How can I treat the high fasting glucose readings caused by the dawn phenomenon?
Several options are worth considering: • Exercise later in the day, which may have more of a glucose-lowering effect in the night. • Talk with your doctor about a possible medication adjustment to control the higher fasting readings. • Limit bedtime carbohydrates and try more of a protein/fat type of snack (nuts, peanut butter, cheese, or meat). • Eat breakfast to limit the dawn phenomenon’s effect. By eating, your body will signal the counterregulatory hormones to turn off. This concept can be a little perplexing, as people often say, “But if I don’t eat, shouldn’t my sugar go down?” The opposite is true. By not eating, or skipping meals, it is fairly common to see higher glucose values as a result. No matter how we label high glucose values, whether caused by the Somogyi effect or dawn phenomenon, we must figure out their cause. Maybe we can start a dawn phenomenon chat room with everyone who will be setting their alarm clocks to awaken at 2 to 3 a.m. for blood sugar checks! One of t
