BG Going Up at Night

[SammyIamToday]

I was recently dx'd (assuming 1.5, waiting for test results still). They haven't started me on basal yet, so I'm hoping that's the easy answer to this.

Even if I don't eat for 4 or so hours before sleep and bolus at that meal, my BG is still rising while I sleep. I went to sleep last night with 117 and woke up with 153. Is this fairly normal?

Most of what I read here says that people normally go hypo during sleep and I'm having the exact opposite happen. Slightly disconcerting, but perhaps not a big deal.

[rzrbks]

whoo-haw, it's been a long time since I was where you are, but my guess is that you're correct, you're missing your basal dosage.

[jenb]

Hi! I don't know if this will be helpful since I'm a type 1 on MDI, but here goes: I experience dawn phenomenon despite my best efforts to control it with basal. I handle it by doing a small bolus between 6:15 and 6:30 a.m.. I use very small amounts of Novolog (1/4 to 1/2 unit usually, depending on my BG at 6:15.) This keeps my BG from rising as it likes to do starting around 7:00 a.m. I have breakfast at about 7:30 a.m. and am always sure to include the bolus on board in my breakfast bolus calculation.

Since I'm an early riser this works for me....it would be horrible for anyone who doesn't know there's a time before 11:00 a.m.;)

Jen

[matingara]

i, too, am struggling with higher morning fastings than i would like to have.

this morning i was at 8.9 (160) after going to bed at around 7.0 (126).

i take a basal at night (about 7PM) of 20u of lantus.

my bgls are good all day long and fine when i go to bed. i, too, am seeking an answer of how to wake up (consistently) below 7.0 (126).

-- Joel.

[genie86333]

While there could be more than one thing at work here, I'd assume a large part of it is the fact that you're not doing the basal insulin yet. That is designed to keep your numbers level during the between-meal periods, such as at night when you're sleeping.

Jen, don't be silly, of course everyone knows there's a time before 11 a.m. It's called middle-of-the-night. ;)

[SammyIamToday]

Guess I just have to wait for the next Doc visit to see if basal fixes this then. I imagine if it was real bad, someone would have said so, so that's a relief.

Or maybe I sleepwalk and eat things I'm not supposed to in the middle of the night. :p

Thanks!

[Subby]

I was recently dx'd (assuming 1.5, waiting for test results still). They haven't started me on basal yet, so I'm hoping that's the easy answer to this.

Even if I don't eat for 4 or so hours before sleep and bolus at that meal, my BG is still rising while I sleep. I went to sleep last night with 117 and woke up with 153. Is this fairly normal?


"Normal" is a very fragile concept when it comes to blood sugar trends :)

How about we say a moderate movement upwards in the early morning is seen by what seems a reasonably large group of people. As mentioned there's even a name and explanation for it: the dawn phenomenon.

If you are seeing your doctor soon, I'd wait and see if you start on basal, achieve reasonable dosages, see how that changes your BG landscape, then re-assess.

On insulin/with basal, if the spike remains and is a problem for you, there are a few things you might try to reduce it.


Most of what I read here says that people normally go hypo during sleep and I'm having the exact opposite happen. Slightly disconcerting, but perhaps not a big deal.

That's almost exclusively caused by excessive basal insulin, so doesn't apply to you at the moment.

[TommyC1]

Guess I just have to wait for the next Doc visit to see if basal fixes this then. I imagine if it was real bad, someone would have said so, so that's a relief.

Or maybe I sleepwalk and eat things I'm not supposed to in the middle of the night. :p

Thanks!

Waking at 153 is not ideal. But it's not that bad either.
If your bolus is Novalog or Humalog it's probably gone through your system after 4 or 5 hours. After that you are likely running on little or no insulin while your liver is supplying some glucose. The basal is used to cover that (hopefully) low steady level of glucose supplied by your liver.

Sounds to me like you are pretty normal for type 1(.5?)
Just need a little basal.

Tommy

[SammyIamToday]

They started me on Lantus and Novolog today. I guess now they are leaning more towards Type 1 instead of 1.5 (not really sure the difference still). They lost the freaking antibody test though, so I guess I have to wait another month to get the results... :(

Anywho, I've managed to keep my BG in the 90's for days now except the morning where it spikes up to the 130-150 range. Starting with 6u's of Lantus at night, so hopefully that fixes that problem.

A1C test came back at 10.5. Which is yikes, but I guess not too bad considering my BG was in the low 700's when I was diagnosed.