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High blood sugar in the morning is a popular topic – it seems to stump many people.
For instance, a while back I had a client sending me her blood sugar charts every few days and on those charts she always made some notes if she had questions.
Every time she sent them through, I noticed she had 3 big question marks (???) against her morning readings. And on another morning when her morning blood sugar levels were high at 160 mg/dl (or 8.9 mmol/l).
She had written:
I don’t understand. 97 mg/dl (or 5.5mmol/l) last night when I went to sleep. I didn’t eat anything because I didn’t feel well. Humm…
Here on the DMP blog we often receive comments like:
- Why is my reading in the morning higher than when I go to sleep?
- My morning numbers are always high no matter what I do. When I say high I mean 190. I am so frustrated and don’t understand why.
- Why does my blood glucose spike in my sleep giving me a high reading in the morning when I watch all I eat at dinner time?
Do these morning situations sound familiar to you? Are you constantly questioning why you have high blood sugar in the morning?
Logically we’d think that it should be at its lowest in the morning, right?
Well don’t panic, there is a reason for it, so let’s explore why morning blood sugar is often higher. And then we’ll discuss what you can do to help lower blood sugar in the morning.
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CHAPTERS
3:32 The primary cause of high morning levels
8:12 Other potential contributors
9:57 Dietary solutions
13:59 Lifestyle solutions
14:46 Proven therapeutic solutions
19:40 Bringing it all together
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Why Is Blood Sugar High In The Morning?
Although it would seem logical that your body would have the lowest blood glucose level in the morning, this often isn’t the case for the following 6 reasons.
1. Glucose Happens 24/7
All the cells in the body need glucose to fuel their function, even when we sleep.
Therefore the liver can produce sugar (glucose) by breaking down body stores (glycogen), a process called glycogenolysis. The liver can also manufacture sugar (glucose) from amino acids (proteins) in a process called gluconeogenesis.
Image courtesy: University of California
These processes ensure the body and brain have adequate fuel so they can continue to go about their functions.
The point is: glucose production in the body will still occur when you don’t eat or if you skip a meal because the body always maintains glucose at a certain level in order to function.
2. Hormones Raise Blood Glucose (the Dawn Phenomenon)
Around 3-4 am each morning, there are a collection of counter regulatory hormones that are signaled in the body: glucagon, epinephrine, growth hormone, and cortisol, which result in a rise in blood sugar.
This change in hormones occurs to stimulate our awakening, to get us moving and to give us energy. This is referred to as the Dawn Phenomenon or Dawn Effect.
This is in fact a ‘normal’ response. This occurs in everyone, diabetic or not.
However, if you have diabetes or prediabetes there is one additional factor that impacts both the overnight glucose production and the rise in glucose with cortisol, and that is decreased insulin production or decreased utilization of insulin.
3. Decreased Insulin Production or Utilization of Insulin
Because most people with type 2 diabetes and prediabetes have either decreased insulin levels or decreased utilization of insulin, there is either not enough insulin being produced to bring the rising blood sugar levels down, even during the night when you are sleeping.
In this scenario, your body is still producing glucose, your hormones are still doing their thing, but insulin production is low so your body is unable to couteract the effects of the glucose and hormone change.
The other scenario is that your levels of insulin resistance are preventing effective utilization of insulin, which results in high levels. You may be producing sufficient insulin, even during the night, but your cells are not opening in response to insulin, therefore glucose remains in the bloodstream.
4. Hypoglycemia known as the Somogyi Effect
This is less common but in some people with diabetes, low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) can occur while you are sleeping.
The Somogyi effect is more common in diabetics who are insulin dependent. It’s when your body’s glucose levels decrease quite significantly overnight (nocturnal hypoglycemia) and as a result your emergency system is activated. This sends messages to your hormones and organs to stimulate more glucose production to help raise your levels.
If you’re insulin dependent and trying to identify why your blood sugar is so high in the morning, you might want to wake yourself up during the night to test your levels, just in case this might be your situation and your insulin dose needs to be adjusted, for instance, implementing a long-acting insulin. Or in some cases, people may choose to use a continuous insulin pump.
You can read more about the Somogyi effect here.
5. Poor Food Choices
Poor food choices has a profound impact on your blood glucose and A1c levels, and therefore your early morning levels too.
Regardless of the time of day, poor food choices will impact your glucose levels negatively.
Your goal is to clean up your diet, and stick to eating recommended foods that support good blood sugar control.
If you’re struggling with nutrition, consider joining us as a member.
6. Poor Overall Glucose Control
If your daily averages are coming in well above the normal healthy range for blood sugar levels, chances are your fasting levels are going to be high as well.
Good blood sugar control means keeping your blood sugar levels as close to normal as possible. And if you can keep them within the healthy range, that’s even better.
You need to know your numbers…
Aim for fasting levels:
- Between 70-100 mg/dL or 4-5.6 mmol/l (normal/optimal)
- 70-110 mg/dL or 4-6 mmol/l (considered good control)
- 70-130 mg/dL or 4-7.2 mmol/l (more liberal, but realistic for many)
- 2 hrs post meal the ideal is under 140 mg/dl or 7.8 mmol/l – the lower your postprandial blood glucose is post meal (for instance 120/ 6.7), the better.
There is some variation in numbers worldwide and your physician may also set you more stringent goals, or more lenient goals.
The point is: keep an eye on your numbers. If you’ve constantly got numbers that are running high during the day, chances are they are going to be even higher in the mornings.
Your goal is to bring your blood sugar levels within a healthy range, then naturally the morning levels do come down as well.
Still, even when you have good control of your daily levels, those morning numbers may still be a little high.
So what can you do? Let’s look at some proven strategies.
Lifestyle Strategies To Lower Morning Blood Sugar Levels
The truth is, that despite the fact we know the Dawn Phenomenon exists, and worsens morning blood sugar in those with diabetes and prediabetes, researchers still haven’t solved exactly how to lower morning levels.
However, try some of the following methods to see if they work for you. Every person is different and while there is no one proven method for lowering morning levels, many people do report one, or a combination of the following helps.
Apple Cider Vinegar & Cheese Before Bed
One small study found that having 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with 1 oz (28 g) cheese (which is just 1 slice cheese) before bed may help reduce morning glucose by 4% to 6%.
Cheese on it’s own may reduce it by 2% but the acetic acid in the vinegar exerts additional positive influence. The best apple cider vinegar to use is this one by Braggs. If you can’t stomach the vinegar, you can also purchase capsules. As for best cheese, cheddar is one of the best choices here, though you could try other options if you wish.
*NOTE: this tip alone is proving to help many people.
TESTIMONIALS:
“After 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar & 1 oz cheese last night, my FBS in the morning is 98. It works!” ~Dianne
“I tried the vinegar and cheese before bed. It actually worked. My fasting reading was lower this morning. Thanks!” ~Michelle
Try it yourself: 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (mixed in some water) with 1 oz (28 g) cheese (which is just 1 slice cheese) before bed.
Have a Bedtime Snack
The best type of snack is a protein/fat snack combined, not something high in carbs.
Here are a few ideas:
- A tablespoon of natural peanut butter (great on pieces of celery for some fiber filling goodness)
- A small piece of chicken with avocado or 5 olives
- A small handful of macadamia nuts
- A couple of slices of cheese
Sleep Soundly
Make sure you get a good restful sleep every day because lack of sleep can increase cortisol production (your key stress hormone) and this pushes glucose levels higher. Sleep quality has a big influence on blood sugar levels.
Avoid Alcohol
Although drinking alcohol might seem relaxing it is best to steer clear of it because it’s actually a stimulant and prevents deep REM sleep.
