Many diabetics have an upswing in glucose (blood sugar) between 2 a.m. and 8 a.m. In fact it’s so common the medical community has a name for it: Dawn Phenomenon. It sounds romantic, but if you’re one of the over 25 million Americans diagnosed with diabetes you know a jump in blood sugar can be a nightmare.
Why this phenomenon happens is still a medical mystery. Some scientists suspect that during the night there’s an increase in the release of hormones, among them cortisol and epinephrine. These hormones are known to bump up insulin resistance. When this happens blood sugar rises. Another hypothesis for the Dawn Phenomenon is that it might be triggered by insufficient insulin before sleep. Or it could be caused by snacking on carbs right before bedtime.
If you wake in the morning with a jump in blood sugar, let your health care provider know about it. If you’re not sure and you want to determine if Dawn Phenomenon is affecting you, check your blood sugar around two or three in the morning for several days in a row.
If you discover you’re suffering with the Dawn Phenomenon, there are ways to correct it. Try avoiding carbohydrates right before you go to bed or adjusting your medication or insulin. You might also want to consider changing to a different medication, adjusting the time of your medication or insulin from dinnertime to bedtime, or using an insulin pump to administer extra insulin during early-morning hours.
Of course before any of these measures are taken, be sure to consult with your doctor. Once you get the Dawn Phenomenon under control, you can rest easy.
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