The Dawn Phenomenon: High AM Blood Sugar Readings , The Dawn Phenomenon Means High Blood Sugar Readings In The Mornings. You went to bed at 11:00 PM. You had protein and veggies for dinner. You had a glass of red wine with your meal, but you didn’t eat any food after dinner. You didn’t eat dessert, no sweets or grains went into your system. You took your last metphormin pill just prior to turning in for the night. At 6:30 AM you rise for the day. You take your blood sugar readings and surprise! Your blood sugar reading isn’t the 85 – 105 that you were expecting, instead it’s 127. How does this happen? What does it mean? It means you are suffering from the dreaded “Dawn Phenomenon”, named because it happens during the early AM hours. What cruel trick is this and why is it happening to you? That’s the 24 dollar question. No one really knows why some diabetics suffer from the Dawn Phenomenon and some do not. What Has Happened During The Night To Cause This Reading? The dawn phenomenon is actually a natural phenomenon. It iscaused by the early morning (usually 4 a.m.-8 a.m.) rise in blood glucose level that is precipitated by our Liver. It turn out that our bodies prepare us for rising and the activities to come by releasing glucose into our systems. In people without diabetes, their pancreas just secrets more insulin to cover that extra glucose but in people with diabetes, the raise can be substantial. The dreaded dawn phenomenon does not affect every type 2 diabetic, and even when it does, the results are varied and no two people are quite the same. In web talk we say: “Your Mileage May Vary” or “YMMV”. Steps to take to conquer Dawn Phenomenon: We already know that “YMMV” in regards to the dreaded DP, and the additional bad news is that when trying any and all of these conquering suggestions “YMMV” also applies. I’m putting out lots of suggestions, and I’m trying them all to see which works for me. The big disappointment is that they all are unpredictable and may work one time, or for a week, andthen just stop, and I have to switch to another selection. Drink a glass of red wine with dinner. (Didn’t work for me) Drink a glass of red wine before going to bed. (Sometimes works for me) Eat a high protein snack before dinner/string cheese and a few almonds. (Sometimes works for me) Take 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in 1/2 cup of water before going to bed. (This is what I’m trying now, results published after 2 weeks on trial). Take 3 apple cider vinegar tablets before going to bed each night. (Didn’t do this yet; purchase tablets at GNC (no, I’m not an affiliate for them), and lots available at Amazon.com Eat a small green apple before going to bed. (I haven’t tried this yet, but it sounds good) Exercise late in the day. (I haven’t done this yet) More Reading about Dawn Phenomenon: Dr. Richard Bernstein’s “The Diabetes Solution” www.diabetic-book.com Theresa Garnero, clinical nurse manager of Diabetes Services at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco,visit her at Diabetic Connect Share Your Dawn Phenomenon Stories Just leave us a comment and tell us what you do to combat DP. How long have you had it, how high are your morning highs, please feel free to share, it can only help the rest of us.