Eat Protein In The Morning
To help bring blood sugar levels down, eat something when you get up but make sure it’s a protein – or a balanced protien/fat/veggie breakfast such as a mixed veggie egg scramble.
If you go and eat loads of carbs for breakfast when your blood glucose is already high, it will only push it up further. The message here is: toast and cereals are often the worst offenders.
Eat Well Every Day
Morning blood sugar levels are all tied up with everything else you do throughout the day.
And one of the best ways to to manage your diabetes or prediabetes is to eat a healthy diet every day – eat the right type of carbs, eat the right amount of carbs, and minimize the most problematic foods – the high carb offenders: sugar, bread, rice, pasta, cereals, and potatoes.
The food you eat has a direct impact on your blood sugar and A1c levels. And the more controlled you can keep your blood sugars overall, the better your morning sugars will be as well.
You’ll find plenty of diet resources on our website. And if you need further help, consider joining as a member.
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Supplements to Help Lower Morning Blood Sugar Levels
A variety of supplements have been shown to be effective in reducing fasting glucose levels.
Cinnamon
The average results from two months of cinnamon supplementation at about 3g/day is a reduction in fasting blood glucose by 11.8 mg/dl (0.66 mmol/l).
Polyphenols in cinnamon provide many benefits such as enhancing insulin signaling, improving glucose transport into cells, and reducing insulin resistance.
Chromium
A review of chromium supplementation found that fasting blood glucose can be reduced by 9 mg/dl (0.5 mmol/l) to 31 (1.72 mmol/l).
Researchers suggest this is due to enhancement of insulin action.
Chromium
Chromium Liquid
Garlic
Taking approximately 300 mg of garlic powder for 8-24 weeks has been shown to reduce fasting blood glucose by approximately 35.8 mg/dl (2 mmol/l).
Researchers suggest garlic helps enhance insulin sensitivity, exerts insulin-like activity, enhances pancreatic beta cell function and inhibits carbohydrate metabolism.
L-Carnosine
L-carnosine 1000 mg per day for 12 weeks showed a 13.1 mg/dL (0.7 mmol/l) reduction in fasting blood glucose levels.
L-carnosine is naturally found in muscle tissue and when taken as a supplement helps modify glucose metabolism, provides antioxidant, protects against glycation and reduces inflammation.
Aloe Vera
A review of aloe vera found a reduction in fasting glucose levels by 46.6 mg/dL (2.6 mmol/l). Aloe vera was either taken by supplement 50-300 mg per day, or juice 15 – 30 mL.
Although the exact mechanisms are unclear, proposed mechanisms include the expression of the genes related to glucose metabolism and reduced insulin resistance. Aloe vera contains over 75 active components, some of which are trace elements of chromium, magnesium, manganese, and zinc that are important in the metabolism of glucose.
Aloe Vera Bio-Active
Aloe Vera Juice
Berberine
The effects of berberine on fasting blood sugar levels is very impressive. When people with type 2 diabetes were given 500 mg of berberine per day, 3 times per day, for 13 weeks, fasting blood glucose reduced by 68 mg/dL (3.78 mmol/l).
Berberine has many potent glucose-lowering properties. If you’d like to learn more about it, we’ve written about berberine extensively over here.
Many of the above supplements have also been shown to control blood sugar overall, along with lowering A1c, as well as providing several other benefits.
The best rule of thumb here is not to go out and take every single supplement, but try taking one supplement for a time and see if it exerts any benefits for you. If not you can try exchanging it for another one to evaluate its effects.
Always be aware that any blood sugar lowering supplements can potentially cause low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). You should always seek medical advice before supplementing, especially if taking medications.
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Conclusion
Unfortunately there is no one size fits all solution to solve the high blood sugar in the morning dilemma. Sometimes people can do everything possible and still have morning levels that always come in a little high.
Hopefully in the near future, researchers will uncover a way we can solve the issue more permanently. But in the meantime, the best thing you can do is bring your daily levels down within a healthy range and maintain them there, as this will also influence morning levels.
Second to that you can try some of the strategies above to see if they make a difference for you.
If you’ve found something specific that works for you, please share in the comments below so others can try your tips, too!
Transcript
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Hello, everyone, Dr Jedha here and welcome to episode 38. I’m thrilled to have you join me today for a very popular topic that many of you have asked about: morning blood sugar levels.
Morning blood sugar levels, also known as fasting blood sugar, are the glucose levels in your blood when you first wake up, before eating or drinking anything. Many people with type 2 diabetes notice that their blood sugar is higher in the morning, and it can be quite puzzling.
For instance, Margaret asked: Why are morning readings higher than lunch and dinner?
Sue asked: Why are morning levels high, why do they happen and how to control them?
Myra said: My issues are before breakfast my readings are between 101-122 what can I do to stay between 70-100?
Marcy, a person I was working with, always had 3 big question marks against her morning readings.
Yep, without a doubt high blood sugar in the morning, it does stump many people. Logically it doesn’t make sense. If you haven’t eaten all night you’d expect your levels to be lower right, not higher? So what exactly is the deal here?
This is a crucial subject because understanding your blood sugar patterns can make a significant difference in managing your diabetes effectively.
It’s also important because elevated morning blood sugar levels can impact your overall blood sugar control throughout the day, influencing your energy levels, mood, and even your long-term health. By understanding the factors that affect your morning blood sugar and learning how to manage them, or even better yet, ways to treat the high levels, you can take better control of your diabetes and improve your quality of life.
In today’s episode, we’ll explore why morning blood sugar levels tend to be higher, the common causes behind this phenomenon, and most importantly, practical strategies you can use to manage and lower those morning readings. So, let’s get started and unravel the mystery.
Firstly, let me just say that your high levels are not your fault, and don’t panic, there is a reason for it, and it’s called the dawn phenomenon or dawn effect.
The dawn phenomenon is a term used to describe an early morning rise in blood sugar levels, typically occurring between 2 a.m. and 8 a.m. This rise happens naturally, even if you haven’t eaten anything. For people living with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes, this can result in higher than desired blood sugar readings first thing in the morning, which can be frustrating and confusing, as many of you well know.
The reason that it happens – this dawn phenomenon – all comes down to your body’s natural hormonal rhythms and the body’s natural circadian clock. During the early morning hours, your body prepares to wake up by releasing certain hormones. These hormones include growth hormone, cortisol, glucagon, and catecholamines like adrenaline and noradrenaline. This change in hormones occurs to stimulate our awakening, to get us moving and to give us energy. During this process, these hormones trigger the liver to release glucose into the bloodstream. That’s right, the liver can produce glucose by breaking down body stores called glycogen, or by manufacturing glucose from proteins. In any case, glucose levels rise to give us energy to get moving. The body then compensates for this early morning glucose release by producing more insulin, which keeps blood sugar levels within the normal range.This is in fact a ‘normal’ response. This occurs in everyone, whether they have diabetes or not.
But in prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, there is one additional factor that impacts both the overnight glucose production and the rise in glucose, and that is decreased insulin production or decreased utilization of insulin. Decreased utilization of insulin is the most common reason. Even though your body may be producing sufficient insulin, even during the night, your cells are not opening in response to insulin, due to insulin resistance. As a result, you experience higher than normal blood sugar levels in the morning.
Another possible, though less common cause of high morning blood sugar levels is known as the Somogyi effect, also known as rebound hyperglycemia. This effect is more common in people taking insulin.
The Somogyi effect occurs when your blood sugar drops too low during the night. As a result your emergency system is activated. This sends messages to your hormones and organs to stimulate more glucose production to help raise your levels, leading to higher than normal blood sugar levels in the morning.
While both the dawn phenomenon and the Somogyi effect can cause high morning blood sugar, they have different triggers. The dawn phenomenon is a natural rise in blood sugar due to hormonal changes, whereas the Somogyi effect is a rebound from low blood sugar during the night.
