i was prediabetic before going lower carb, and i don't take any medication or insulin now. if i eat late at night, my blood sugar upon going to bed will not seem to move at all- it will be the same when i wake up. so if i got to bed at 106, it will be around 104-107 when i wake up. i always thought since i still have insulin production that my bg would go down somewhat in the morning. i am active at least walking fro 40 minutes every day, and have fairly good muscle tone. why does my blood sugar seem not to move at all during the night? or is it really impossible to know what my bg is doing unless i wake up to test in the middle of the night? thanks.
Your bg may actually be going down during the night and rising again before you wake up... it's called the Dawn Phenomenon. Unless you wear a CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitor) or wake up to test at night, you won't really know.
Your blood sugar is doing what most of us work hard altering insulin doses to do - staying stable (and at a perfect level) between when you go to bed and when you wake up. Your body still does it for you, be grateful!
I wouldn't be complaining about this, it seems your body is keeping you stable , that's not a problem. If your first reading in the morning/fasting reading is much higher than the one before bed time? Then you should be concerned. Like if you go to bed at 106 but wake up at 140 mg/dL or more.
I really don't think you're having dawn phenomenon either, your body sounds normal on this.
Dee is correct. If your metabolic functions are still pseudo-normal, it is probable that your blood sugar level is actually continuing to go down during sleep and then start rising again beginning around 3 am due to the Dawn Phenomenon. An over-simplified description of the mechanics at work can be explained thus: your beta cells secrete insulin at a slow but steady rate. A small amount is released into the blood stream in pulses every four minutes or so to ensure that your cells have access to glucose on a continuous, as needed, basis (i.e., basal response). Any excess secreted insulin is not released but is stored by the beta cells for Phase One insulin release (e.g. in response to eating food or a meal). During the night, your BG levels may continue to go down towards normal or almost normal (~80-90s range). Around 3 am to 4 am, depending upon your internal clock, the liver begins to release sugar into your blood stream. Your endocrine system also releases cortisol, epinephrine, and other hormones to work with the liver’s release of sugar. This provides your body with the fuel and ability to get up and start a new day. It is also when those of us with impaired metabolisms start to experience a rise in blood glucose levels. This is called the Dawn Effect or Dawn Phenomenon. If you do not wear a CGM, you can still make a determination by simply testing your blood sugar level at approximately 3 am on several consecutive nights. If those readings are consistently lower than the reading you get upon arising, then DP/DE is the mechanism at work.
hey! do you perhaps know if that happens for type 1s only or does it happen in type 2, too (still trying to figure out which one I am, somehow started doubting type 1 dx)? I noticed it started happening to me, too (like, I can go to bed with 101 and wake up with 132 but it doesn't ALWAYS happen)
That's a normal diabetic thing for both types. Little to no insulin production (type 1) or resistance to insulin with normal amounts of insulin in the body (type 2) both lead to higher blood sugar numbers because the body cannot keep up with both basal insulin requirements through the day and also handle your meals.
