It seems strange to be able to keep blood sugar levels in control throughout the day and have morning blood sugar high, right?
I mean, it doesn’t seem logical. After all, you haven’t eaten anything so it should be lower shouldn’t it?
It’s a common assumption and it would seem logical, but it is common for people with type 2 diabetes to have high blood sugar in the morning.
Why?
Because your body continues to produce glucose even when you don’t eat. It’s called gluconeogenesis.
This is a natural process for all of us. But in diabetes many people have increased gluconeogensis.
Another reason is that cortisol (our stress hormone) is the hormone that slowly increases in levels from around 3 am onwards to reach it’s peak early in the morning. Cortisol has a direct influence on blood sugar levels too – elevating them.
Still, there are practical things you can do to lower morning blood sugar levels, here’s how…
How to Lower Morning Blood Sugar
Lowering morning highs has a lot to do with your overall health, diet, and lifestyle and usually incorporates a number of different factors.
Put some of the following things into practice, give it some time, and no doubt you will start seeing an improvement.
Just remember, the number you’re aiming for with fasting blood sugar is between 90-110 (5-6.1).
Try 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 reduced morning glucose by 4% compared to 2% when the participants only had cheese and water.
People that had a typical fasting glucose above 130 mg/dl or 7.2 mmol/l had an even better result of 6% decrease in morning blood sugar levels.
It’s not fully understood why vinegar has such a beneficial effect on blood sugar but it seems that the acetic acid in the vinegar exerts the positive influence.
The best apple cider vinegar to use is this one by Braggs.
Have A Protein/ Fat Combined Snack
Many people find that a bedtime snack helps lower morning highs.
This is most likely because it shortens the ‘fasting’ time and may slow down the livers own glucose production. If you’re not using the apple cider vinegar method above, try having a mix of protein and fat combined before going to bed.
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
These are all simple snacks that contain both protein and fat.
Enjoy A Good Dinner
Make sure you eat something substantial for dinner, a meal high in fiber and low in carbs is best – check out some of our free recipes.
It’s never a good idea to skip meals because this raises blood glucose levels. Remember that gluconeogenesis we talked about earlier? The liver will still produce glucose even if you don’t eat.
Get Good Sleep
Make sure you get a good restful sleep every day because lack of sleep can increase cortisol production (our key stress hormone) and this pushes glucose levels higher.
The importance of sleep in a healthy lifestyle is often underestimated – or hardly even spoken about for that matter.
Remove electronic items from your sleeping space. Minimize noise and light. And get to bed early. We all need those 8 hours to rest and restore.
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.
We just pointed out that lack of sleep can increase the production of our stress hormone cortisol, which also increases blood glucose. And overall, alcohol is just best kept to a minimum for better health.
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 protien/ veggie breakfast.
If you go and eat loads of carbs for breakfast – toast and cereals being the worst offenders – when your blood glucose is already high, it will only push it up further.
Try eating a delicious veggie egg scramble, egg “muffin” cups, or a quick berry protein smoothie.
Adopt A Healthy Morning Ritual
Developing a morning ritual is a great habit for a healthy mind and body and it will also help lower your morning blood sugar as well.
When you get up, have a small protein/ fat combined snack (as outlined above), then try doing some stretching or go for a short walk first thing in the morning – just 5-10 minutes to get moving.
Exercise improves insulin sensitivity and moves glucose out of the muscles and into the cells.
It’s often best to have that protein/ fat snack first though, before you do the exercise.
Eat Well Every Day
Morning blood sugar levels are all tied up with everything else you do throughout the day too.
You want to manage your diabetes and hormones by eating a healthy diet every day – eat the right type of carbs, eat the right amount of carbs, and minimize the most problematic foods – sugar, bread, rice, pasta, potatoes.
The more controlled you can keep your blood sugars overall, the better your morning sugars will be as well.
Lose A Bit Of Weight
Even a small amount of weight loss can help lower blood glucose, balance hormones, reduce inflammation and generally make you feel a whole lot better.
If you focus on eating well every day and doing a bit of exercise, the rest usually falls into place.
You could also give this weight loss and wellness drink a try – you’ll notice it has the all helpful apple cider vinegar in it – because it really does have an overall beneficial effect.
Speak To Your Physician
Make sure you speak to your physician and healthcare team about making dietary and lifestyle changes.
And, if you think your morning levels are way too high, or no matter what you do you can’t get them down, talk to your physician or health practitioner to see if you might need to alter your medication.
