As morning approaches, your body prepares to rise and it releases a surge of hormones. Those hormones can work against insulin to cause your blood sugar to rise slightly. When this happens, it is known as ‘dawn phenomenon.’
In most people, dawn phenomenon is typically harmless because your body creates a small amount of insulin to correct the problem. However, for those with diabetes, it can become a bigger challenge।
If you have diabetes, here’s what you need to know about regulating your blood sugar at night so you don’t have to worry about managing it first thing in the morning.
To know more about this phenomenon we talked to Miss Manisha Sharma , a certified health educator, having 7 years of experience in this field and since last one year she is working with a company named Breathe Well Being , associated with Diabetic reversal programme. She told us –
What is dawn Phenomenon ?
The dawn phenomenon, also called the dawn effect, is the term used to describe an abnormal early-morning increase in blood sugar (glucose) — usually between 2 a.m. and 8 a.m. — in people with diabetes.
Some researchers believe the natural overnight release of the so-called counter-regulatory hormones — including growth hormone, cortisol, glucagon and epinephrine — increases insulin resistance, causing blood sugar to rise. High morning blood sugar may also be caused by insufficient insulin the night before, insufficient anti-diabetic medication dosages or carbohydrate snack consumption at bedtime.
If you have persistently elevated blood sugar in the morning, checking your blood sugar once during the night — around 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. — for several nights in a row will help you and your doctor determine if you have the dawn phenomenon or if there’s another reason for an elevated morning blood sugar reading.
What can be done to check this phenomenon?
1. Do more exercise in the evening especially HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training ) than in the morning. HIIT would mean fast and slow alternating exercise. Example 7 minutes workout, walk and jog 1 minute alternatively.
2. Take dinner before 7.30 p.m.
3. Reduce grains in dinner.
4. Have minimum 50% green in dinner including cooked and raw vegetables.
5. Antigravity activity – that is climbing stairs after dinner.
6. Sleep before 10 p.m for 7 – 8 hours in the night.
7. Take 2 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar in 20 tablespoon of water before going to sleep.
8. Avoid TV/ Screens of mobile/ Laptop after 9 p.m.
9. Consult your physician if the problem remains unresolved.
Diabetes is a lifestyle disease. Either you take control of your lifestyle or Diabetes will take control of your life.
Write up by – Vikas Chandra Agrawal
(Disclaimer – Writer, Our expert or our news channel can not be held responsible for the views expressed in this article. Intention is to educate our readers so that they can take a well informed and independent decision in this regard)