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  iControlDiabetes 7:10 pm on September 21, 2011 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Bedtime, Blood Glucose Levels, Blood Sugar ( 4 ), Carbohydrate Snacks, Carbohydrates, Dawn Phenomenon ( 3 ), Diabetics ( 2 ), Epinephrine, Glucagon ( 2 ), Healthcare Professional, High Carbohydrate, Hormones ( 2 ), How is dawn phenomenon caused, Incorrect Medication, Insufficient Levels, Insulin Pump, Insulin Resistance, Liver ( 2 ), Medication Dosage, Nocturnal Hypoglycemia, Somogyi Rebound   

  How is dawn phenomenon caused? 

  

  Dawn phenomenon occurs when blood sugar increases in the morning and although not exclusively used in the case of diabetes, it commonly occurs amongst diabetics.

  Although often confused, Dawn Phenomenon is different from Chronic Somogyi Rebound, because it is not down to nocturnal hypoglycemia.
  How is dawn phenomenon caused?

  Dawn effect occurs when hormones (including cortisol, glucagon, epinephrine) are released by the body. This can cause the liver to then release glucose.

  The dawn effect therefore describes abnormally high early morning increases in blood glucose, usually between 2 am and 8 am amongst people with diabetes.
  How does the dawn phenomenon occur?

  Researchers think that dawn phenomenon is down to overnight release of the above hormones that then lead to increased insulin resistance.

  Further causes of dawn phenomenon may include insufficient levels of insulin, eating high-carbohydrate snacks before bedtime and incorrect dosage of medication.
  How is dawn phenomenon treated?

  Typically dawn phenomenon is treated by avoiding intake of carbohydrates at bedtime, adjusting how much insulin or medication is administered, switching to other medications or using an insulin pump.
  I have high morning blood sugar, do I have dawn phenomenon?

  High morning blood sugar can be down to a variety of things, including insufficient insulin, incorrect medication dosage, carbohydrate snacks before bed and more.

  Testing blood glucose once during the course of the night (between 2 am – 3 am) will help your doctor to find out whether you have dawn phenomenon.
  How do I correct dawn phenomenon?

  Your doctor or healthcare professional will be able to help you to correct dawn phenomenon, leading to more stable blood glucose levels in the early morning:

   

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  iControlDiabetes 7:05 pm on September 21, 2011 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Blood Glucose Level ( 4 ), Blood Glucose Levels, Blood Stream, Blood Sugar ( 4 ), Blood Sugars, Culprit, Dawn Phenomenon ( 3 ), Different Reasons, Fasting Blood Glucose, Fasting Blood Glucose Levels, Hormones ( 2 ), Insulin ( 5 ), Insulins, Liver ( 2 ), Medication, Occurrences, Protein, Respects, Snack, Somogyi, Somogyi Effect   

  Dawn Phenomenon or Somogyi Effect? What’s the Difference? 

  

  You wake up in the morning and check your blood sugar before breakfast. And it’s high. Higher than it usually is in the morning. What’s going on? It could be one of two causes. Dawn phenomenon and the Somogyi effect both can raise your fasting blood glucose levels in the morning, but for different reasons.

  Both occurrences are very similar in some respects and have to do with hormones that tell the liver to release glucose into your blood stream while you sleep. The difference is why the hormones are released.

  The Somogyi effect is caused by having too much insulin in the blood during the night. This can happen to people who take long-acting insulins and it can also happen if you didn’t eat a snack before bed. The blood sugar drops while you are sleeping and your body releases hormones to counteract the drop. The result? You wake up with a higher blood glucose level than you would like to see.

  The dawn phenomenon happens because during the night, hormones are released that trigger the liver to put out glucose. If there is not enough insulin in the body to counteract this, then blood glucose levels rise during the night, resulting in a high reading in the morning.

  How to tell the difference?

  The only way to know for sure which one might be making your morning glucose levels high, is to wake up sometime between 2 and 3 a.m. for several nights in a row, and check your blood sugar. If you are low at that time, it could be the Somogyi effect. If you are normal or high, then the dawn phenomenon may be the culprit.

  What to do to counteract these events.

  Make sure to have a snack before bed that consists of more protein than carbs.
  Let your doctor know what is happening. He or she may change your medication or insulin dosages.

  Additional ways to combat dawn phenomenon.

  Exercising in the evening may help keep morning blood sugars in a better range.
  Eat breakfast, even if your blood sugar is high. Eating something will actually shut down the dawn phenomenon process and let your blood sugar return to normal.

