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Activity before pre-breakfast testing

Mrs HJG

Mrs HJG

Well-Known Member
Messages
328
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi, I think this should be simple to answer, hoping those with more than a couple of months experience will know if I am worrying without reason.

In the last fortnight my pre-breakfast 7am BG has risen from an average 5.2 in the fortnight before to 5.7. At the same time I have returned to my full working hours, which means I get a shower, hair dry and chivvy the kids to get up etc all before taking my first reading of the day. I have also been waking up (wide awake and ready to go) at about 5am every morning. Previously I was maybe getting a shower but not doing all the other stuff before testing.

Should I be worried, or does more activity raise BG 'naturally'?

This morning I was awake for hours before getting up, but only had a quick wash before coming down to have breakfast and watch the curling, still 5.7. This week will be Half Term, so I will be able to test as soon as I get up, but if I have been awake for hours will this have an effect?

Daytime readings have remained in the 4s and 5s with only a couple of pre-prandial 6.1s, and post 6.5s. Bedtime readings have remained the same.

I am on Metformin (2g/day) and awaiting my private consultant appt at the end of March for a proper diagnosis.

Thank you in advance :)
 
Mine rises as soon as I get out of bed, so my BG upon waking up is not the same as my BG after morning chores (feeding pets, brushing teeth, making coffee etc.) and before my first coffee.

If you'd like to find out how it works for you, just test right after waking, before getting out of bed, and again before breakfast. Testing takes less than a minute, so you should be able to cram it in before working, even if it means setting the alarm 2 minutes earlier if your schedule is very tight.

That said, neither 5.2 nor 5.7 are morning numbers to worry about, and they are close enough even to fall within the variability of the meter.
 
Thanks @Antje77 I'm still so twitchy with any increase, thinking it's the beginning of the end!! I'll see how it goes with a supposedly less stressful week.
 
Mine can jump from 5-8 just going to the toilet. The types of rises you are talking about are minute. But have your kit at the side of the bed and do it as you wake. It takes a couple of minutes at the most. I would certainly not worry with those numbers.
 
becca59 said:
But have your kit at the side of the bed and do it as you wake.
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Do you think I should be doing it when I literally wake up (5am) or just before I get out of bed at 6.30am? Or both for a couple of days? I can see me being popular putting the light on ;)
 
Mrs HJG said:
Do you think I should be doing it when I literally wake up (5am) or just before I get out of bed at 6.30am? Or both for a couple of days? I can see me being popular putting the light on ;)
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Have you tried the free Libre trial (assuming you are in the UK). It can be pricey if you have to fund it yourself but if you have a compatible phone, you can get 14 days of data to see what happens to your blood sugars when you are asleep or not wanting to disturb your bed partners or too busy gardening or … as well as the impact of certain foods and exercise and stress and all those other things that affect our blood sugars,
 
In Response said:
Have you tried the free Libre trial
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Hi, while my bloods are only going between 4.5 and 6.5 at the extremes and between 5 and 6 most of the time, I am going to save the free trial for maybe when I go away or things are more variable and/or more stressful than 'usual'. I will never be able to afford to fund it myself, so those 14 days are going to be precious, unless anyone wants to buy 3 teenagers?

I just wondered whether 'doing normal stuff' before measuring in the morning is likely to put BG up a bit - I was hoping that all those with Libres or years of monitoring experience would know straight off.
 
Mrs HJG said:
I just wondered whether 'doing normal stuff' before measuring in the morning is likely to put BG up a bit - I was hoping that all those with Libres or years of monitoring experience would know straight off.
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Unfortunately, the main thing the Type 1 hive mind has leaned through years of monitoring is that we are all different.
Some of us experience strong Dawn Phenomenon before we wake, some of us experience Foot on The Floor when we get up, some of use find find eating stops Foot on the floor, some of us find activities raise blood sugars, some of us find it lowers blood sugars, ..
The only patterns and blood sugars that matter are our own. And the only way to find out what your blood sugars do is to test.
 
In Response said:
The only patterns and blood sugars that matter are our own. And the only way to find out what your blood sugars do is to test.
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Where do I buy shares in testing gear? Honestly, diabetes is a gold mine, on top of everything else. Off to Google all the conspiracy theories!
 
Mrs HJG said:
Where do I buy shares in testing gear? Honestly, diabetes is a gold mine, on top of everything else. Off to Google all the conspiracy theories!
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If you are in the UK, you should get a meter and test strips on prescription.
There is no need to buy it yourself.
 
In Response said:
If you are in the UK, you should get a meter and test strips on prescription.
There is no need to buy it yourself.
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I have mine as I was originally diagnosed T1, (for 3 days), and although now my records show T2, (and I should be eternally grateful to the DN, as she reminds me Every. Time. We. Speak.), despite being antibody positive and NHS waiting time to see the consultant, to confirm LADA, being over 12 months, they have had to suck it up and agree to let me have strips and lancets on prescription, but it took a fight!
 
I have a Libre so can track these things fairly specifically so all I can say is *for me*, yes, absolutely. Moving from bed to bathroom in the morning will (or I should probably say “can” - it varies a little from day to day) raise by about 1-1.5mmol. Back from bathroom, dressed and downstairs, about another 1mmol on top of that. Taking dog for 15 minute walk, usually another 1mmol on top of that. That “extra” 3mmol takes about 2-3 hours to dissipate, regardless of what breakfast I have or whether I have any at all (well, if I literally have nothing, it just keeps on rising. A very low carb (<5g) works best. It only settles if I’m sitting doing nothing much. If I’m busy (housework or whatever) it would stay high. At about 11:15am, providing ive been sitting still, it drops right down (quite suddenly) and then stays there the rest of the day (usually with a spike of about 1.5mmol at meals between 45 and 90 minutes).
 
finzi1966 said:
I have a Libre so can track these things fairly specifically so all I can say is *for me*, yes, absolutely. Moving from bed to bathroom in the morning will (or I should probably say “can” - it varies a little from day to day) raise by about 1-1.5mmol.
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Thank you so much for this confirmation - I am happy knowing it is possible!

Last night I did wake up for the curling at 1am, and didn't get back to sleep until 3.45am; but when I woke again I was at 4.6, and a hour later, after I had got up, brushed my teeth and made breakfast it was up to 5.8; 2hrs after breakfast, a windy 30min walk then shower, I was still at 5.8, so I am good with that.

I will do the same experiment a couple of times this week, without the curling, but the fact it was 4.6 at 6.30am is reassuring.
 
Absolutely, and those figures are better than mine: I’m usually high fives or low sixes through the night, rising to mid sevens on getting out of bed and dressed, and mid to high eights after dog walking.
 
Just in case anyone comes across this in the future and wonders - I checked my BG yesterday and this morning, after relatively good nights sleep, and immediately after getting up tested at 4.7 and 4.5, and then 15 minutes later today, after brushing my teeth, making the bed and putting on a load of washing, I was up to 5.2 just before breakfast.

So I think experiment and fretting over; my BG does seem to go up with activity, and having a shower too would probably cause the extra 0.5 increase I was seeing; my fingers can't take more additional testing, so I will just bear in mind what I have been up to before breakfast in future. Thank you all for your comments and help as always:)
 
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