Confusing readings

[Clarissa]

Since coming off the metformin, which was making me ill, my readings have started to come down. I am getting quite a few readings in the 7s and even some in the 6s, which is brilliant as on the metformin I was sitting around 10.

However my morning reading is still high. Yesterday morning it was 10.7 and each reading through the day went down until my bedtime reading was 7.3.

However this morning I have just tested again and it is back up to 9. How can this happen if I havent eaten anything in between? I understand the 'dawn effect', but wouldnt have thought my levels would be low enough for my liver to dump glucose, so I just dont understand how my fasting level, which should be the lowest, keeps being the highest :?:

Any advice would be very much appreciated as these high morning levels are keeping the average high and I dont want to end up on more medication that could make me ill.

Thanks

Claire

 

[Buachaille]

I had no problem with Metformin but for months the morning reading was always very high. Tried late snack and occasionally that worked. However, my morning reading suddenly collapsed to within the normal range. The only plausible explanation I could come up with was weight loss.

Try doing some readings throughout the night. Its a pain - but you will get an indication of when the increased level is occurring. If its high in the very early hours you might find a late snack helps.

That said, don't let it get to you - it might well just disappear as your control through meds and/or weight loss improves.

 

[Dennis]

Claire, the high morning readings can be caused by two things (that I am aware of). Firstly your sugar levels can drop quite low during the night (generally around 3-4 am) causing the liver to think the body is being starved. In response the liver dumps uncontrolled quantities of glucose into the bloodstream in response.

The other effect is hormonal. When we sleep, hormones are released to help maintain and restore cells within our bodies. These hormones (growth hormone, cortisol and catecholamines) cause glucose levels to rise. For diabetics who don't have enough circulating insulin to control this increase of glucose, the end result is a high glucose reading in the morning. For pregnant women this hormonal response becomes even more exaggerated.

The recommended counter-measures for both causes seem to be the same:
- exercise later in the day, which may have more of a glucose-lowering effect in the night (but may also trigger a hypo)
- before bed have a protein/fat type of snack (nuts, cheese, or meat).
- eat breakfast to limit the dawn effect. By eating, your body will signal the hormones to turn off.