Morning Blood Sugar Spikes? Your Diet May Need a Tweak!

Dr V Mohan: One of my patients strictly followed the guidelines to manage his blood sugar but noticed it was always high in the morning despite not eating overnight. “I check my sugar before bed, and it’s normal, but when I wake up, it’s elevated. What could be causing this, and should I be concerned?” he asked (Dr V Mohan)

Most people with diabetes have a problem adjusting to what is called the Dawn phenomenon. Early in the morning, your body naturally releases hormones like cortisol, growth hormone and adrenaline to prepare you for waking up. These hormones trigger the liver to release glucose into the bloodstream. In people with diabetes, the body either doesn’t produce enough insulin or doesn’t use it effectively, which leads to high blood sugar levels in the morning.

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It’s something to manage, but not necessarily a cause for alarm. If left unchecked, consistently high morning blood sugar can increase your overall blood sugar levels throughout the day, which may contribute to complications in the long run. The good news is that there are ways to control it.

Small Dietary Tweaks for Better Morning Sugar

My patient usually had rice at dinner and sometimes a late-night snack. I advised him to make small changes first — reduce the amount of rice, replace it with fiber-rich foods — and see whether they affected his morning readings. I also suggested that he have an early dinner and avoid snacking too late.

He consistently monitored his sugar after these changes and started noticing improvements in his sugar readings within a week or two.

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Ways to Manage High Blood Sugar

1. Monitor Your Blood Sugar Patterns: Keep track of your levels before bed, around 3 AM, and in the morning for a few days. This will help us determine if it’s the Dawn phenomenon or if your sugar is dropping overnight and then spiking again.

2. Adjust Your Evening Meal: Avoid eating heavy, high-carb meals late at night. Instead, opt for a well-balanced dinner that includes protein, fiber and healthy fats to prevent a sharp rise in blood sugar overnight.

3. Try a Bedtime Snack: A small, protein-rich snack before bed — such as a handful of nuts, glass of milk or whole grain toast — may help regulate blood sugar levels and prevent your liver from releasing too much glucose.

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4. Stay Active in the Evening: Light exercise, such as a short walk after dinner, can improve insulin sensitivity and help maintain stable blood sugar levels overnight.

5. Review Your Medication: If lifestyle changes don’t help, I might need to adjust your medication. For example, if you take insulin, shifting the timing or adjusting the dose of your long-acting insulin could help. If you’re on oral medications, we might need to modify them as well.

6. Consider a Different Insulin Regimen: Some people benefit from using an insulin pump or a different type of long-acting insulin to better match their body’s needs overnight.