Stupid Blood Sugar Tricks
If you ever feel like your blood sugar levels are playing sneaky tricks on you, you may actually be onto something. Let’s say you follow your regimen exactly, take your meds on time, and watch your diet, yet crazy things often seem to happen with your blood glucose levels… You may be suffering from some well-documented "swing patterns" that plague the hapless diabetic.
Early Morning Highs
First, there’s something called the Dawn Phenomenon. This is the name for very high blood glucose in the early morning (typically between 4am and 8am) caused by the release of hormones in the middle of the night. The body makes counterregulatory hormones – including glucagon,epinephrine, growth hormone, and cortisol – that work against the action of insulin. In a healthy person, these hormones work to raise blood glucose levels when necessary by signaling your liver to release more glucose and by inhibiting glucose utilization throughout your body.
According to the experts at Diabetes Self-Management magazine, there’s also a surge in the amount of growth hormone your body releases in the middle of the night, followed by a surge in cortisol, which “cranks up” glucose production in the liver, presumably to prepare the body for daytime activity after a period of fasting. In people who don’t have diabetes, these processes are offst by increased insulin secretion by the pancreas, so blood glucose levels remain relatively stable. But in people with Type 1 diabetes, whose pancreases don’t make insulin, and in people with Type 2 diabetes, whose livers may not respond to insulin well enough to stop glucose production, changes in glucose metabolism during sleep can have a profound effect on morning blood glucose levels.
And here’s the trick: high blood sugar in the morning can also be caused by something else, namely the body’s rebound from low blood glucose levels at night. This one’s known as “Rebound Hyperglycemia” or the “Somogyi Effect” (after researcher Michael Somogyi) and is also caused by the release of counter-regulatory hormones. It is believed to be a natural defense mechanism against low blood sugar.
The only way to tell these two phenomena apart is to check your blood glucose level in the middle of the night (around 3am). If you are high at that hour, you’re probably experiencing Dawn Phenomenon; if your BG is low then, it’s probably Rebound Hyperglycemia at work.
After-Meal Lows
If you sometimes feel shaky and ravenous after eating, you may be experiencing Reactive Hypoglycemia. This is a syndrome in which the body releases too much insulin into the bloodstream in response to a very sugary or high-carbohydrate meal. As a result, you get repeated bouts of low blood sugar causing symptoms like fatigue, insomnia, dizziness, mood swings, headaches, heart palpitations and depression. Not good.
Many people without diabetes are starting to experience this condition as well, since our human bodies are struggling to handle the large amounts of sugar and carbs that make up our modern diet.
Note that Reactive Hypoglycemia is often a precursor to Type 2 diabetes. When your blood sugar drops after eating, the brain craves more glucose, so you consume more simple carbs to get your blood sugar back up again. This kicks off a “vicious cycle” of low sugar, high sugar, low sugar, high sugar, low sugar, high sugar. And that taxes your pancreas, which then leads to either insulin deficiency or to greater insulin resistance and, therefore, Type 2 diabetes.
Carbohydrates and YOU
Finally, there’s the simple fact that the way certain carbohydrate foods effect people with diabetes is very individual. My own doctor says: “Some people can eat English muffins or cereal for breakfast, take a certain amount of insulin, and they’re fine. While somebody else might eat exactly the same muffin or cereal — exactly the same amount of carbs and insulin — and they’ll still go sky-high. You just have to learn which type of carbohydrates your body can best handle.”
How true! Personally, I find that I can eat a small bowl of cereal for breakfast and sometimes even go low afterwards. Yet a few simple corn crackers send me reeling.
So just to sum it up, your blood sugar does indeed play some aggravating tricks. There’s no simple solution, but it helps to at least know what you’re up against.
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20 replies
LOved this .It answered alot of questions. I have one more. Can the ups and downs of BS cause depression? I had my insulin changed and have gained weight in a short amount of time. I find I get depressed sometimes now.
Diabetes is such an individual disease, so it is true that your body or metabolism can handle some foods as others cannot. Add some protein to your bedtime snack, which may help with these symptoms. Thanks for the great article!
I too, have found that my body re-acts differently every morning:some mornings better than others,like this morning.I'm about to eat breakfast and checked my BG and it was 211 and all I had was coffee,Thanks for the information BE BLESSED
Thank you. I am a new Type 2 Diabetic, I take Metformin with every meal, however, I notice I have some serious spikes when I keep thinking I shouldn't…however, now that I read this I understand a little better. I wonder if a late night snack would help that spike in the night?
Thank you Amy for this article it explain to me why some mornings I awake with high numbers. And the after meals high I could not firgure out what was happeing to me now I understand . Articles like this one is so need. Thanks again.
Thank you for the information, it was indeed very helpful.
My husband has been a diabetic for 3 years. I found that diet is about 50% of the cure but exercize makes up for 100% of improvement. Placing a focus on physical activity releases the needed hormones and adds interest to a daily routine. Resting after eating improves the quality of recovery. Linda
Hi, I'm new here, my name is Michael, I have been a diabetic for about a year now. I try to eat somewhere between 40-60 grams of carbs per meal, and my blood sugar level usually reads anywhere from 90-110, I just had my lab work done for the second time now and both times they came back good. So it's all in what you eat. I eat alot of steamed veggies, 1 small red potato, and some fish, or chicken, or a small hamburger patti. and 1 slice of whole grain bread. Then I will eat me a small bowl of reg ice cream at night so my blood sugar won't drop during the night.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU FOR THIS ARTICLE. ANSWERED SOME OF MY QUESTIONS AND I DIDN'T EVEN HAVE TO ASK. LOVE FREE INFO THAT HELPS SO MUCH. THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN!!!
I don't know the particulars but I have always thought that this was the case. That is why I don't get frustrated by the numbers. Testing is an important tool that can help you control diabetes. When your numbers indicate that you can eat some of your favorite foods it makes it easier to make the necessary changes.
The variability in BG readings is SO frustrating. Thanks for an informative article. I find I may be a "rebound hyperglycemic" some mornings but not every morning. I also don't react consistently to the exact same meal (my breakfast consists of the same 30g of carb every morning). The body, when it functions properly, is a marvelous machine!
@JoleneAL-remember that Diabetes and High Blood pressure go hand in hand, so if you are drinking caffeine, you can send your blood pressure up which in turn raises your blood sugar. I was told that by my doctor. I dont use creamer or sweeteners in coffee but now I dont drink coffee at all and my blood sugar is now much lower.
(Type II here) I'm starting to deal with this on my journey. Example: I woke yesterday to a BS of 70. I wake at 5 am. I don't eat for at least 2 hours after I get up, just have coffee. When I got to work I prepared my breakfast and went to test before I ate and it was 246! I figured it was the creamer I was using and bought some non-dairy creamer. Today I woke to a 106 and again, by the time I got to work 3 hours later to eat breakfast, my levels were to 211!! WTH?
I am very pleased on this it will help me and to understand more do to this is up my alye on this and it dose happen to me all the time. but I am only on insluin at night time , and there are time to where I fell that ist is not working at all..
so thak you for this infore
Anna
Very good article, I learn something new everyday at this site.
Good article
thanks.
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excellent article
im diabetic 38yrs yes being diabetic isnt as easy as it should be ive had apump for 6yrs now it helped i filled for disability for chronic pain anyone heard of forzen shoulder ?
very interesting and have gained some insight and knowledge to discuss with my Dr. THANK YOU! :)