[tadgoss]

Remember, a lot of things raise the blood sugar. Stress, infection, anger, frustration, and in many diabetics even caffeine will raise the blood sugar.

You must also remember that those hormones released in the wee hours of the morning to prepare us for getting up (growth hormone, cortisol, epi, norepi) also stimulate the liver to produce sugar. So occasionally you will see bumps on your first test of the day. This process is called gluconeogenesis, where the liver creates glucose from non-carbohydrate sources such as amino acids and lactate. This is why many Type II diabetics are started on Metformin--this drug inhibits this process in the liver and is generally very well tolerated.

The American College of Endocrinologists set a goal of 70-110 on arising and before meals and <140 two hours after meals measured from the first bite of food, not the last. Studies show the after meal blood sugar is much more predictive of bad outcomes than the before meal blood sugar, so I would concentrate more on those.

Also, the long-term measurement of control is the A1c(Hemoglobin A one c). Normal is usually 4-6% and ACE sets a goal of <6.5% for best results. The ADA goes on to say patients with diabetes should normalize their A1c as long as they are not having excess symptoms of hypoglycemia.

Remember, watch the carbs. They fuel the blood sugar the most. If you are new to this, I would shoot for a max of 100-120 carb gm per day (not all at once!). Focus on those after meal tests to figure out what moves your BG the most and avoid those foods. If this range does not give you good control, nudge it downward. Good luck.

[aprildaniels]

Hey Danny,

Sorry I didn't respond to your post, the Forums were down. Yes have had celery and peanut butter. I love that as a snack. Thanks for the ideas. However, evening workouts are not doing it for me. I have got my bs levels during the day to stay under 140 for the most part (I am still learning what foods work best for me). I am still staying in the 130's in the morning. I even moved my metformin to bedtime.

Oh well, I will just keep trying

April <3

[dano]

I am sorry to hear that April. The doctor may eventually want you to take more Metformine. I currently take 1,000 mg twice per day. Counting carbs and excercise are two things that have probably worked better for me than most of the medications.

[dano]

Scott;

I personally try to keep my fasting blood glucose level "out of bed" in the range of 70 - 90 mg/dl.

The "Dawn Phenomenon", also mentioned by others, or the "Somogyi Effect" could be the cause of your elevated fasting blood glucose level. These are described here. I hope that this helps in some way.

[cyndiburden]

I am having the same problem with my morning numbers being higher than when I went to bed. My morning routine is: I test before I get out of bed, get ready for work, get kids ready for school, drop both kids off at different schools, get to work and about an hour after arriving I check my bs again before I take a short break for a light snack for breakfast. I haven't eaten or drank anything in between getting up and this second test which is about 3 hours later. That number is usually about 40 mg/dl higher than what it was when I first woke up. Again, I haven't eaten or drank anything other then a sip of diet coke to take my meds before I leave home. Any ideas on what could be causing this? The mornings are stressfull with so much running around, could stress hormones cause such an increase? It doesn't sound like "dawn phenomenon" to me. Thanks.

[dano]

cyndiburden

I think that stress, in your case, is the culprit. I have seen stress raise blood glucose levels, to a very high number, making some very sick.

[odar]

Hi Guys - first posting here - but not new to diabetes. Morning levels are usually higher due to DP (Dawn Pheon) most D experience this as the liver prepares the body for "activity" and so dumps glucose. Many have tried eating a light snack before bed, and also a glass of wine and some cheese - this stops the liver response to dumping the sugar. What I used to do was take applecider vinegar (2tbspns) before bed and chase it down with water. This reduced my bs levels considerably. Also 30 mins of light exercise - maybe an easy walk or riding a stationery bike helps to keep the sugar down for DP - after dinner.

[boomer7322]

All great info. What time is your dinner and what timeare you going to bed? Since you are losing weight your body is getting smarter and is burning stored fats. As these burn they will change your readings. Check with your doc but a snakc in the 15-25 carb range may help the balance and burn the snack to keep you as little more stable.

[cindy@jansen.net]

Hi - I'm new to this. The best thing that has happened to me is getting my meter and this application. I'm really 'getting it' now that I have these tools. I'm hoping for now to manage with diet and exercise. I haven't seen my endochronologist since getting the meter and still have a month - if I could ask a few questions ... 1. what is the 'carb application' for my iphone - I'm learning this is where I need help. 2. Since not eating carbs for 2 days (only protein & lots of veggies) , all my reading are normal 108 - 92 (prior 147 - 78). I've lost 10 pounds in less than 2 weeks, since starting my readings - Will my readings improve as I loose weight so that I can start to reintroduce carbs? Thanks! Cindy

[dano]

Cindy;

Welcome to the Forum! Congratulations on the weight loss!

1. The "carb application" for your iPhone is a tough one, since there are several. I will tell you that I use two different "free" ones. First is "GoMeals" which does a good job with counting carbs and it gives you total carbs per meal. Second is "Lose It!" which does a very good job if you are trying to lose weight. It does not add the total carbs per meal up for you, but you can do this with your calculator, since it does give you the carbs per meal item. This is the app that I use the most.

2. I am not sure that the no carb diet is good for your system. I would think that introducing some carbs, as in a low carb diet would be more beneficial. There are several books and websites for the low carb diet and its benifit to people with T2 diabetes. May I suggest starting here? Yes, I think that your readings will improve as you lose weight, atleast it did for me. Good luck! I hope that this helps in someway!