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Does *EVERY* diabetic suffer from Dawn Phenomena?

M

markd

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The subject line says it all, really, Does *EVERY* T2 diabetic suffer from dawn phenomena?

Is it related to weight, meds v no-meds or perhaps the progression of the disease?

I know a lot of people here suffer from it, but are there (m)any that do *not* get it?

For those that do, what time of day is worst? I see a small peak at around 7-30am, though I'm not usually up or testing at that time of day and by 8-30 - 9-30 when I usually test there is no sign of it.

Today happened to be an 'early' day as I'm packing ready to go to the airport, and I tested a little high; I wouldn't say I'm stressed particularly, since this is personal time rather than a business trip... and I'm crossing the Atlantic on a Boeing 747 rather than an Airbus A330!

Edit: Oh, and finally, is there evidence of DP in non-diabetics? Topic came up in conversation the other day - it would seem sensible that even 'normals' would see a bit of a boost when it is time to leave the cave and go hunt down the sabre-tooth for breakfast.

Mark.
 
Hi Mark,

The answer to your question is yes - but to different degrees. As you said, everyone, including non-diabetics, experiences the liver producing extra glucose to boost energy ready for you to leap out of bed and slay a woolly mammoth for breakfast. This is a normal metabolic function. In non-diabetics the pancreas immediately recognises this and produces the appropriate amount of insulin to store this glucose as an energy reserve. In diabetics this doesn't happen, because in type 1 the pancreas doesn't produce insulin, and in type 2 the pancreas may not be able to produce sufficient insulin to deal with the extra glucose, or insulin resistance will prevent the insulin from working correctly.

There is an additional problem for type 2s (not sure whether this also applies to type 1s) in that the liver seems to lose the ability to regulate how much glucose to produce. It is very common for diabetics to have 30% more hepatic glucose than the body actually needs. This is why metformin is the recommended first-line treatment for type 2 - one of the things it does is to suppress hepatic glucose production. Unfortunately metformin can only reduce hepatic glucose production by a third, but better than nothing!

Enjoy your trip across the pond.
 
Hi,

I don't know about everyone else, but I certainly don't get the 'dawn phenomenon, my first BG test of the day is always the lowest. So I guess I am the 'black swan' that proves that not all swans are white! I can also generally guess what the BG will go up to during the day based on what it started out at, regardless of what food I then eat.

:)
 
I tend to get it. but my readings are always pretty low( under 6) so It's not much of a problem. I did try to find a a pattern to it, but couldn't. I'd have to be Charlie from "Numb3rs" and I'm not.
 
Thanks for the thoughts!

I've tested at 4am and seen no peak, usually sitting at 4.5 - 4.8. Test the same at 9-30 or so - my usual time, but see a modest increase to maybe 5.1 at 7-30 or 8am.

It is a small peak, but a reliable one on the dozen or so times I've tested that early, so I don't think it is random noise.

Why do I bother with such small excursions, you may say? Just that I want to have the best possible idea of my body responses, so I'm alert to any warning signs and changes.

On another topic, remember the thread about US/UK plasma v blood calibrated meters and strips?

I thought I'd look into buying some OneTouch strips here in the US but had been concerned about that issue - in fact, they are no cheaper here (at least in Walgreens) I just bought a cheap disposable meter to keep an eye on my BG while here; divide by 18 but don't *think* I have to divide by another 1.12 to convert plasma/blood or other way round, I forgot which again...

It's pelting with rain here in dismal Wisconsin, so no walking for me at the moment...

Difficult to get a healthy breakfast in many hotels here - just bought a pile of fresh fuit from a local market instead.

Mark.
 
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