Contents:
- Medical Video: Dr. Sarah Hallberg on the dawn phenomenon
- What is the phenomenon of dawn?
- Other factors that can increase the risk of the dawn phenomenon
- Manage blood sugar levels to avoid the dawn phenomenon
Medical Video: Dr. Sarah Hallberg on the dawn phenomenon
Everyone can experience the phenomenon of dawn. However, this condition is more at risk for people with diabetes. That's why not a few people with diabetes or diabetics use insulin to control their blood sugar at dawn.
What is the phenomenon of dawn?
The phenomenon of dawn is a drastic increase in blood sugar conditions (generally around 10-20 mg / dL) which usually lasts from 2 to 8 in the morning.
This condition occurs because your blood sugar may drop very low at midnight, while the body increases growth hormone (HGH), cortisol, glucagon, and epinephrine levels throughout sleep. Increased levels of these hormones can increase insulin resistance, which prevents your body from lowering blood glucose naturally.
A person who experiences insulin resistance usually produces more insulin than is needed. As a result, the body cannot effectively absorb the sugar in the blood to be used as energy. This is what can cause a very high increase in blood sugar.
The phenomenon of dawn is more common in people with diabetes 1 because their bodies do not produce insulin at all. However, it is still possible for people with type 2 diabetes to experience the same thing. This is because people with type 2 diabetes produce very little insulin in their bodies, so they cannot be used effectively.
Other factors that can increase the risk of the dawn phenomenon
Apart from natural hormonal changes, high blood sugar in the morning may also be caused by other things. Especially if the management of your diabetes has been bad, such as still eating high-carbohydrate foods that are empty and rarely exercise. Including also schedule irregularities taking medication.
The phenomenon of dawn can also occur if you use too much insulin the night before, if you don't eat enough before going to bed, or because you are dehydrated in the morning. Dehydration can increase blood sugar levels because the body lacks fluids so that the blood becomes thicker.
Manage blood sugar levels to avoid the dawn phenomenon
Blood sugar levels that rise in the morning can have a negative impact on the condition of people with diabetes. So to diagnose the phenomenon of dawn, the doctor will probably ask you to continue to routinely monitor your sugar levels between 2 and 3 in the morning for several consecutive days.
In addition to routinely recording your blood sugar, your doctor may also ask you to record what you eat and the schedule for taking medication or injecting insulin. This helps doctors determine whether the cause of your blood sugar is a natural hormonal change or is caused by something else. If it is consistently high during this time period and no other trigger factors are found, the dawn phenomenon is the cause.
Using this information, your doctor will adjust the dosage of your diabetes medication or insulin, replace it with other drugs, or discuss the use of an insulin pump so that your body can better manage insulin in the morning.
People with diabetes are also advised not to eat dinner too late and do physical activity after dinner to maintain their blood sugar levels.
