What Should I Aim For
Effective management of diabetes is all about aiming for a careful balance between the foods you eat, how active you are and the medication you take for your diabetes. Because this is a delicate balance, it can be quite difficult to achieve the best possible blood glucose management all the time.
The ranges will vary depending on the individual and an individuals circumstances. While it is important to keep your blood glucose levels as close to the target range of target range between 4 to 6 mmol/L as possible to prevent complications, it is equally important to check with your doctor or Credentialled Diabetes Educator for the range of blood glucose levels that are right and safe for you. Therefore the following information should be treated only as a general guide.
General Medication Guidelines For People With Diabetes
As per the guidelines issued by the Cleveland clinic, following things should be kept in mind while taking diabetes medication:
- Inform your doctor about your allergies.
- Take the medication in proper dosage. Don’t skip or stop taking the medicines unless told by the doctor. One should take the treatment seriously.
- Keeping a medicine calendar/log book might help you to remember if you have taken your medication.
- Do not wait until you are completely out of medication before filling your prescriptions.
- Check your blood sugar from time to time.
Target Blood Sugar Levels For Pregnant Women With Diabetes
It’s possible for diabetes to cause problems during pregnancy. For example, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, women with type 1 and type 2 diabetes who have uncontrolled blood sugar levels could experience an increased risk of having a premature baby, needing a C-section and more.
Gestational diabetes a type of diabetes that occurs in a pregnant woman who has never been diagnosed with diabetes before can also cause complications. These include giving birth to a baby who is larger than average and an increased risk of needing a C-section. The ADA suggests that pregnant women shoot for a target fasting blood sugar level of 95 mg/dL or less before a meal.
Read more:Do Oranges Raise Your Blood Sugar?
Also Check: How Much Is The Do Fasting App
Have A Protein/ Fat Combined Snack
Many people find that a bedtime snack helps lower morning highs.
This is most likely because it shortens the fasting time and may slow down the livers own glucose production. If youre not using the apple cider vinegar method above, try having a mix of protein and fat combined before going to bed.
Here are a few ideas:
- A tablespoon of natural peanut butter
- A small piece of chicken with avocado or 5 olives
- A small handful of macadamia nuts
- A couple of slices of cheese
These are all simple snacks that contain both protein and fat.
What Is Blood Sugar Level
Whenever you eat something, your body breaks down that food into glucose and the count of that glucose in the blood is called blood sugar levels. The breakdown happens in order to provide you with energy. Energy generation is possible only when that glucose or sugar gets transferred into your body cells and does not remain in the bloodstream. If they remain there, your blood sugar level increases, and you get prone to diabetes.
You May Like: Can I Drink Alcohol While Intermittent Fasting
Surprising Things That Can Spike Your Blood Sugar
When you first found out you had diabetes, you tested your blood sugar often to understand how food, activity, stress, and illness could affect your blood sugar levels. By now, youve got it figured out for the most part. But thenbam! Something makes your blood sugar zoom up. You try to adjust it with food or activity or insulin, and it dips really low. Youre on a rollercoaster no one with diabetes wants to ride.
Do you know all of these blood sugar triggers?
Knowledge is power! Look out for these surprising triggers that can send your blood sugar soaring:
How To Test Your Blood Sugar Levels
After you wake up in the morning, check your fasting blood sugar levels using a blood glucose meter or continuous glucose monitor . Before you use a blood glucose meter, the ADA recommends washing your hands and using the lancing device to get a drop of blood. After you hold the test strip against the drop of blood, your blood sugar levels should appear on the meter.
Recommended Reading: 14:10 Fasting
How To Lower Morning Levels
Gaining tight control over your daily blood sugar levels by eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, stressing less and getting good quality sleep, will all help control your morning readings.
But there is one simple trick that may help even more especially with the dawn phenomenon.
In patients with non-insulin dependent type 2 diabetes, researchers managed to reduce morning glucose levels by 4 to 6 percent. That means if your morning glucose is around 130 mg/dl, it would decrease to about 122 mg/dl.
What did they do?
Before bed, they gave patients two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar mixed with water, along with one ounce of cheese, which is just one slice of cheese.
Apple cider vinegar contains acetic acid, which is what researchers believe causes most of the effect. Other studies have shown that acetic acid reduces post meal glucose levels and A1c, along with improving insulin sensitivity and the insulin response.
Give this simple bedtime trick a try yourself. Its easy to do and you never know tomorrow you might wake up with lower morning levels, too.
Editors note: Are you feeling unusually tired? You may think this is normal aging, but the problem could be your master hormone. When its not working, your risk of age-related diseases skyrockets. To reset what many call the trigger for all disease and live better, longer, click here to discover The Insulin Factor: How to Repair Your Bodys Master Controller and Conquer Chronic Disease!
