Why Is My Morning Glucose High? 

Is your blood glucose level consistently higher in the morning? Want to know why? This article will help you get there!

If you have diabetes, it’s extra important to understand this phenomenon, as periods of acute glucose elevation cause the most damage to blood vessels and other organs.

Why Is Your Glucose Elevated in the Morning?

If your blood sugar is consistently high when you awake, it is known as the Dawn Phenomenon. Nobody has conclusively proven why it happens to some people, though we know it even happens in some people without metabolic disease. 

When you wake up in the morning (particularly if you didn’t sleep well) your body adjusts your hormone levels to “waking mode.” This can involve changes in cortisol, epinephrine (adrenaline,) or glucagon, for example. These are all hormones that can cause the release of more glucose, and your body regulates these hormones as part of your circadian rhythms. 

Does This Mean Something Is Wrong?

Even if you are healthy and do not have insulin resistance, the same process is part of waking up. Without insulin resistance, though, your body simply takes any unused glucose and puts it back into storage, so your blood sugar level doesn’t change. As you wake up, your body needs some extra fuel, and the liver provides for that need. 

When you’re insulin resistant, or have diabetes, your blood glucose level can stay elevated because your body can’t store the glucose as effectively so it stays in the blood. 

Keep a Bigger Perspective

Finding your glucose elevated in the morning may seem like a harsh way to start your day, but put it into perspective. Your levels may be normal the rest of the day, for example. Other lab results, such as your A1c (also known as “glycated hemoglobin”) reflect more of an average blood glucose, and that is more indicative of your overall progress. As you improve, you will eventually see your morning glucose improve as well.

Create a Plan 

• Make sure you get enough sleep. There are articles about sleep in your app, so check those out as well.
• Verify that you’re under 30 grams/day of carbohydrates and no extra carbs have crept into your diet.
• Try to eat your dinner at a slightly earlier time, and don’t snack in the evening.
• Make your dinner lower-carb than your other meals (while still including your non-starchy vegetables).
• Take a walk or do some yoga after dinner.
• Reduce the carbohydrates in your first meal of the day. 
• Talk to your Revero health coach about any other options to help improve your morning glucose levels.

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