For most people it will be due to the dawn phenomenon but if you’re taking insulin and trying to identify why your blood sugar is so high in the morning, you might want to wake yourself up during the night to test your levels, just in case this might be your situation and your insulin dose needs to be adjusted.
Okay, so now that we’ve established the primary cause of high morning levels there are also other factors that contribute to high morning levels as well.
If your daily averages are coming in well above the normal healthy range for blood sugar levels, chances are your fasting levels are going to be high as well.
What you eat and when you eat can significantly impact your morning blood sugar levels. Regardless of the time of day, poor food choices will impact your glucose levels negatively. Then there’s other things to consider, for example, a large meal or a high-carbohydrate meal late in the evening can lead to elevated blood sugar in the morning. Your body might still be processing the food overnight, leading to higher glucose levels by morning.
The timing and dosage of your diabetes medications, including insulin, can also affect your morning blood sugar. If your medication isn’t timed correctly or if the dose isn’t right, it can lead to fluctuations in your blood sugar levels.
Physical activity plays a crucial role in blood sugar management. A sedentary lifestyle can lead to higher blood sugar levels, as exercise helps your body use insulin more effectively.
Stress and poor sleep quality can also contribute to high morning blood sugar levels. Stress triggers the release of hormones like cortisol, which can raise blood sugar. Similarly, inadequate or poor-quality sleep can disrupt your body’s natural rhythms and impact blood sugar regulation.
So a main contributor to higher morning levels is the dawn phenomenon, which is something you can’t really control as it’s a natural body response. But there are also things you have within your control and can influence and there are also proven strategies to lower morning levels too, so let’s cover some of these things now.
Let’s start with dietary adjustments, which as I always say: diet and nutrition are your number one treatment strategy and that’s certainly true for morning levels as well.
It’s important to remember that the quality of your overall diet and nutrition significantly influences your daily blood sugar levels, which in turn affect your morning readings. So the more you focus on getting your daily numbers in the healthy range, the better your morning levels will be too – it’s all connected! We’ve covered what to eat to treat diabetes back in episode 6, so we’re not going to get into too much detail on that, please listen to episode 6 if you need more info. But I guess the key thing here is that if your daily levels, for instance your after meal levels are coming in over 140 mg/dl or 7.8 mmol/l, work on that as a primary goal as well as it will offset on your morning levels as well.
A couple of important things to consider in addition to your overall diet and nutrition are the importance of a balanced evening meal, not eating too late, and avoiding high carb snacks at night.
Having a balanced evening meal is essential for maintaining stable blood sugar levels throughout the night. A meal that includes a mix of protein, healthy fats, and non-starchy vegetables can help prevent spikes and crashes in blood sugar. Really, all meals are best when they contain a balanced blend of protein, healthy fats, and non-starchy vegetables. You don’t want to be loading up on too many carbs, any time of day really but particularly for your evening meal, don’t load up on too many carbs.
Don’t eat dinner too late. It’s generally recommended to consume the majority of your food before 8 PM. Late-night snacking, especially on high-carbohydrate foods, can significantly impact your morning blood sugar levels. To avoid this, try to limit late-night snacks, but if you must snack on something choose options that are lower in carbohydrates and high in protein or healthy fats. For example, a small handful of nuts or a piece of cheese can be a better choice than cookies, candy or chips.
If you want to try restricting your eating window to 10 hours during the day, for example, have your evening meal at 6PM, then your breakfast at 8AM, this can also help lower fasting levels by around 8 mg/dl or 0.4 mmol/l.
So just to recap that, your overall diet and nutrition and your daily levels are important to morning levels. Having a balanced lower carb meal at night before 8pm is best. Limiting late night snacking and restricting your eating window to 10 hours, can all have an influence on morning levels.
Then of course, lifestyle factors can support improvements in morning levels too. Make sure you get a good restful sleep every day because lack of sleep can increase cortisol production (your key stress hormone and one of the dawn hormones) and this pushes glucose levels higher. Keep a cap on stress and get regular exercise – again, all key factors in our overall health and in blood sugar too.
That’s the thing: morning blood sugar levels are all tied up with everything else you do throughout the day; and day in and day out, so both diet and lifestyle are important considerations.
In addition to keeping overall lifestyle routines on track, there are some scientifically-proven strategies that can help.
One really easy thing to try that was discovered in a small study and seems to work for many of our members is to have apple cider vinegar and cheese before bed. The study found that 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with 1 oz (28 g) cheddar cheese (which is just 1 slice cheese) before bed may help reduce morning glucose by 4% to 6%. Cheese on its own may reduce it by 2% but the acetic acid in the vinegar exerts additional positive influence.
We’ve had many members like Vicki’s husband use this method with success so try it yourself: 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar mixed in some water with 1 slice of cheddar cheese before bed.
A variety of supplements have been shown to be effective in reducing fasting glucose levels.
I’ll go over these briefly here but if you’re one of our members we have a whole guide on therapeutic supplements for fasting levels, so we’ll put that in the show notes in the members site with episode 38. And if you’re not one of our members, we’ll provide a short table listing some of these in the show notes on our website alongside episode 38, and links to some recommended supplements.
So, berberine, which we covered in episode 21 is effective for helping to lower morning levels, over 13 weeks the average reduction is 68 mg/dl or 3.78 mmol/l so that’s a pretty impressive reduction. Remember I always include the mg or mmol because it depends where you live in the world, and we have members and listeners from all parts of the globe. Okay, so when it comes to the supplements berberine has the best outcomes for fasting levels, that I’ve seen so far.
Aloe vera supplementation or juice has been shown to lower fasting levels by an average of around 46 mg/dl or 2.6 mmol, that’s a good outcome too. Garlic taken for 8-24 weeks has been shown to lower fasting levels by an average 35.8 mg/dl (2 mmol/l), another good outcome. L-carnosine has been shown to lower fasting levels by an average 13 mg/dl or 0.7 millimoles over 12 weeks.Then there’s things like chromium and cinnamon that have also shown benefits for fasting levels, though the outcomes weren’t as big as the ones I’ve just mentioned.
Members, find the guide for therapeutic strategies for fasting inside the members library alongside episode 38; non members head to our website for a brief overview in the show notes.
Other things to consider are your medications, do they need adjusting? Talk to your doctor about the timing or dosage of your insulin or other diabetes medications to see if any changes might influence your morning levels.
And we also covered regular exercise, stress management with mindfulness, or yoga for example, and sleep quality with consistent 7-9 hours per night.
To wrap up, today we delved into the intricacies of morning blood sugar levels, a concern that many of you face. We started by explaining the dawn phenomenon, the natural hormonal process that elevates blood sugar in the early morning hours. This is a common cause for higher morning readings, due to the release of growth hormone, cortisol, and catecholamines.
We also touched on the Somogyi effect, a less common but possible cause of high morning blood sugar, particularly in those taking insulin. This rebound hyperglycemia occurs when blood sugar drops too low during the night, triggering a counter-response that raises blood sugar levels by morning.
Additionally, we discussed other factors that can influence your morning blood sugar, such as diet, meal timing, medication, physical activity, stress, and sleep quality. Maintaining a balanced diet, particularly in the evening, avoiding late-night high-carb snacks, and ensuring regular physical activity can all play a significant role in managing your blood sugar levels.
We also highlighted some practical strategies, such as consulting with your healthcare provider about medication adjustments, using stress management techniques, and ensuring good sleep hygiene, plus, the benefits of using therapeutic supplements.
If you give any of these a try and see improvements, drop me an email and let me know, I’d love to hear about it.