Why Does My Blood Sugar Go Up In The Morning Without Eating
While sleeping, the energy requirement is low. Hence the production of glucose decreases. Also, because of the secretion of growth hormones, the production of insulin is suppressed.
As the early morning hours approach, the liver produces more glucose to provide the extra energy required to wake up. This leads to high morning blood sugar. This is commonly known as dawn phenomenon. Another reason might be somogyi effect.
Recommended Reading: Drinking Alcohol While Intermittent Fasting
Levels After Youve Eaten
Many foods have types of carbohydrates called starches and sugars. When you eat foods with these types of carbohydrates, your body breaks them down into glucose, which is a type of simple sugar, and releases the glucose into your bloodstream. Aside from glucose produced by your liver, food is the main source of plasma glucose.
Two hours after eating, your blood sugar levels rise. They rise more when you eat more carbohydrates, when you do not eat fiber, fat, or protein with your carbs, and when you eat certain types of carbohydrates, such as refined sugars and starches.
These are target values from The Joslin Diabetes Center, which include levels for people with diabetes:
| When Measured |
|---|
What Causes The Dawn Phenomenon
The dawn phenomenon, sometimes referred to as the âdawn effect,â has earned its name from the recurrence of elevated blood glucose around the hours of waking, roughly between 4-8 AM. Although the exact underlying causes of the dawn phenomenon are still unclear, it is known that hormones, including adrenaline, cortisol, glucagon, and growth hormone, play a large part. These hormones follow a circadian rhythm, or a daily cycle, and tend to be found in higher concentrations in the blood in the morning to help prepare us for the day ahead.
The hormones that promote glucose release into the blood include:
- Adrenaline: Known as the âfight or flightâ hormone, adrenaline increases blood flow to the muscles and promotes the release of glucose into the blood.
- Cortisol: Known as the âstress hormoneâ, cortisol also plays a role in increasing blood glucose.
- Glucagon: Signals the liver to release glucose into the blood.
- Growth Hormone: Important for repair and regeneration and promotes the release of glucose into the blood.
Two key processes occur in the liver overnight that result in the release of glucose into the bloodstream and contribute to increased morning blood glucose:
1) Glycogenolysis, the breakdown and release of stored glucose
2) Gluconeogenesis, the creation of glucose from components of protein or fat
You May Like: Fasting Blood Sugar 119
How Much Sugar Is High Blood Sugar
Here are the results of the fasting blood sugar test that determine whether you have diabetes or not:
A blood sugar level less than 100 mg/dL or 5.6 mmol/L rules out the chances of diabetes. It is the normal blood sugar level.If your fasting blood sugar level ranges between 100 and 125 mg/dL or 5.6 and 6.9 mmol/L, it indicates a prediabetic condition. It is slightly above the normal level of sugar.A blood sugar glucose of 126 mg/dL or 7.0 mmol/L or more after taking the test twice indicates that you have diabetes.
How Can High Blood Sugar Levels In The Morning Be Controlled
Once you and your doctor determine how your blood sugar levels are behaving at night, he or she can advise you about the changes you need to make to better control them. Options that your doctor may discuss depend on the cause of the morning high blood sugars.
For dawn phenomenon:
- Changing the timing or type of your diabetes medications
- Eating a lighter breakfast
- Increasing your morning dose of diabetes medication
- If you take insulin, switching to an insulin pump and programming it to release additional insulin in the morning
For Somogyi effect:
Don’t Miss: Do I Have To Fast For An A1c Test
Why Might Changing Timing Help
But why does simply changing the timing of our meals to allow for fasting make a difference in our body? An in-depth review of the science of IF recently published in New England Journal of Medicine sheds some light. Fasting is evolutionarily embedded within our physiology, triggering several essential cellular functions. Flipping the switch from a fed to fasting state does more than help us burn calories and lose weight. The researchers combed through dozens of animal and human studies to explain how simple fasting improves metabolism, lowering blood sugar lessens inflammation, which improves a range of health issues from arthritic pain to asthma and even helps clear out toxins and damaged cells, which lowers risk for cancer and enhances brain function. The article is deep, but worth a read!
Battle Your Morning Blood Sugar And You Can Tackle The Rest Of The Day Easier
Youll find that your blood sugar levels during the day are much easier to handle when you tackle the morning levels. This is when you will find your levels are at their highest and most dangerous. Its completely normal, but that doesnt mean you should have to put up with the side effects.
Its important to follow a routine. Once youve got your morning schedule in order, it will all fall into place no matter what youre doing or where youre going.
Your diet is the most important thing to change. You want to focus more on protein, fiber, and healthy fats. Get rid of the carbs, especially on a morning. They will only send your blood sugar levels soaring.
