Dawn Effect...Confused......I will be!!!

Postleneo

Well-Known Member
Messages
293
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Ok folks... got to say I've been really pleased lately as I thought I had my diabetes figured out - with micro managing this wonderful condition I had noticed that the DP usually hit me between about 5 am - 8 am where my sugar levels rose between 4 and 5 mmol and was running high post meal. with a little tweeking and splitting my basal and having breakfast on waking (with giving and additional unit to cover the DP) for the past 4-5 days my readings have been great, before bed - between 5.5 and 6.5, the same on waking, again just before meals and between 7.7 and 9 2 hrs after. This morning however woke later at 8 am (treating self to a lie in as its a Saturday) and my BC was 5 mmol after being 5.7 before bed. I injected just to cover breakfast then realised just before the 2 hr post meal test that I hadn't injected to cover the dawn effect and anticipated that at the 2 hr post meal check I should be around 13 to 14 mmol..... However not so the case... surprisingly I was 6.3 mmol!!! Gets me thinking does the Dawn effect just happen on week days when I get up for work??? or did it occur as per the norm?? if that was the case then should I have woken this morning as I should have theoretically dropped to . 5 mmol - 1 mmol in the night!?!? Don't get me wrong I am still very pleased with my readings but after so long micro managing this has confused me as this was totally unexpected. Doe any one else not seem to have the DP on weekends or am I just a freak of nature???:eek:
 
Messages
6,107
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Maybe the dawn effect didn't happen. As I understand it a liver dump happens when you haven't eaten for a long time in order to keep your blood sugar up. It doesn't have to be at dawn but it is called the dawn phenomena because few people eat overnight. If your body decided you didn't need an emergency top up then it won't give you one.

Maybe you had your breakfast a little promptly and beat it to the punch.
 

Brunneria

Guru
Retired Moderator
Messages
21,889
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
My DP is heavily affected by stress levels, rather than food - so weekends, bank hols and holidays are always a very different experience from work or travel days. :)
 

Kristin251

Expert
Messages
5,334
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
My DP is like @Brunneria. It depends what my morning I say like. If I'm rushing around it's much higher but if I'm relaxing it's lower. I do tend to need a small bolus about and hour after I eat when I start moving around. Keeps me steadier. To add, coffee raises some people. Cortisol an drew adrenaline raise bs so on work days it could be that as well
 
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