And if you enjoyed today’s info, please leave the podcast a 5-star rating or review. Your ratings help us reach more people who could benefit from our discussions, so I’d really appreciate it if you could take the time.
In the next episode, we’re diving deep into the fascinating world of magnesium and its numerous health benefits for type 2 diabetes and prediabetes.
As always, take care, and have a great week.
Dr Jedha, over and out.
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This article is very helpful .I will try out some of them to lower my morning blood sugar levels.thamk you.
Is it safe to take ALL the supplements above every day?
It is not a good strategy to simply go and take every supplement Paul. It is better to begin with one to examine the effect, then add additional support if necessary. For example, Berberine has been shown to provide the most effective reduction for fasting glucose, so you may start with that. In addition, it is important to consult with doctor about supplementation, especially if taking medication.
This information has been very helpful. I plan to try one of the recommendations provided and hopefully will see some benefits. I am also considering joining the program because I need help with meal planning.
Glad you found the info helpful Beth! We’d love to have you join us inside as a member. Please reach out to us if you have any questions about it.
Hi
I am type 2 and take metformin, 2×500 a day. I have not been introduced to checking my blood levels by doctor. The only way i have learned anything is from your emails and i try hard to follow your food advice. However i am finding it difficult as i dont take blood to check my levels. This has been why i have not become a member. I desperately want to be as healthy as i can but like i said am having problems not knowing my levels. Last time i spoke to my doctor i asked after a blood test if i was going well and if i am pre or type 2. He answered you are type 2 and are managed well. Please give me some advice. I feel so ignorant and want to be as responsible for my health as i can. Thankyou
Hi Patricia, You don’t need to be checking blood sugar to become a member, lots of members don’t. And being a member provides you with lots of support and help with your food intake too! But this is obviously a frustration and your doctor should tell you the numbers, so be more assertive in asking for them to give you the actual numbers, because saying ‘are managed well’ is not helpful at all. You are also able to purchase monitors without your doctors permission, as home glucose monitoring is often used by people because kt is a good self-monitoring tool and a way to understand your body better. You are not ignorant, you are just learning and that’s a great thing! So far you’re doing exceptionally well with the information and tools you have, so keep being proactive with it. I hope you decide to join us as a member sometime in the future!
Thanks for this.I really needed this information and the tips.I will definitely try them to see if any will work for me as I have been quite frustrated with my high morning readings.
Are steel cut oats with milk and walnuts a good breakfast choice? Or should I be looking for more proteins?
Hi Georgi, a protein-rich breakfast is ideal and fewer carbs would help to stablize blood sugar levels more, as oats are high in carbs. You might enjoy our recent podcast on breakfast ideas here.
Excellent article. I have FBG on waking (6:30-7:30am) on average of 7.5mmol/L but normal readings during the day and 2 hours after eating so believe by waking early (often at 4-5am for a pee) and going back to sleep my “waking” hormones are causing these high FBG readings?
Also do you know if taking Athletic Greens (AG1) spike your glucose? Many thanks.
Alan (UK)
It definitely sounds like hormones could be the culprit. We see many people have great success lowering FBG readings using apple cider vinegar and/or a fat & protein snack (such as cheddar cheese) before bed.
AG1 appears to have 6g/carbs per serving, depending on what you mix the powder into. This would be considered low carb, so likely not causing a huge spike in your blood sugar however the best way to know for sure is to test. What I would recommend is checking your blood sugar before you consume AG1, consume the drink like you normally would and then don’t eat anything else for 2hrs; check your blood sugar after that point.
I’ve been trying moringa and other herbs to control the blood sugar but it keeps rising. the last reading was 15.1 ,I do excercise everyday and drink a lot of water but no improvement.
What next do i do please?
Focus on your diet/nutrition plan for best results. You might consider taking the T2Diet Program.
I have been drinking Herbaly tea (Wellness Collection) for 2 weeks and I’ve also been eating a few pieces of fennel with peanut butter each morning for the last 4 days and somehow it has lowered my glucose readings by 20-30 points. I even had a fair amount of carbs while out to lunch 2 days ago and checked my sugar 4 hours later and it was 99!!!!!!! I was expecting to see 140!!!!!! Last night, I did a carb challenge again and this morning my sugar was 95 (it had been between 115 and 129 for the past few weeks).
Will sugar free soda and some candy affect my reading in the morning
Definitely possible. Sugar free products, like candy and soda, contain artificial sweetener. Some people find these artificial sweeteners can raise blood sugar, whereas some people are fine using them. In addition to that consideration, it’s also important to remember that sugar free products are often highly processed and contain ingredients that are highly processed which aren’t so great for your health in general. I would suggest eliminating all sugar free products for a week and see if this makes any difference on your morning readings.
Doesn’t a before bed time snack defeat the 12 hour fast timing of FBS?
Not every morning sugar needs to be a true “fasting” blood sugar, so it’s okay to have a healthy bed time snack – especially if you find it improves your morning sugar levels. There may be a time for a true FBS such as when your doctor orders lab work, so on those occasions I would definitely suggest forgoing the snack or eating it early. In general, I suggest trial and error with the snack timing to find what works best for your blood sugar levels.
Great article and very informative. My last few blood tests show 99 fasting and A1c of 5.7. I have been battling stomach issues since January 2021, due to my dentist overprescribing antibiotics, which completely destroyed my gut and intestinal bacteria. I lost nearly 40 lbs and am struggling to gain back at least half this weight. Anyway, I’ve been on a strict diet since January, no sugar, processed foods, low carb, etc…, yet I still got this reading in the AM on my most recent test. I regularly use cinnamon and recently started taking fenugreek and Berberine, but began feeling nauseous so I am now wondering if I’ve gone too far in the other direction?
Are you checking your blood sugars during the episodes of nausea? Nausea could be a sign of both low and high blood sugar so it could be good to see if there is a correlation there, but there might be no relationship. The numbers you describe sound like you have overall good control and I would recommend working on healing your gut (think probiotics & other fermented foods) from the antibiotic therapy, which will likely help the nausea and make weight gain easier.
The breakfast muffins with all your favorite vegetables with 12 eggs and baked at 350 degrees for 25 minutes is the ultimate breakfast. I prep and bake on Sunday and you can eat 2 muffins each day Monday through Saturday. Your blood sugar readings are low and you have vegetables to start your day.
Sounds delicious!
Thank for such wonderfull impormation. Can you be my diatitian
We do not provide 1:1 nutrition counseling services. You may be interested in joining our members site which has access to so many healthy recipes and other support tools.
Do you have a recipe?
Here is a basic recipe but you can add any veggie and cheese combos that you like!
Thank you for the recipe
Going to try making them.
Looking for an informed opinion on Robert Irvine’s Fit Crunch Protein Bars as it relates to sugar content and overall ppropriateness for diabetics. Thanks.
Now that my email is FINALLY working, I can check in! I’m going to try the apple cider vinegar tonight and see what happens. It is really difficult to figure out why sometimes my numbers are higher than others when my prescription for test strips is to check twice weekly.
Stick to the guidelines Rosie and you’ll likely see the patterns changing, even though you’re only testing twice a week.
You guys are a God sent, Thanks so much for the information 😊
As I get dehydrated overnight, I wonder if that wouldn’t push my FG up a bit. Generally, when I wake up, I drink a half liter of water and then measure about 30 minutes later, but before I eat anything. This keeps me in the 90’s.
Am I cheating?
Goblush,
That is not cheating at all! It is important to stay hydrated to keep your blood sugar in control. Try making sure you drink enough throughout the day so you are not playing catch up in the morning.
Fbs 143, pp 152.
Dinner lettuce wrap with 2.5 oz fresh turkey breast & mayo, 2 each carrots/celery sticks, 5 olives.
