Hello,
I am a diabetic, and my blood sugar keeps rising at night while I’m sleeping. What should I do?
XY
Hi there!
Thank you for contacting Aries Online Clinic.
Can I have more details please?
Is your blood sugar control consistently good during the day, or do you experience fluctuations at other times as well?
– Is the blood sugar high when you get up in the morning?
– Have you noticed any specific patterns or triggers that might be causing your blood sugar to rise while you sleep?
– Are you currently taking any medications or insulin to manage your diabetes, and if so, are you following the prescribed dosage consistently?
Thanks,
Dr. Mazumdar
I have fluctuations of the blood sugar levels during the day. I take slow-release and fast-acting insulin. I have also been taking metformin, but I don’t know why my blood sugar is rising at night. I’m not even eating late-night snacks, and it’s still happening.
XY
Thank you for sharing more about your situation.
The cause can be due to any of the following factors:
- Insulin Dosage and Timing: It’s important to ensure the dosage and timing of your insulin injections are appropriate. Since your blood sugar rises at night, it might be necessary to adjust your evening or bedtime insulin. Please discuss the morning rise of blood sugar with your doctor – adjusting your bedtime insulin dose can help prevent morning rise of blood sugar.
- Bedtime Snacks: Even though you’re not eating late-night snacks, the composition of your evening meal might still affect your night-time blood sugar levels. Meals high in protein or fat can sometimes cause delayed rises in blood sugar.
- Dawn Phenomenon: During the early morning hours, there is a natural rise in blood sugar due to hormonal changes. This might be causing the higher readings in the morning.
- Somogyi Effect: If your blood sugar drops too low during the night, your body might release hormones that raise it, leading to high readings by morning. This is known as the Somogyi effect.
- Physical Activity and Stress: Changes in your daily physical activity or stress levels can also affect your blood sugar levels.
- Other medicines: Other non-diabetes medicines you are on can affect the blood sugar levels in the morning.
Please contact your doctor and for a complete review of all your medicines It is possible that your insulin dosage will be adjusted.
Your doctor may also suggest using a Continous Glucose Monitor ( CGM) . The CGM is a device which can monitor your blood sugar continuously and could be helpful for tracking your blood sugar.
In the meantime, continue to monitor your blood sugar closely and keep a detailed log of your readings.
Should I adjust the insulin dose if the blood sugar level continues to rise?
XY
Please do not adjust the insulin dose without discussing with your doctor. It could cause dangerous lowering of the blood sugar level.
Ok.
Thank you for your help!
You are welcome.
Let me know if there’s anything else I can assist you with.
I’m here to help and support you in any way I can.
Thank you for visiting Aries Online Clinic.
