|  | Conditions Treatments | Diabetes

What is the Dawn Effect in Diabetes?

Diabetes is a disease that makes it difficult for people to control the amount of glucose in their blood. When diabetics experience high blood sugar levels during the early morning hours between 2 and 8 am, the phenomenon is known as the "dawn effect."

  1. Causes

    • The dawn effect can be the result of low insulin levels the night before, eating carbohydrates before bed, improper medication dosages or hormones that are naturally released by the body during sleep.

    Gender

    • High testosterone levels can contribute to the dawn effect, making the problem more prevalent in diabetic men than diabetic women.

    Diagnosis

    • In order to diagnose the dawn effect and rule out other issues, diabetics experiencing high blood sugar in the morning are asked to wake up and check their blood sugar at around 2 or 3 in the morning for several days.

    Treatment

    • The dawn effect can often be corrected by changing medications or medication dosages, avoiding carbohydrates at bedtime and wearing an insulin pump while sleeping.

    Similar Conditions

    • The dawn effect is sometimes mistaken for rebound hyperglycemia. Rebound hyperglycemia occurs when the body attempts to increase blood sugar levels after several hours of fasting.

Diabetes - Related Articles