Thanks for checking in Miriam.
Can I use ground cinnamon instead
Hi Barb, you can use ground cinnamon. The study we are referring to in this article used 3g of cinnamon per day which is a little over a teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
HI this is liz checking in. Today my fasting number was 97.I am trying out some new recipes. I love to cook and try new foods. For breakfast today I tried something really different. I am trying to incorporate more veggies into my meal plan so I layered a
Breakfast casserole with zucchini, cheese,ham,and eggs. It very good and very diabetic friendly. Oh and I baked in the oven for 25 minutes.
Delish – Thanks for checking in Liz!
hi! sometimes i have high blood sugar 130-180 in the morning but this is not constant process. i don’t know what is this dawn effect or other thing because it does not happen all the time. sometimes when i check my sugar at 3am it is low and i have snacks but sometimes it is high such as 138, any ideas what to do? or what is this?
Hi Katie,
I would revisit the strategies mentioned in the article. There are numerous reasons it could be high sometimes- sleep habits, stress, and of course, what you ate that evening.
Hello,
I am getting extremely frustrated as I am on januvia 100ml every morning and once a week ozempic .25 – I am not overweight, I am physically fit, exercise 5x a week. I have been pre-diabetic
Since age 60 and now at age 70 I am diabetic. I eat very low carbs, no sugar, bread, pasta, potatoes or rice. My last A1C was 6.2 and my morning blood sugars are usually 127-160 – during the day 127-147 . I hear about all these people getting off their diabetes meds and my doctor wants to keep adding meds for me! He said most of his patients are on 4-6 meds daily! I recently was on vacation and ate everything I wanted including sourdough bread, pizza, and ice cream daily for 5 days. However, I walked between 8-12 miles a day and one day even 17 Miles. My blood sugar reading we’re actually lower
. Morning 117 and afternoon 2 hrs after a high carb dim sum lunch, 130! I can not keep the pace of 8 miles a day but I do generally walk/run 2-4 miles a day! I also eat low carb sugar free snacks in the evening, before I go to bed and manytime grab a small snack, either, nuts, cheese or sugar free chocolate in the middle of the night! Yet when I get up my readings are always high! I’ve tried cutting out the middle of the night snacks but I can’t seem to go back to sleep when I am feeling hungry! I need some help and don’t know where or who to ask!
I am sorry you are feeling so overwhelmed! Everyone is different when it comes to their blood sugar management and there are many factors that will influence your readings. Your current A1c of 6.2% is pretty good! It’s great you’re eating a lower carb diet, I would continue to focus on this but you may also want to explore other aspects of your diet that may influence your blood sugars. Are you eating enough fiber? Are your meals balanced with enough protein and fat? Check out our guidelines here on a low carbohydrate diet to review the basics and see if you are missing anything.
I myself have tried most of your suggestions that I bred completely through this subject post and Dawn Phenomenon. I’m still scratching my head because none of it has made any difference. protein before bed and have tried a small teaspoon of peanut butter did nothing but raise it more. I’m stuck !
My diet and how I eat during the day for the most part are good 2 to 3 hours after meals still fairly good or perfect. I know I’m eating right. Went from 83 before bed and woke up to 158. With late-night protein snack.
Don’t give up, Debbie, we just need to keep experimenting! Since the late night snack isn’t working, I would suggest cutting it out. You’re body may not need the extra protein/calories to sustain itself overnight, and depending on what exactly you are picking, this may be contributing to the rise. My personal favorite tip from this article is the apple cider vinegar prior to bed; if you haven’t given that one a try then I definitely suggest you do.
Another option could be trialing some natural supplements such as cinnamon or chromium which you can read more about in the article hyperlinked into this sentence. Make sure you are getting enough quality sleep each night as that is crucial to normal sugar metabolism. Let me know if you still need further suggestions.
With dawn phenomenon, I get moving about 4:30am, get to the gym, work out with a trainer about 30 minutes 3 times a week. The other 2 or 3 days I walk using a treadmill 30 minutes briskly. Would it be best to test bs before exercising since it is early morning? Once I get home it is shower, dress, breakfast, off to work by 7am
It would be interesting to know your number prior to the gym, but one thing to consider is timing of your last meal. For a true “fasting” test, it should be at least 8 hours of no food, so you would want to ensure you have finished all meals and snacks before 8pm the night prior. Ultimately the best plan may be to check at 4:30 on some mornings and at 7am on other mornings in order to have a better understanding of your body and daily control.
Thank you will try taking readings as suggested
Ella morning BG 153 ate egg & cheese l bagal with peanut butter 2 sausage a glass of almond milk 1half cup strawberries
After Breaksfast 182
lunch ate 1 low carm wrap with tuna and cheese slice of tomatoe lettuce carrots with ranch dressing small tangerine.BG 134
Dimnet ate Mexican zucchini and meat balls
BG 153
I am monitoring to see if am estimg to much bread it low carbs have 10 to 4 g of carbs it says on label , so os that too many carbs in the bread , i can’t fimd the 0 carbs until i get it from you or sgn in to make it myself
Hi Ella, thanks for the check in. Since you are a member we are now checking in on the members site. Login at: https://dmpmembers.com/login and navigate to ‘Me’ to find the daily check ins.
Hello Jedha. It’s Mark from the “challenge”. I consistently run mg/dL in the 70’s to low 100’s during the day and evening before bed, but pop up to 130’s to 150’s at morning fasting test. I”ve been trying to eat a small snack before bed, usually a wedge of cheese or a tablespoon of healthy peanut butter which seems to be helping with the morning “dawn phenomenon” but would like to do more. I’ve been looking at the info on this webpage and am curious about using supplements such as garlic or aloe vera or including apple cider to my cheese snack. These seem to be “over time” and so I’m wondering if it’s necessary to try to stick to one regime or can it be varied? Garlic one night, aloe vera another, apple cider with cheese on another? Also, I notice that the supplements seem to be much higher in doseage than the noted impacts of the item (Example from above: “Taking approximately 300 mg of garlic powder for 8-24 weeks has been shown to reduce fasting blood glucose by approximately 35.8 mg/dl (2 mmol/l).” Yet the supplements advertised are doseages of 1000 mg and 1200 mg.) My question is whether the higher supplement doseage might drive the dawn phenomenon into a hypoglycemic condition if taken daily? Final question: How does the “dawn phenomenon” impact the A1c% test? Or does it? A1c% testing always follows fasting and usually is in the morning. I’ve ordered some of the supplements and plan on seeing their impact on my system.
And thank you for the information on your websites. I’ve found DMP information and recipes to be a incredibly great help with my efforts to control my type II diabetes and improve my diet and overall health. I’ve been type II for 10 years now and been on and off with my efforts to control it and realize that it was mostly due to ignorance and difficulty finding truly helpful information and plans to make the transition to a healthy diet realistic for a busy life-style. Your website has been a major contributor to my being able to stay on course. Thank YOU!
I would suggest sticking with one regime at first because often you may not see an immediate result, sometimes you will of course, but not always, so then, with so many variables it can be harder to pin point what works and what doesn’t. It’s difficult to say with supplement dosages, it depends on the individual. A supplement can be safe taken at the manufacturers recommended dosage, however you should always get the advice of your healthcare team. As for A1c, it does and doesn’t. A1c is an average of the amount of glucose attached to your blood cells over approximately 3 months. Our daily blood sugar levels always fluctuate based on foods you eat, stress, exercise, illness etc. So the A1c is more objective because it’s an average. Technically fasting blood sugar does form a part of the averages, but if your everyday blood sugars are in the normal range, in most cases it doesn’t influence A1c.
