I’ve read the words “dawn phenonemon” here often. What does that mean…and tell me more?
Hello cathy. I think its “the early-morning (4 a.m. to 8 a.m.) rise in blood glucose level.” The best way to see if you have it is to test your blood at bedtime and then when you get up, and if it’s higher then you probably have the dawn phenomenon.
Just like diabetes itself, they don’t have a cure yet for the dawn phenomenon. But unlike diabetes, one can’t completely control it. The best that one can do is tame it…
According to Diabates self-Management, dawn phenomenon is:
The very high blood glucose in the early morning due to the release of certain hormones in the middle of the night. The body makes certain hormones called counterregulatory hormones, which work against the action of insulin. These hormones, which include glucagon, epinephrine, growth hormone, and cortisol, raise blood glucose levels, when needed, by signaling the liver to release more glucose and by inhibiting glucose utilization throughout the body.
http://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/Articles/Diabetes-Definitions…
Hope this helps a bit
Hi Cathy, there are actually 2, that I know of, situations that can give you elevated am BG, this site explains both http://www.dlife.com/dLife/do/ShowContent/inspiration_expert_advice/expert_columns/garnero_0106.html
Mine has calmed down thankfully and I have a near ‘normal’ fasting BG in the mornings now
Thank you so much Dave. I am copying this off and taking it to the doc, I am sure that she has never thought of that, however others have and have suggested it. WONDERFUL, Thank you!
Thanks Teena, I’m copying this article off and taking it to the doc. It should be interesting how she explains it to me and why we can’t consider it.
I am one of those who suffer from DP. My doctor told me it usually happen to men who are very muscular. Well, that does not fit me. I’m a small boned female. DP is when in the middle of the night your body begins a process to start to wake you up. Hormones like cortisol, adrenaline, growth hormone are produced. These hormones then signal the liver to produce extra glucose even though we don’t need it. As diabetics we don’t always have enough circulating insulin to push glucose into the cells. So are bg’s go up. The earlier I wake up the lower my bg is. If I don’t eat anything my bg will continue to rise until around 11 am. There are several things you can do to limit this DP. I now take my metformin right before bed. I also eat some kind of low carb, high fat snack right before bed to keep my metabolism stable. This has not eliminated it but it has lowered my bg’s by about 50 points.