A way to beat dawn phenomenon? How to lower early morning blood sugar?

stacicali

So I'm on 2000 mg of metformin extended release with an a1c of 5.5, average weight. My first morning blood sugar is consistently around 105. Is there any way to lower this number?

chelny

I seem to recall in Dr. Bernstein's book the Diabetes Solution, he mentioned having a high protein snack before bed to counter-act the dawn phenomenon. However, this site gives some other tips. It may depend upon what in particular is causing your sugar to rise in the morning, how you would address that. Have you discussed with your doctor or a nutritionist?

concordancia

How much exercise are you getting? That makes as big a difference as what I eat.

However, what finally got my morning numbers below 100 was cutting carbs and calories drastically for a few weeks, while working out a minimum of 20 minutes a day, even if it is walking. Now I can eat to a conservative weight loss goal, and I am consistently under 100 as long as I keep carbs <90g and get at least 20 minutes of moderate exercise a day. Even with the low carb, if I completely skip the exercise, it might be 105 the next day. If I overdo the carbs, it will likely be over 100 for 2-3 days later.

I think I will get another walk in now, as I definitely overindulged on Saturday and I was still 103 this morning.

judyvalentine512

105 is a great blood sugar reading. You don't want to get too low.