And thanks for your kind words Mark. It’s great to hear we’ve been a positive part of your health journey – that’s why we do what we do. :)
Its been 3 Years my morning Level comes around 130-150, HbA1c comes between 6.3-6.5 (Every 6 month checkup) I do not have any issue during the day time and I am keeping it like 120-140. Also Even after breakfast the reading comes down .. to 110-120 .. I did some reading on internet and found this is the effect of Dawn Effect. I tried taking ACV, Protein at bed time but nothing is helping to reduce the morning readings.. please suggest.
Some research suggests ACV works best when taken with (cheddar) cheese. Make sure you are getting quality sleep at night, limit cell-phone/computer use prior to bed and aim for 8 hours daily. You could also check with your doctor to see if he or she thinks you might benefit from taking an evening nutrition supplement such as the ones discussed in this article.
My random blood sugar test with fasting is 127 and hba1c is 5.5 .. my doctor told it’s nothing to worry.. please tell me is this acceptable.
You’re A1c level is right on the edge of acceptable levels; you’re fasting level is a bit elevated.
A1c Goal: < 5.7% (5.7%-6.4% may indicate prediabetes; >6.4% indicates diabetes.)
Fasting: <100 mg/dL is ideal
You're best bet is to start making small changes now, before you even approach prediabetic territory. The most important thing to remember is carbohydrates are the nutrient that most effect blood sugar levels, based on research we encourage you to limit carb intake and consume foods primarily from this list.
This article will also provide some guidance on specifically lowering morning sugar levels. Best of luck!
Hi. My doctor has noted my morning blood sugar levels have hovered at 99-102 for years, but in 7 years they have not gone higher. I am 48, 5’7″ 160#, eat balanced diet, low carbs, exercise daily. No sugar drinks etc. Yet when I had my fasting bloodwork done recently for insurance, they classified me as high risk because my blood sugar was 102. Feeling pretty frustrated. 2 hours after eating my levels are never higher than 120. Thoughts?
All the readings you describe sound pretty good to me! Whether you are diabetic, prediabetic, or without any official diagnosis your goal is to keep your numbers as close to normal as possible. Ideally under 100mg/dL fasting, and under 140 mg/dL after meals. Keep up the great work!
My blood sugars range from 108 to 125 I have cut all sugar out my diet and I’m terrified. I get shakey when I’m hungry and I totally freak. Are those numbers diabetic range?
The answer depends on the timing of when you are checking your blood sugar. If those are fasting levels, then they may be considered pre-diabetes levels (100-125 mg/dL) but if those are random levels or post meal levels then they would be considered normal (not diabetic range). Find more info on blood sugar ranges here.
In regards to you feeling shaky with cutting out sugar, it can happen, especially if you cut it out fast as it can produce temporary hypoglycemia which is when your blood sugar is too low. Make sure you have replaced the simple sugars with lots of low carb vegetables, healthy fats, proteins and lower carb fruits.
Would you recommend taking a blood sugar lowering supplement before going to bed since my readings are usually high in the morning?
Before reaching for a supplement, first look at your overall daily habits in regard to nutrition, sleep and exercise as all of these can play a role in morning blood sugar levels. If you know your nutrition is in a good place and you are getting good sleep, exercise etc, then it’s certainly worth trying one of the supplements. I would advise to start with one at a time and evaluate the individual impact of that supplement versus adding multiple ones because then you won’t know which one is or isn’t working for you. My suggestion would be to start with the berberine supplement as evidence shows it has the most dramatic effect on blood sugars compared to the other supplements.
Hi.
Since 2016 year of December started my hba1c was 6.8%. and then I follow Dr’s advice to take medicine after 3months my hba1c was 5.3% till now I have 5.6%. and my fast blood glucose is higher than normal like 157mg/DL that test using glucose test meter at home after 30mins FBS got 149mg/DL but I had experience the same above and then if I go to test in lab FBS get always normal. What is the difference between test at home and at lab? Is there any need for my change diet and lifestyle?
Please let me know. I am hearing impaired and my age is 31yrs.
Thanks regards.
Great questions- A1c measures the AVERAGE blood sugar reading from a 2-3 month period, a finger stick (whether done at home or at the lab) is representative of your sugar level at that moment, so there can be variation. Blood sugar is always changing, and small fluctuations like that are nothing to worry about.
Your FBS appears to be running a little high, as you read in this article this is a common problem for many people. And everyone can benefit from diet and lifestyle changes so YES now is a great time to start making small changes. You may find even better blood sugar control with a low carbohydrate diet if you aren’t allowing following such a diet.
Thanks alot for helping diabetic patient. Testing my blood sugar after three months is 6. 9. Am I sugar patient.
Your goal is to keep your fasting (morning) blood sugar under 7.2 mmol/L or 130 mg/dL (even better control under 5.6 mmol/L or 100 mg/dL), and your A1c under 7% (or even better under 6.5%). Anything above this is an indication that you need to work with your doctor to start making lifestyle changes to gain more control over your sugar levels.
I woke up sugar 120 but low durring day
Having higher levels in the morning is common William, as you read above. There’s no one specific solution, unfortunately. But some supplements and dietary changes can help.
hi doc my fasting blood sugar is 128mg/dl and post lunch after 2 hours is 103 mg/dl my age is 26 is it normal or I have developed diabetes
Your goal is to keep your fasting blood sugar under 126 mg/dl, and your post meal readings under 140 mg/dl. Was the 128 mg/dl reading a single occurrence or is this your average? A single occurrence is less of a concern, however if this is a reoccurring number you will want to work with your doctor to make appropriate life style changes as you may be prediabetic/ diabetic. Here is a great article about lowering your morning sugar levels!
Here is my situation: AM blood sugar between 130-155, nights two hours after dinner between 85-115. We eat dinner at 5:30PM nightly, get up at 6AM each morning, a lot of evenings – no snacks after dinner time. Should I eat something prior to bedtime? What kind of protein snack is a good choice to try and lower a.m. blood sugar? I feel it is the Dawn Phenomonon.
Yes, the Dawn Phenomenon may be the culprit in this situation. Here are a few solutions to help bring your morning blood sugar closer to normal range, there are a few suggestions for some nice protein snacks in that article as well. Some people find that a bedtime snack helps lower morning highs!
I went to the doctor and my sugar was 600,so my doctor to me to check my sugar every hour and take 10 unit every hour and drink nothing but water and I did just that,before I went to bed it was at 95,woke up it was back up 263,what going on in my sleep
Waking up with high blood sugar in the morning can be a problem for many diabetics. This info does a nice job explaining the possible mechanisms behind morning highs. Continue to make diet and lifestyle changes and work with your doctor to get your blood sugar under control. As you achieve more control, that will help with morning levels too.
Hi..I have a funny problem here…my HBA1C is abt 7.6 last tested. When i was monitoring my BS following observed with time…
2200. 170
0400. 125
0630. 102
0700. 111
0800. 144
I did not have any breakfast till 0800. Dinner was at 2000 followed by a 45 min brisk walk from 2030 to 2115. Why the funny readings? Can u help?..
It is normal for blood sugar to fluctuate during the day. Exercise is great to include in any diabetes management plan (so keep it up!), and realize your 2200 reading is only 2 hours post dinner, so the meal you consumed will still be affecting your blood sugar levels. If it’s still higher than 140 at 2 hours, you might want to assess how many carbs you’re eating. As far as the rise overnight/ morning levels, check out this info for some possible explanations and solutions.
My age is 30 n mine is 6.83. ?Now what should I do ?
Have you been diagnosed with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes Jayee?
