You woke up this morning and checked your blood sugar and it was too high. You are wondering to yourself, “How did this happen?” In this blog, I will explain the two common causes for high morning blood glucose.

1. Dawn Phenomenon

Dawn Phenomenon describes a condition where your blood sugar rises throughout the night. This is caused by counter regulatory hormones that include Glucagon, Epinephrine, Growth hormone and Cortisol. When your body releases these hormones, the liver produces glucose and your blood sugar rises. This usually happens between 3am to 7am. Everyone produces glucose in the liver at night. The difference is people without diabetes also make more insulin to cover the extra glucose. Unfortunately, individuals with diabetes do not produce enough insulin so their blood sugar continues to rise.

2. Somogyi

This condition is also called rebound hyperglycemia. The hormones in Dawn Phenomenon are also involved. However, these same hormones have a different action. If your blood sugar is too low (hypoglycemic), these hormones fight back by stimulating your liver to produce more glucose. The result is high blood sugar. This event usually occurs between 2am to 4am.

How do you prevent these conditions? Dawn Phenomenon can be treated by taking more insulin or eating fewer carbohydrates before bedtime. Somogyi can be treated by reducing your dose of insulin before you sleep if you are taking intermediate-acting insulin, eating a snack before you sleep, changing to long-acting insulin such as ultralente or glargine (Lantus) or using an insulin pump. Checking your blood sugar the recommended times will let you know what action to take.

Email me at askard@stablebloodsugar.com if you have any questions regarding this blog. Allison