Dawn phenomenon

pow1963

Member
Messages
10
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Hi All, does anyone have any advice on dawn phenomenon. I can have a very steady night but on getting up and particularly after a shower I notice a rapid rise, I now anticipate this and use 8 units to counter each day with no food.

Does anyone else encounter this? Is there a better was of dealing with it? View attachment 63650
Convince your specialist to get you on a pump and dexcom omnipod 5
Automatic system I am amazed with the results
 
D

Deleted member 527103

Guest
Convince your specialist to get you on a pump and dexcom omnipod 5
Automatic system I am amazed with the results
Other pumps are available.
My advice, in the UK, is do not set your heart on a specific pump until you have found out that it is available from your clinic.
Omnipod is too expensive at my clinic. They choose to provide less expensive pumps to more people.

@SimonP78 you wrote that you cannot see how a pump could help counter DP and FoTF. This is very easy and a common advantage of pumping - you can set your basal pattern (amount of basal given every 30 minutes throughout the day) to be higher when DP or FoTF kicks in. This does require a fairly regular lifestyle but you can have different patterns for week and weekends.
Like you, I find my DP is reduced by intensive exercise (it has to be intensive - an amble to the shops does not count) the day before. Therefore, I have a different basal pattern for post-exercise days.
 
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SimonP78

Well-Known Member
Messages
536
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
@SimonP78 you wrote that you cannot see how a pump could help counter DP and FoTF. This is very easy and a common advantage of pumping - you can set your basal pattern (amount of basal given every 30 minutes throughout the day) to be higher when DP or FoTF kicks in. This does require a fairly regular lifestyle but you can have different patterns for week and weekends.
Like you, I find my DP is reduced by intensive exercise (it has to be intensive - an amble to the shops does not count) the day before. Therefore, I have a different basal pattern for post-exercise days.
It was more that I assumed that if a higher basal rate was implemented to counter DP, it would still mean excess IoB when riding fasted with potentially deleterious consequences. I suppose though that the rate change could start earlier and keep BG lower where the insulin is more effective, which would reduce total IoB, and indeed it could potentially cut insulin pre-ride too assuming one is consistent. I don't know what the numbers are though (bolus vs pump additional IoB to cover DP), that would probably need someone who has recently moved to a pump because of DP - if there's anyone out there I'm interested to know.
 

Marie 2

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,429
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Pump
I have DP and a pump. There is usually a pattern of when the rise starts. A CGM really is helpful for this. I have mine set for 30 minutes before the first rise and a bigger increase for when it usually starts. You can see my BG level go up when I am asleep and then you can see the slow trend down. Timing can't be perfect. I have it set for the lowest numbers I can reach so I don't wake too low. That means I can end up waking still higher, and I give myself a correction allowing for IOB if I think I need it.

Exercise is like nitro to me on my BG levels. So if you are cycling in the morning you would have to tone down what insulin is taken for DP. DP causes some insulin resistance, so I'm not sure you could plan for it to have totally left your system by the time you run. So you might add some but not the same as a day not running. There is no set amount anyone can give you. DP varies person to person, the exact time it happens can vary and how well you respond to insulin varies. It is practice that gives you the answers. You start out with very small adjustments and after you know the results, you make another adjustment as needed.
 

Old’un

Active Member
Messages
32
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi All, does anyone have any advice on dawn phenomenon. I can have a very steady night but on getting up and particularly after a shower I notice a rapid rise, I now anticipate this and use 8 units to counter each day with no food.

Does anyone else encounter this? Is there a better was of dealing with it?
I find it can happen to a varying degree and I will have one or two units of Novorapid to counter this if necessary. If my blood sugar has dropped low in the night and I have had to eat something it is particularly bad. I generally try to avoid eating much later in the day and to keep an early evening meal very low in carbohydrate which generally means no insulin injection or a very small one at most. The blood sugar levels are then much better overnight and don’t rise much at all when I get up in the morning. I take prompt action if my freestyle libre2 alarm goes off (I set it at 4.5 and 10.1) and with this regime I have achieved a time in range that is generally between 85-91%.
 

Old’un

Active Member
Messages
32
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Anyone know how to counter this for a Type II on no medication........
I am a type 1 on insulin and I have found that eating virtually no carbohydrates from mid to late afternoon and a very light evening meal generally keeps the blood sugar levels better overnight and greatly reduces, if not eliminates, the dawn phenomenon. This might be an approach worth trying as there is nothing to lose and it won’t do any harm. Whatever you try to do I wish you success.