everyone gets it, diabetes or not, and I believe it‘s part of the circadian rhythm.

It can be tricky to persuade the liver not to dump glucose either in the early hours or on rising. Some people find having a low carb slow release snack (eg a cracker and chunk of cheese) last thing at night helps the liver to feel sustained overnight and not need to release glucose.

If you generally reduce your carb intake to keep your BGs in range, you may well find that your waking BG gradually reduces too?