How can I reduce my fasting readings

[test_positive]

After I was diagnosed a few months back, I got a meter and started cutting out or reducing foods that spiked my readings (carbs). Within a couple of weeks, my reading when I woke up was in the range 6.2 to 7.2.

Since then, that's where it's stayed. In the meantime, I think my control has improved significantly as during the day (including 1hr and 2hr after meals) my readings don't typically go over 7.5.

From what I see in other posts, many people are able to get readings less than 6 at fasting. But mine do not seem to have improved since that initial improvement three months ago.

I measured myself a couple of nights at 3am and got 6.0 on one occasion and 6.7 on another. So I don't think this is to do with the 'dawn effect' I have seen discussion about.

I eat my evening meal at around 7pm and have often tested an hour or two hours after and it is rarely over 7.5. My fasting level doesn't seem to bear any relation to what or when I've eaten the previous evening.

Question is - how can I reduce my blood sugar levels during the night? :?:

 

[lucylocket61]

Thank you for raising this question.

Despite low-ish carbing for 6 months, and a HbA1c now down to 5.8, I still have readings of around 6.5 every morning. Never less than 6.2

 

[Grazer]

Morning readings are fiendishly difficult to get down. It seems that it takes a long while with good day readings before the fasting ones respond. Two things helped me:-
1) I eat or drink NOTHING within 2 hours of going to bed, other than water or, at bedtime, a mouthful of lactofree milk (about half the carbs of normal milk) My snacks on nuts etc are always before this cutoff. This gives my BG time to settle before sleeping. I believe that most T2s on diet only/metformin "flat line" during the night, so ignoring DP, what you go to sleep with you wake up with.
2) I exercise about one hour after my evening meal - just teninutes of HARD exercise. I use an exercise machine, but you could equally just run (fast walk?) up and down stairs for ten minutes. Not a big sacrifice of time, and not enough exercise to cause a possible liver dump, but enough to get my post evening meal Bgs down quicker and further.

It did help. I was always in the 6's fasting, sometimes low 7's, but now i'm low 5's.

We are all a tad different though, and even if you DO wake to 6's,you don't know that your BGs haven't been much better in the night, as DP starts before you wake up!