When it comes to lowering morning blood sugar levels, it really is a combination of things that can help.
Start with the apple cider vinegar and cheese before bed and see how that goes. Then, try working on all the other things in this list.
Give it some time and no doubt you will begin to see some great improvements.
Have you tried something else that worked? Have some comments you’d like to add? Leave them below and let’s chat about it.
Jedha;
Hi,i have been sick with a bad cold that is affecting my asthma which i use my inhaylers(3)and my blood sugar is high due to me being sick and my doctor told me to up my insulin that i do twice a day.i have three healthy meals a day plus healthy snacks and i check my blood sugar more often when i sick.my arthritis symptoms acts up whenever the weather changes or to much stress,i only take tylenol extra strength or the tylenol for arthritis pill with my high blood pressure pill in the mornings and at suppertime.can arthritis and stress put up blood sugar readings?i walk throughout the day 7 days a week,i go swimming with my cousin or a friend as a guide because i am partially sighted with limited vision and i use a white cane and my low vision is caused from me being born premature 53 years ago.i go warm water swimming as often as i can to help ease my symptoms and it helps me to control and lower my blood sugar.
I used to go nordic walking with my poles but one pole broke so now i have to go buy another set of poles,which helps my arthritis and high blood sugar levels that controls my symptoms.
What can i do or use to help me to get over my cold and lower my blood sugar when i am sick?i rest and sleep in between my meals when i am sick as it easily wears me out if you know what i mean.
Kim
Managing blood sugar while sick can feel like an extra task, Kim, but it’s very common that your sugar will run higher during illness. You may find this guide to the Flu somewhat relevant to your situation.
Continue to get plenty of rest, that’s exactly what your body needs to fight this infection. Many fruits and vegetables are high in vitamins and minerals that will help build your immune system which will help ward off future colds. Once you’re feeling up to it get right back to your nordic walking & swimming as those are both great activities to help with your sugar levels in general.
Is it true that cinnamon helps lower blood sugar?
Also what do you suggest is the best sugar substitute by taste?
For example Swerve, stevia…..
Yes, there is some evidence to show cinnamon helps lower blood sugar. We have some info on that here. We use liquid stevia extract in all our recipes. Other good options are erythritol, xylitol, tagatose and monk fruit.
I heard that stevia isn’t any good either
Based on the research and science we reviewed, stevia is a great choice for people with diabetes/ prediabetes.
Take teaspoon of Virgin coconut oil before bedtime.
Bertyboy
Yes, coconut oil is a healthy fat and as discussed in the article having a protein/fat snack before bed helps improve morning levels. Great choice!
Jedha;
Hi,i have seen the apple cider vinegar in the grocery stores but i have always walked past it.what does it taste like?can i drink it by itself?how much of it can i drink it on a daily basis?i use avocado,chia seeds,dragon fruit,natrel milk,almond milk,coconut cashew milk,frozen fruit and stevia in my smoothies to help lower my blood sugar,and i have had type 2 diabetes since 2012 and i still find it a challenge to keep my blood sugar in the normal range of under 10 on a daily basis that fustrates me and causes me stress because i try really hard everyday to keep it in the normal range.i am on insulin and i do my blood sugar 4 times a day and more often when i am sick or out on my long walks if my arthritis and asthma doesn’t act up too much,and i use my inhaylers a lot as well.
Kim
Apple Cider Vinegar tastes like a slightly sweeter, but still very tangy vinegar. The most strait forward way to drink it is to mix with water and drink before each meal. Check out this article for more information about the health benefits and how to consume Apple Cider Vinegar.
Remember that stress in and of itself can raise blood sugar levels- so try not to stress about these readings. Instead, let’s look at your diet and see where there is room for improvement. Especially with regards to the dragon fruit and frozen fruit– you may want to try eliminating this for the time being until your levels improve a bit. Try including more foods from this list and let us know if you see some improvement.
Jedha;
Hi,does high stress and tention also raise blood sugar levels?There has been a lot of daily stress and tention in my family and my house due to my brother’s new wife who has been living with us since feb.1st of this year and it has gotten to the point that my health issues( high blood pressue,asthma,arthritis,blood sugar levels,migrain headaches) are acting up a lot even though i am on prescribed meds to control my symptoms.
Mom and i are looking for a place of our own together to rent that is pet friendly so that i can have a therapy pet that my doctor wants me to have at home when my mom and i find a place to move into and rent together.
