Taming the Dawn Phenomenon

Hi

      I have the Dawn Effect very high bood level in the am only I'm not a wine person what would you recommend

      What kind of wine? Many thanks

Dear Rosemary,

I have written quite a bit about the dawn phenomenon, including some promising-sounding suggestions. But I tried them all and the only thing that worked for me was reducing my weight to a normal level. 

I usually have a snack in the evening, nuts or something low carb. ButI have about a 6 - 8 oz glass of skim milk just before bed. And if I wake up in the middle of the night, usually around 2:30 or 3 to use the bathroom, I will have a drink or two of milk then as well, not more than an ounce or two at most. I have been able to keep my morning numbers around 104-110 since starting this. Before that, and when I am unable to do that, they are usually around 150.

Hi Rosemary

How about trying Apple Cider Vinegar or just ginger tea?  If the former, I would suggest using a straw as the vinegar can weaken or erode tooth enamel.  One lady tried ginger tea and found that it worked for her.  Beware of commercial apple cider pills as these have been found to be faked or worse mouldy.

Cjuan

What I don't understand is this: a lot of people's advice falls in the circle of "eat less, eat lighter" while a whole other group is loosely suggesting "eat a snack late, eat slow burning food at n ight to fool the liver" - aren't these two camps really contradictory? Which one is correct?

Signed,

Dawn Phenomer

Dear Susan,

You are so right! They are indeed in conflict. But since some things work for some people and other things for others, I don't have a general answer. You need to try first what you think will work for you.

Best regards,

David

Thank you!

I've admired your work greatly for many years.

Your reply here makes a lot of sense.

My biggest problem these days is finding a doctor that will let me do things my way, e.g. refuse flu shots, refuse cholesterol pills, but work with me on exercise, nutrition, and Metformin when I need to go back on it. I know, I know.

I also recently figured out (for me) that in short term my weight lifting makes my blood sugar go up. But I'll keep it as part of my overall plan.

tell me what did you eat during the day and what time did you stopp eating a regular meal. I am struggling with trying to get my fsting blood sugar below 100.  I have attempted to watch what i eat and how much i eat but my fasting blood sugar level have been between 115 and 120 almost consistently in the am. o

Gosh,  this is me all over again.  No matter what I do, I have 110-120 in the morning even when every night it is under 100 when I go to bed.  I have not been eating after six but help from contributers on another site have suggested either a teaspoon of peanut butter first thing in the am and/or a lite snack before bed.  I have felt deprived at night so  I may try the snack.  The idea of an apple does not really work for me as fruit shoots me way up.

my blood sugars can be 105 at night but in the morning it is 135.  I do not snack at night after supper.  I am trying to get this down.  What is milk thistle?  My last A1C was 5.3 so that isn't the problem.

The active ingredient in milk thistle is silymarin. The best guide this milk thistle -- and all other herbs -- is The Natural Pharmacist. You can find it online at http://www.memorialhospitaljax.com/healthcontent.asp?page=/choice/demonstration/TheNaturalPharmacist-Consumer

Best regards,

David

I curious as to exactly what you and others refer to as your morning blood sugar reading. When I first get out of bed and test mine it's not usually too bad  (130"s).  After being up for an hour (still fasting) my blood sugar has gone up to 170 -  180.  Doesn't seem to matter what I eat the night before, it still goes up after being up for an hour.  Very frustrating and doesn't give me a lot of incentive to stop the junk food at night.

jmk

It was explained to me that your liver can dump sugar into your system any time you are up, active, and haven't eaten recently. So your BS rising is probably because you need to eat something soon after you get up. Even if you are no ready for a full breakfast, eat a piece of whole wheat toast, fruit, or yogurt. That way your body knows you are handling your body's fuel needs and the liver doesn't have to do it. Then you can finish your breakfast at your normal time.

That makes sense and is a good strategy. In fact, I have been doing that lately and am doing that right now as I write you at 6:21 am. I'm drinking GreensFirst with sparkling mineral water. I wrote about GreensFirst at http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/17/67280/drink-veggies

Best regards,

David

David,  your comment everyone has it (dawn phenomenon) to some degree  makes me wonder if I have it because I'm "a morning person." 

what is the big deal about morning BS of about 150-160?

I was told to keep titrating my Lantus until my BS came down...it actually went up along with my weight which is a cyclical problem. I used to walk intensly on the treadmil for 5-6 mins prior to bed and was fine in the morning but my Register, EDucator wasn't impressed. They wanted to keep increasing lantus and maybe start some other injection.

If this is a normal body effect to rising for the day, and eating and taking insulin at breakfast yields a fine 

BS by noon, what is the big deal?

what is the big deal about morning BS of about 150-160?

I was told to keep titrating my Lantus until my BS came down...it actually went up along with my weight which is a cyclical problem. I used to walk intensly on the treadmil for 5-6 mins prior to bed and was fine in the morning but my Register, EDucator wasn't impressed. They wanted to keep increasing lantus and maybe start some other injection.

If this is a normal body effect to rising for the day, and eating and taking insulin at breakfast yields a fine 

BS by noon, what is the big deal?

Unfortunately, it IS a big deal. Any blood glucose levels above the normal range -- that is above 90 mg/dl or so -- are a step toward later complications. That's why those of us who have had diabetes for a long time do our best to control our blood glucose levels.

David

David, just found this site.  My husband had been "pre-diabetic" for a long time..now he is waking up with blood sugar at 240 for several days. He has a doctor's appt. on Tuesday, but I am terribly worried.  I read about the dawn phenomenon, but noone's blood sugar seems to be as high as his. He seems afraid to eat anything..should he try snacking before bed?