Focus on eliminating stress on a morning, and you will find your glucose levels will even out better. Meditation and exercise are both extremely beneficial for this. If you want to work both together, consider taking up yoga on a morning.
With more protein on a night and a better nights sleep, you will find your morning glucose levels arent as high as they once were. From there, they will be easier to manage.
Read Also: Do You Need Insulin For Type 2 Diabetes
Don’t Miss: Can You Drink Alcohol While Intermittent Fasting
What If I Have Trouble Getting To My Blood Sugar Goals
There may be times when you have trouble reaching your blood sugar goals. This does not mean that you have failed. It means that you and your health care team should see if changes are needed. Call your health care team if your blood sugar is often too high or too low. Taking action will help you be healthy today and in the future.
Wait Why Is Your Blood Sugar Up In The Morning
Why is it that your blood sugar levels will rise overnight? You dont eat anything, so how can you possibly add any glucose to your system?
Well, those who suffer from type II diabetes will find this is most problematic. The body still creates glucose throughout the night. It needs to, whether youve eaten something or not. This natural process is called gluconeogenesis, and there is nothing you can do to stop it nor would you want to. In a healthy person, this process doesnt cause a major problem.
Those with diabetes will find the gluconeogenesis process is increased. That means your body produces more glucose naturally than it would if you were healthy.
Lets not forget that the stress hormone cortisol also plays a part. This increases slowly on a morning until it reaches a peak early in the morning. The cortisol will elevate the blood sugar levels, so you end up with naturally higher levels on a morning.
To keep your blood sugar levels down, you need to keep your cortisol and gluconeogenesis levels down. Theres no need for extra medication when you follow the seven tips that will follow.
Also Check: How Much Is The Do Fasting App
What To Expect From Your Blood Sugar In The Morning
After an overnight fast, a normal blood sugar level is less than 100 milligrams per deciliter , according to the American Diabetes Association . But, according to Susan Spratt, MD, an endocrinologist and associate professor of medicine at Duke University School of Medicine, not everyone with type 1 or type 2 diabetes has to shoot for “normal” levels.
“If you’re young, the goal may be to get your fasting blood sugar levels to less than 120 mg/dL,” Dr. Spratt says. But if you’re older and have other health conditions, that number may be higher, she says.
The ADA points out that not everyone will have the same blood sugar level goals. Instead, your endocrinologist or doctor will calculate your target number based on your age, how long you’ve had diabetes, whether you have health conditions like heart disease and other factors.
Keep in mind, too, that your fasting blood sugar levels can be too low. For example, a morning blood sugar reading below 70 mg/dL can indicate a hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar.
Read more:Which Helps You More in the Morning: Tea, Water or Coffee?
When To See A Doctor
If a persons blood sugar levels are high more than three times in a 2-week period without an apparent reason, the National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases recommend that they seek medical help.
Any significant change in blood sugar patterns warrants a visit to a doctor. People with diabetes and those at risk of diabetes should also consult a doctor if:
- blood sugar levels become unusually high or low
- well-managed blood sugar levels are suddenly start fluctuating
- people have new or worsening symptoms of diabetes
- they change their medication or stop using it
Also Check: Alcohol On Intermittent Fasting
How To Lower Blood Sugar In The Morning
As with any time of the day, lowering blood sugar will usually mean taking medication.
If youre taking other medication for diabetes, just make sure youre taking the right amount at the right time of day. With insulin, you might want to use insulin to lower your blood sugar back to a stable level.
To figure out how much insulin you might need, you can let Hedia assist you in your calculations. Tell Hedia what your blood sugar level is, and the insulin calculator will take your basal insulin into account.
If youll be having breakfast soon after waking, youll probably want to include that in your calculation. If you have a favourite breakfast that you eat most mornings, you can add that to your favourites in Hedias food database for a quick add. Find out more by getting Hedia from the App Store or from !
On the topic of breakfast, it may be worth considering a low-carb breakfast, so as not to push those blood sugar levels even higher.
Regardless of what youre eating, Christel Oerum from Diabetes Strong points out the importance of eating any kind of breakfast. Having regular mealtimes that give you the energy that you need throughout the day ought to allow you more stable blood sugar without the adrenaline swings.
What You Need To Know About High Morning Blood Sugar
How in the world can your blood sugar climb during the night when you’re not eating a thing? Before blaming the carbs in last night’s dinner, consider these other common culprits.
Waking up and seeing a high blood sugar reading can be … puzzling. However, it is not as uncommon as you think. Here is all you need to know about your blood sugar numbers in the morning and what may be contributing to it.
Related: Diabetes Myths that Don’t Lower Blood Sugar
Don’t Miss: What Should Your Blood Sugar Be Fasting