Hi, I’m Emily, I have a few questions. I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes two years ago when I was pregnant with my daughter. After I had her the doctors informed me that it was gone and I just needed to watch my health and eat right. So now two years later after dropping 40 pounds and now doing triathlons,and running marathons. I’m very much in shape. I’m experiencing blood sugar issues, and weight loss that I cannot afford to lose. My sugar is very high in the morning, 140-170 and then it drops gradually after breakfast, after spiking to 200. By the end of the day it falls back into normal range 90-130 before bed. Then I wake up with high sugar again. I train in the morning before work from 5-7 am. And sometimes my sugar is higher after my workout then it was when I first woke up. The highest I’ve seen it is 211. I’m really concerned. I am going to the doctor. But I’m worried that my levels are off and my body is malnourished due to my levels being off. I dropped four pounds in three days. I’m only 5,4 117 pounds . I eat all the time. Constant really to keep up with what I do everyday. But somewhere my levels are off and throwing off my sugars. Any advice appreciated. Thank-you.
Our specialty here is type 2 diabetes and prediabetes Emily. In any case, it’s best to talk to your doctor about these concerns, as it does sound like things are not normal.
My 10 year old daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes about a year ago. The doctors have recently raised the amount of insulin she needs to take with her breakfast and now we are noticing her sugars are almost to 300 at lunch. Should I put her insulin back to 1 unit per 15g of carbs instead of 13?
Our expertise is with type 2 diabetes and prediabetes. But in any case, it really is best to consult with your daughter’s physician about your concerns and queries.
Hi I have been diagnosed this July 2017 as type 2. My blood sugar was 493 when I went to the e.r. bc of dizzy symptoms and blurred vision. I was put on lantus 25 units for 26 days and have want myself off of course I got the o.k. from my doctor who told me I would have to take insulin for the rest of my life. But I’m now on metformin 2 times a day and after every meal I eat before I test at the 2 hour peak I’m already down before the 2 hours is that hypo or normal.
Linda, We’re not quite clear on your question. You’re asking something about 2 hour testing?
My bloid sugars are in the 200 hundreds of a morning and i have trouble snacking after dinner.
You don’t need to snack after dinner, perhaps look at the rest of your diet and how your numbers are running through the day. If they are running high, you need to work on your overall numbers, not just morning. If it’s only morning, could be Dawn Phenomenon.
Hi, my BS is high in the morning about 120-147.
2-3 hrs after meal is 93-100.
i am not on any pills, I refused that from my dr.
Thank you for your reply. Eating foods in my house I have always been pretty lenient. My boys are thin and having grown up extremely poor if they want food I feed them. Damian eats much healthier than my older son actually liking fruits and vegetables. I let them have the occasional junk food Cheetos or popcorn and I let them have cookies (health craze has taken over our school system to the point where my kids were afraid of ANY cookies at all) I even found my oldest child counting calories once because his teachers said he was obese. This is the skinniest kid in the world, you can see every bone in his body his anatomy class last year even did a project where they just put a shirt over him and traced out the bones. I only let them have one soda a day period and I keep some sodas as off limits like mountain dew. Friday’s are a big deal at a my house because I let them have two sodas. 2nd soda Friday. Yeah I was confused about the symptoms too, it does kind of seem like it could be one or the other, but I am more familiar with adult type II so i just don’t know. I am definitely making an appointment with his pediatrician on monday and my aunt told me to keep a log of food and time and blood sugar, she says the doc is going to want that stuff anyway. It just seems so irresponsible of that doc to dismiss everything and just tell my son that I’m overreacting and his blood sugar wasn’t 135. He wouldn’t even look at the glucose meter I brought. And I made sure he washed his hands before I took the readings.
Thank you again for responding.
Yikes–that sounds a little scary. And perplexing. Some of the symptoms you describe seem more like evidence of the beginnings of Type 1 Diabetes or very poorly controlled Type 2. Usually extreme thirst and hunger are the result of greatly elevated sugar levels (like above 400), not pre-diabetes. Weight gain is not uncommon in kids–remember they are growing and often do so in spurts. Very often a significant weight gain precedes a growth spurt in height and this is especially the case with boys–they tend to shoot up in short periods of time and the body sends signals to eat more and prepare them.
Is Diabetes in your family Type 1 or Type 2? The symptoms seems more like Type 1, but the numbers certainly don’t indicate that as being a possibility. The numbers are a little elevated, but also note that growing kids also have a lot of hormonal fluctuation. Does he drink a lot of sweet beverages (soda, juice, tea)? I’d reduce/eliminate those and make sure you’re providing a healthy variety of foods. Don’t restrict the amount he eats. He’s 10 and growing and needs a lot of food–if you restrict now, he will likely compensate for that down the road. If you are providing healthy balanced foods like vegetables, chicken, eggs, avocados, fruits, whole grains etc, he will eat the amount that is right for him–but if there are a lot of high processed, junk food options, it is so easy to override the system.
The idea of ‘being too young’ for diabetes is absurd. There are many kids with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes and it is an epidemic in our country. I would seek a pediatrician who will help work with you. Try to not become overly anxious about this because he will read your signals and words and this can easily cause him to gravitate to more poor food choices if he is stressed an worried. Be encouraging, continue to monitor him, provide healthy balanced meals and seek out a healthcare provider who will listen to your needs and work with you.
Good luck!
Hello,
My 10 yr old son has been off recently, gaining weight (I didn’t think anything of it, kids fluctuate and maybe he was getting ready for a growth spurt) Extremely thirsty (it’s summer, we live in Texas) Fatigue (beginning of school year, getting into the swing of school) but the other night after the 3rd time I chased him back to bed for getting water(I thought he just didn’t want to go to sleep) he got frustrated and said I don’t know why I’m so incredibly thirsty. It’s never enough, I’m thirsty ALL the time. That rang the alarm bells in my head. My ENTIRE family has diabetes. I am the only one who never developed it, and it’s rampant on my ex husband’s side too. We pulled out the glucose meter fasting before dinner was 104. O…..k. checked first morning fasting 135. Not ok. My family went nuts. The nurse said to take him to e.r. to be evaluated. They did not run any relevant tests and flat out told me he didn’t have diabetes because he’s too young.
Could my son be pre diabetic? I live in a small town with older doctors who don’t necessarily keep up with studies, but since my whole family is diabetic (many of them diagnosed since they were kids I might add) I am worried. They refuse to run A1C tests and these over 100 glucose tests keep popping up. Everyone in my family says this is not normal for a 10yr old.
Thank you
For the past 4 years I have been told that I am borderline Diabetic. I had major back surgery (three level fusion) and I weighed 232 now I’m 195 they put me on Metformin for 6 months, I stopped because it was giving stomach problems. My morning BS test is 110 to 130 then around noon it’s in the low 90s. My A1C is 6.0. why is the BS always high in the morning? Thanks…
For the reasons explained above Shawn – find more details on Dawn Phenomenon here.
These comments are very helpful. I need to learn more about how to control blood sugar. One thing, I watch my sugar instead of my carbs. Maybe carbs are just as important to keep as sweets. What do you think?
If you want to control blood sugar, counting the total amount of carbs you eat will help you do it Libby. Sugar is a carb. But ALL carbs break down to sugar in the body. You may find this info on carbs helpful.
It’s so nice that you respond to everyone’s questions! Thank you it helped answer some of mine!!
Glad to hear Cindy!
I am a Type II diabetic. my A1C1 is not good right now but I quit alcohol (completely 3 months ago) but switched to sugars, which I now have back under control (A1C1 is 9.4; everything else really is great).
Please review my morning breakfast slurry (it’s not a drink – too thick) consists of 1/2 of the following recipe becuase I make the slurry for two days (using a Ninja blender). Is this a good morning breakfast? I am trying to ingest those items which are supposed to be good for me.