Kim
Absolutely YES Kim! Stress is a trigger for many symptoms because it raises and changes hormones and your nervous system responses. Hopefully soon you will be resettled and in the meantime, try practicing some form of stress relief. Even some deep breathing for 5 minutes a day, or perhaps something like a short session of yoga.
Mashing the cheese and vinegar with a touch of mustard makes for a nice savoury flavour. Used to have ir as a kid in sandwiches; licking the bowl was a treat. Cheese is best left out of the fridge for a while to prevent it being too hard,
Thanks for the suggestion Lewis – sounds interesting!
I thought having a good high fiber slice of toast with p-nut butter was ok in am. I even have apple slices with it. Is this bad. I am new at this.
My husband has had diabetes for at least 6 years now and was recently informed that if he doesn’t watch what he eats he will have to take insulin at night since his morning levels are high. I have changed our diet and it is slowly improving but he finds he gets hungry before bed. I will definitely try this for him and will keep you updated thanks for the info!
I’ve been diabetic for twenty years now. I was taking Metformin and Glipizide, but the Dr recently told me to stop the Metformin because blood tests showed it was harming my kidneys. Now I’m taking just Glipizide and a strict diet- no sugar and very low carbs. My blood sugar has been 150-225 in the morning. I’m not crazy about cheese- can I put it on an egg to disguise the flavor? Really don’t want to go on insulin.
If you do not like cheese Jeanette, that’s okay! You can just eat eggs instead of the cheese as eggs are another high fat, high protein, low carb food that can help with lowering morning blood sugars. You may also consider joining us as a member, as members are having great success with diet-controlled diabetes and reducing or eliminating medications.
I have been reading on the different comments. I too have high blood sugars in the morning. I am going to try the acv with cheddar cheese slice. I have not been exercising but i am going to start. Thank you all for sharing😁
I see to have an opposite reaction actually.
I have serious drops in Blood sugar early mornings, bet 5 and 8.
I have Dexcom to alert me, thankfully, but hate the alarm, it wakes the entire household.
I keep glucose tabs handy and have to take several each morning.
I have to make sure my bedtime BS level is elevated to sleep through to early mornings.
Any ideas?
Vicki
Are you insulin-dependent Vicki? This sounds like the “Somogyi Effect” or “rebound hyperglycemia.” Have you considered working with an endocrinologist? As this can be more hormone related.
Cheese everyt clogged arteries and what is a normal morning blood sugAr in the morning you guys ever heard of TEGO TEA FOR HIGH BLOOD SUGARS
The number you’re aiming for with fasting blood sugar is between 90-110 mg/dl (5-6.1mmol/L). Cheese is a perfectly fine choice for diabetes, if you’re concerned about clogged arteries you’ll be happy to know that is some outdated information. Read more about dairy (cheese) and diabetes here.
I am not familiar with tego tea, so I am not sure if it is a good choice for high blood sugar.
I’ve been dx with type 2. No meds. Going to try diet and exercise. I just read about the ACV and cheese. So I did the ACV but have no cheese. So we will c what my fbs is tomorrow.
Great job on taking a step towards better health. Keep us posted on if the apple cider vinegar helped your fasting blood sugar.
My morning sugar level stays around 250, since the last 2 days I have started taking apple cider vinegar and also started intermittent fasting nothing after 8 in the evening till noon next day, 10 is this a good strategy, 2) how long before I see lower numbers thanks
There is no clear answer for this Azbar, as everyone’s body is different. Intermittent fasting does work for some but we actually don’t encourage fasting for many. You can read more about fasting here. You should also evaluate the rest of your diet to ensure your daily levels are in range, bringing those down can help with morning levels too.
This refers to Jack, April 30.
Drinking the juice, or including bittergourd in vege meals brings down FBS
to many.,as far as you do not mind the ‘bitterness’ in the stuff. Its worth trying.
I have Type 2 diabetes and my blood sugars in the morning have always been high. They usually run from 150 to 170. I researched that when fasting our livers produce glucose and that is the reason for high FBS. I was told to try some healthy carbs and protein before bed so your body doesn’t think you are fasting, so last night I had some cheese and a Carb Balance tortilla before bed. This morning my blood sugar was 108…the best it has ever been.
Are you still eating this before bed?
Hi Jedha,I want to try the ACV and cheese.So can you tell me the instruction that how to do the preparation and eating method.pls advise..tq and good day..
There is no special method, just take the vinegar is some water and simply eat the cheese.
Ok noted.thank you..