Do You Get Up High?

Really.  Do you get up high in the morning?  Is your glucose reading higher in the morning that when you took it at night.  Then, read on my friend.

When my numbers were coming down during the first six months I was getting higher numbers when I checked in the morning that I saw the night before.  It was driving  me nuts.  How could I be high in the morning?

I went so far as to call the makers of my meter to tell them something was wrong with it. How could my morning number be 30 or 40 points higher than my evening number?  You know what they did?  They sent me another meter!  Did that fix anything?  No!

So, as I continue to not understand this higher reading or what caused it...I get more concerned.  Maybe my meds aren't working right?  I was new to everything at that time - I didn't know what the heck was going on and I was getting worried.

Does this sound familiar at all?

Well, the reason the numbers were higher was because I was taking my reading after the Dawn Phenomenon took place.  It's also called the Dawn Effect - which is easier to type.  So, what is it?  Well, as your body gets ready to get up and start the day it releases...wait for it...sugar!  Sugar goes into your blood as a natural "Let's get up and get going" mechanism.

If there is sugar in the blood, your meter is going to measure it.  So, it becomes important to know when it takes place.  For me, it happens between 6:00 and 6:30 in the morning.  But, it could happen any time between 4:00 and 8:00 am - or so.  Only careful readings will let you figure out when YOUR body releases sugar for the morning.

So, for me it was mystery solved.  But, it drove me nuts for about a month. I really hope this helps you.

I have written more about it here.  But have given you the basics.  Just remember to always test, even if it gives you a crazy number, there will be a reason for it.  Testing is one of the most important tools for you in your battle to control diabetes.

Hope you are well.  And, as always, thank you for reading.