I don't think that a snack before bed will help your husband much. In fact, he needs to eat less, not more. Specifically, he needs to cut WAY BACK on his carbohydrates, particularly starchy carbs (grains, including of course bread, rice, potatoes) and sugar/high fructose corn syrup (particulary soft drinks). It is only the carbs (not fats or protein) that drive us to diabetes. I hope that he can get his diet on track before he joins us.

Best regards,

David

I can totally relate, dawn syndrome can be very frastruating, but first things first...how are your blood sugars round the clock? You need to work at keeping your blood sugars between normal levels...that is betwee 75 (fasting) to 120 (i.e. if you have eaten lots of carb). This way you gonna keep a healthy life and avoid all diabetic complications. This is by no means easy, but the benefits are enourmous. It takes a lot of discipline and eliminating lots of foods, especially carb and all sorts of sweets.

The thing is the body has a way of regenerating cells, and if you provide your body with the right nutrition and environment, you will start producing new healthy cells, including pancreatic cells. Which means over time, you will see that DAWN PHENOMENON will reduce or go away completely. For example, my current fasting sugars are between 75-83, after eating they may go up to 115, but most of the time they hover around 100. I usually wake up with 92-98. But this is not where I started, the situation was worse than this.When my morning sugars used to go over 100 (this would happen between 6-6:30am), I would wake at around 6am and give myself a shot (2units used to cover me for the dawn phenomenon). You will have to investigate how much insulin will bring you dawn. So that way I would keep my blood sugar levels within normal ranges throughout the day. These days since it doesnt rise that much, sometimes I skip giving myself a short early in the morning to cover morning rises.

But one main point, to take control of your health as a diabetic you gonna have to eliminate certain foods from your diet, and slowly you will see your health improving. If you need help on how to manage diabetes, buy DIABETES SOLUTION by Dr. Richard Bernstein, very good book with every details on how to keep your blood sugars within normal non-diabetic ranges.Most people think it is not possible, but I can assure you it is. I tried it and it worked for me...

Other two books which are very helpful in reversing your situation are The pH Miracle for Diabetes (Dr. Robert O. Yound) and Dr. D. D'Adamo (Eat Right for Your Type). Dr. Young argues that Diabetes is reversible. And I can testify that it is possible. I went on his diet and I reached a point where I did not need insulin at all. This was sometimes in Aug-Sept 2008. I would wake in the morning with no dawn phenomenon and I would have my meals as normal without taking any insulin. Dr. Young emphasises eating Alkaline diet, acidic diet makes your body very acidic which is a perfect environment for all kinds of bacteria and diseases to thrive. Dr. Young argues that, once we provide our body the right envrionment, then our body cells will start to slowly regenerate including Pancreatic beta cells.Well it did happen to me, so at least I can testify that it is it can happen..

Now my situation got worse, in October 2008 when I received news that I was gonna lose my job. Stress started to build up and all of a sudden my blood sugars started to go sky high...I guess you may be away that stress + diabetes doesnt go very well - and Dr. D'Adamo explains why and how you can sort out the situation. For one he emphasises Blood Type Diet, which I agree with as well to a great extent, and explains exercises which are right for different people in order to eliminate the effects of stress. For example, he argues that Blood Type As (which is what I am) have a very sensitive immune system and are susceptible to many cronic diseases including diabetes and stomach cancer. They strive better in a vegeterian diet than other diets. Well vegeterean foods (i.e. vegetables, with the exception of grains) are alkaline. Remember I was already on an alkaline Diet (which is suggested by Dr. Young), when I didnt know about Blood Type Diet. And my condition had improved so much. One more thing, Type As when stressed, they produce a lot of stress hormone Cortisol, which doesnt go away completely even after the  stress is gone, so it keeps lingering on in your system which works very well in breaking down your body cells. Aparently, the best kind of excersise for Blood Type As to eliminate cortisol is Yoga.

Now that my stressing moment is over, and I am still on the diet, my situation has once again improved. Blood sugars are between 75-115 round clock, my morning sugars go up only to a maximum of 98. I have started to do Yoga and I enjoy it, it energises me so much. I think I will get back to levels I was at in Aug/Sept last year if I continue on the diet and lead a healthy lifestyle. The reason I wanna do it is because, it is so refreshing when you do not have to worry about insulin anymore...if thats possible...for sure I would trade anything for it!!

So I encourage you to buy these books, try out some solutions...and see how it works for you! Be patient, you will see outstanding results (if you are serious with the diet) after at least 4months.

Levels of 140 can make you feel fatigued. While I have written about various strategies to combat the dawn phenomenon, my guess is that the best way is to deal first with what you eat the evening before. Generally it helps to eat your dinner early and then to have little or nothing after dinner. Also, if your dinner is very low in carbs, you will be able to prevent high blood glucose levels in the morning. And as you continue to lose weight you will notice that your morning blood glucose levels will also improve.

Best regards,

David

David, thank you for your prompt response.

I take it then that this reading is indeed high and what would be phrased as Dawn Phenomenon.

If that is the case, my eveing meal is usually finished by 7 pm and is very low in carbs.  (This has been the factor in reducing my weight).

Is this something that can be controlled by medication or within the bracket that could be dealt with by diet?

Thank you for your time.

The dawn phenomenon is when your morning fasting numbers are lower than when you went to bed. It is a concern, but high levels an hour or two after eating are a bigger concern. No medication seems to do anything specifically for the dawn phenomenon.

David

When we have type 2 diabetes (but not type 1) and we get our weight down to the normal range and we eat a very low carbohydrate diet (which doesn't spike our blood glucose) some of us (myself included) have been able to control our diabetes totally without drugs. We don't have any cure for diabetes, but as long as we control our weight and keep our blood glucose in a normal range (probably below an A1C level of about 5) our diabetes will be in remission.

David