4 TBS (table spoon) raw old fashioned oat meal
1 TBS each of the following ingredients: bee pollen, almond flour, ground flax, chia seeds, hemp seeds, salted pumpkin seeds, roasted unsalted peanuts.
1 teaspoon of tumeric
1 of each of the following: small/med apple, small orange with peelings (halo), small raw beet, 2 garlic pods, 1 med carrot. Also, I have a small banana to take my medicine (simvastatin, Lisinapril, metformin, and 1-4 mini asprins).
4-5 grape tomatoes
fistful of green (spinach, kale, or both)
3 leaves of beet with stems
2 jiggers of Pome juice (high sugar i know but only a jigger a day).
These are my morning wake up drinks.
1 cup coffee
Home made mixture – 16 oz green tea from tea bags, cinnamon (1/2 stick pounded and boiled), slice of lemon, and a thumb joint worth of fresh ginger all ground in the Ninja. sometimes I ingest all of the cinnamon pieces.
Thank you for your input,
Billy
Hi Billy, Since we encourage a low carb diet here (because science shows it works to lower blood sugar and A1C), many of the foods on your list are not foods we recommend. You can view our food list here. If your A1C is 9.4, focusing on lowering your carb intake and getting daily exercise are two goals to work on.
Hello I am sugar patient type 2 diabeties.My age is 52.My blood sugar level in morning 168-184 and after breakfast 250-280.Plz help me how i am my blood sugar level low in the fasting
Kind Regards
Hi Arshad, Those numbers are rather high, especially after breakfast, which indicates that your diet may play a big part here. Are you monitoring your carb intake? Exercising? Gaining better control of your daily numbers can really help lower morning levels as well. Though in some people morning levels will always remain higher.
Read this discussion on fasting levels – it will answer many questions.
Hello Jedha. My name is Lee and I am a newly diagnosed type 2 diabetic and I am very unsure of what my BGL should be before i go to sleep. I am very anxious about having a hypoglycaemic episode in my sleep and not wake up in time to correct it. What i am also not understanding is why i am waking up at around 10.0 mMOL/L in the morning and finally in the evening i am at normal levels……i have been put on a carb counting diet for this by the way. Any advice would he much appreciated. Thank you in advance.
Kind regards
Lee
Hi Lee, the morning levels is a normal thing, glucose still gets created by the liver even when you’re not eating. And hormones contribute also. Read more about it here and find some tips to help lower those levels. Also, since you’re newly diagnosed, you will find that the effect will lessen once you gain more control.
Plz pray and confess with ur mouth that jesus is the lord over ur health
My morning fasting blood sugar is now down to 102, was 104, but my doctor wants it lower. I have been following your great advice with glucose index and glucose load, eating less carbs.
Because I read that morning numbers are higher, do you think that when I go for a blood draw first thing in the morning- maybe that could be causing the higher than I want number? So when I wake up, BEFORE i go to the lab to get a blood draw, do you think if I went for a wlak and drank lots of water— maybe that could help show a lower number?? Just a thought. Thank you, LYNN
Congrats on the great results so far Lynn!! This should indicate that what you’re doing is sending your body in the right direction, which can take time. It’s true, morning numbers can be higher but with diet and lifestyle changes this can change, which is what you’re seeing already. They want to test your fasting number so while a walk and water could modify it, I’m not sure you want to try to alter this in any way as you do want an accurate assessment.
Good point. Yes, I see that now. Love your advice. Thank you. LYNN
Thank you for the valuable info and tips.
When i work out and test after my work out, my blood sugar is really high. I thought excercise lowers blood sugar not raises it
For example Pre workout after breakfast of v8 and two hard boiled eggs my BS was 138 and after a very intense cross train it spiked to 234 the next time I worked out – same breakfast same start a little less hard workout it went from 138 to 175. I don’t understand.
Hi Caroline–you bring up a really good point. Exercise GENERALLY lowers blood glucose (as in regular daily activity will help to lower baseline glucose) and low to moderate activity will produce a modest decrease. However, more intense exercise (as you approach your maximum Heart Rate) will often result in an elevated blood glucose because there are greater levels of adrenaline to meet these very high demands. This is different for everyone, so testing your sugar (as you are doing) and making modifications to your workouts is most wise. You may find that you are able to handle greater intensity if you build it up gradually, but I’d recommend steering clear of intense CrossFit (especially with diabetes). You can probably handle intermittent intensity (ie 10 second spurts every few minutes), but not as long as CrossFit workouts last. Many people in the Crossfit scene love it, but end up burning on over time because they eventually exhaust their bodies.
I went to a party on Saturday checked my sugar levels before I left, I wanted to make sure they were low enough to have at least 1 glass of wine it was 86. The following morning I checked my readings before breakfast and it read 122! checked them again 2 hours after dinner and it read 160☹️️ I had been under 100 for an entire week, what happened??? John
Well sounds like the wine didn’t agree with you John, or perhaps it was something you ate – one of the two.
I’m very very close to being diabetic type 2 my last A-1c was 7.1 or 7.4 don’t remember I want to know the rt foods to eat. Also when I cked my blood sugar it read 183 so I retook it n it went down 49 pets can that happen in less then 3 mins ? Do I need to have the dr calibrate my machine my liver kidney thyroid n cholesterol n other tests r fine please text back thank you L .R ivera
Hi Lisa, check out our food list here and how to get started on a low carb diet. There can be discrepancies in meter readings sometimes – taken incorrectly, not washing hands etc. If it’s only the once, then I wouldn’t be too concerned. But if it continues to happen, yes, get your doctor to check the machine.
My 15 years old has type 2 diabetes since two years. She’s note consuming carbs but more on veggies. No sugar nor sugar supplements. We give her empty stomach early morning 1 lime juice in warm water. Very often give her cinnamon tea. She eats one orange at night after dinner. As per her tests her produces enough insulin but doesn’t breakdown. She does one hour work out regularly. Still the sugar level is high i.e. 180 in the morning and evening at times above 200. Is oranges elevating her sugar. She takes walnut, pecans and almonds on a regular basis. Please advise
The oranges would be a good place to start as they are a high carb food, 1 fruit has 18 g carbs and though it’s natural sugars, the issue with fruits is the fructose, which must get metabolized by the liver only.
If you start with the orange, see how she goes and then you could look at the balance of other foods. Here is a posts you might like to read: https://diabetesmealplans.com/6579/sugar-fructose-and-diabetes/
Let me know how she goes.
My Dr. recently told me that I am at the beginning stage of Type 2 Diabetes. After fasting, I went to the lab for blood to be drawn, and my blood glucose level was 83, and the A1C was 6.0. My urine sample test was fine. I have experienced some changes in my eyesight in the last couple of years, and by the end of the day my vision gets blurry, even with glasses on. Also, I have had carpal tunnel surgery in the past 6 months, and have constant pain in my feet and hands (aches). My job requires me to be on my feet all day, and I am constantly using my hands all day. I also have constant achiness throughout my body, and have had for over a year. My age is 52, and my brother has Type 2 diabetes. I had a great aunt that was diabetic. I am following my Dr’s advice regarding diet. What is your opinion of my symptoms and test results? The advice and information I have found through you has been really helpful, and informative. for me.
The normal range for A1C is between 4-6% so you’re at the high level. Your blood glucose is normal range 70-100. The A1C is a measure of blood glucose from the past 3 months so this has probably put up the red flag for your doctor, and you likely have increased inflammation as a result, which could explain the aches and pains.
You’re not diabetic so there is a lot you can do about it. Focus on reducing carbohydrates and eating a more balanced diet, with loads of veggies. This might be helpful https://diabetesmealplans.com/46/guide-to-healty-carbohydrates/
You say you stand a lot but do you move? You might need some more movement, walking or stretching perhaps?