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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.