Here’ everything you need to know about it
Everyone wakes up once or twice throughout the night to sip water or use the restroom. We crawl beneath the sheet after we finish our work and fall asleep again within minutes, completing our 8 hours of undisturbed slumber. Things are a little different for people who have diabetes.
Most diabetes patients wake up at 3 p.m. practically every night, not because of any noise or something else, but because of a significant jump in their blood sugar level. The Somogyi effect or the dawn phenomena are two possible causes.
Dawn phenomenon
As we all know, our bodies require glucose to produce energy and to get out of bed in the morning, you'll need some extra energy. As a result, the body begins to use stored glycogen to prepare for the day ahead. Growth hormone, cortisol, and catecholamines all cause the liver to produce more glucose into the bloodstream at the same time. It usually occurs between the hours of 2 and 3 a.m. to prepare the body for the day ahead. Your diabetic medication doses from the day before starting to wear off while these events are taking place. All of these factors combine to cause an increase in blood sugar levels in the morning.
Somogyi Effect
The Somogyi effect, also known as rebound hyperglycemia, is the second cause of elevated blood sugar in the morning. When your blood sugar level dips too low in the middle of the night, the body releases hormones that drive the liver to release stored glucose to stabilize the amount of glucose in the body. In the case of diabetes, however, the liver produces additional glucose, resulting in a high blood sugar level in the morning.
How to figure out the difference?
The Somogyi effect causes hypoglycemia followed by hyperglycemia, which is the main distinction between the two. Checking blood sugar levels before bed and after waking up is one of the simplest techniques to determine if the spike is due to the Somogyi effect. The Somogyi effect is responsible for low blood sugar levels at night. It could be related to the dawn phenomena if it is normal or high. Another thing to keep in mind is that the Somogyi effect can happen at any time of day when your blood sugar level is high.
How to control blood sugar early morning?
Once you've figured out what's causing the blood sugar surge, you'll need to take steps to keep it under control. You can talk to your doctor about your issue, and he may recommend one of the following solutions based on your situation.
For the phenomenon of dawn:
- Changing the way you take your diabetes medication or the type of medicine you take
- Having a lighter breakfast is a good idea
- Increasing your medicine dose in the morning
- For the Somogyi effect, use the following formula
- At night, reduce the dose of diabetes drugs
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