  By Debra Manzella

   
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  iControlDiabetes 6:43 pm on September 21, 2011 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Action Of Insulin, Blood Glucose Level ( 4 ), Blood Glucose Levels, Dawn Phenomenon ( 3 ), Defense Mechanism, Glucagon ( 2 ), Glucose Metabolism, Glucose Production, Glucose Utilization, Health Care Team ( 2 ), High Blood Glucose ( 2 ), High Blood Glucose Levels ( 2 ), Insulin Secretion, Low Blood Glucose ( 2 ), Low Blood Glucose Levels, Low Blood Sugar ( 2 ), Pancreases, Production Changes, TYPE 1 DIABETES ( 5 ), TYPE 2 DIABETES ( 6 )   

  Dawn Phenomenon 

  

  Very high blood glucose in the early morning due to the release of certain hormones in the middle of the night. The body makes certain hormones called counterregulatory hormones, which work against the action of insulin. These hormones, which include glucagon, epinephrine, growth hormone, and cortisol, raise blood glucose levels, when needed, by signaling the liver to release more glucose and by inhibiting glucose utilization throughout the body.

  In the middle of the night, there is a surge in the amount of growth hormone the body releases, followed by a surge in cortisol, which effectively cranks up glucose production in the liver, presumably to prepare the body for daytime activity after a period of fasting. In people who don’t have diabetes, these processes are offset by increased insulin secretion by the pancreas, so blood glucose levels remain relatively stable. However, in people with Type 1 diabetes, whose pancreases don’t make insulin, and in people with Type 2 diabetes, whose livers may not respond to insulin well enough to stop glucose production, changes in glucose metabolism during sleep can have a profound effect on morning blood glucose levels. Typically, the blood glucose level rises between 4 AM and 8 AM.

  It is important to realize that high morning blood sugar may be caused by something else: the body’s rebound from low blood glucose levels at night. Rebound hyperglycemia, also caused by the release of counterregulatory hormones, represents the body’s defense mechanism against low blood sugar. The only way to tell the two phenomena apart is to check your blood glucose level in the middle of the night (around 3 AM). If your blood sugar is high, you are probably experiencing the dawn phenomenon; if it is low, rebound hyperglycemia is probably at work.

  If you experience high blood glucose levels when you wake up, talk with your health-care team. They can recommend further testing and changes in your meal, exercise, or insulin regimen to alleviate the problem.

  by Robert S. Dinsmoor

   
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  iControlDiabetes 3:00 pm on August 8, 2011 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Amputation ( 2 ), Blood Glucose Levels, Diabetes Doctor, Diabetes Neuropathy, Diabetic Neuropathy ( 2 ), Drop In Blood Pressure, Erction, Feet Legs, Foot Doctor, Lichter, Limb Amputations, Loss Of Sensation, Loss Of Vision, Lower Limb, Muscle Strenght, Nerve Damage ( 3 ), Sexual Dysfunction, Tingling Sensation, Urination Problems, Vaginal Dryness   

  Diabetic Neuropathy 

  

   

  Do you know the facts from the falsehoods about diabetes-related nerve damage?

  Myth or Facts? Everyone with diabetes will develop neuropathy: there’s no way to prevent it.

  MYTH: The actual cause of neuropathy is not known, but studies show that it is possible to avoid or delay its onset, or slow its progression, by managing your blood glucose levels. Test your blood glucose levels and take your medication exactly as your doctor prescribes for best results

  Myth or Fact? The only symptom of neuropathy is a strong tingling sensation.

  MYTH: Tingling, burning and total loss of sensation in the feet, legs, hands and arms are commonly associated symptoms. But neuropathy also can cause loss of muscle strenght; abdominal problems, such as diarrhea, constipation, indigestion and vomiting; loss of vision; dizziness and faintness due to a drop in blood pressure; and urination problems.

  Myth or Fact? Neuropathy can contribute to sexual dysfunction in men and women.

  FACT: Neuropathy can result in the inability to achieve an erction in men and vaginal dryness in women. with a loss of sensation from nerve damage, the ability to be stimulated is reduced.

  Myth or fact? neuropathy is a leading caause of lower-limb amputations.

  FACT: Neuropathy can cause reduced awareness of pain or complete loss of sensation. This can result in your not knowing when you have developed a wound or injured yourself. These undetected wounds often develop infections. It’s important that you check your feet daily. Also, see your foot doctor and diabetes doctor regularly to make sure you do not have an injury or infection that could lead to amputation.

  -Marc Lichter

   
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  iControlDiabetes 3:02 am on July 25, 2011 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Blood Glucose Levels, Body Doesn, Causes Of Gestational Diabetes, Diabetes Pregnancy, Gestational Diabetes, Gestational Diabetes Mellitus, Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Gdm, Glucose Tolerance, High Blood Glucose ( 2 ), High Blood Glucose Levels ( 2 ), Low Blood Glucose ( 2 ), Pregnancy Diabetes, Pregnancy Increase, Production Of Insulin, Stress Tests, TYPE 1 DIABETES ( 5 ), Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus, TYPE 2 DIABETES ( 6 ), Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Type Of Diabetes   

  

  Gestational Diabetes is a type of diabetes found only in pregnant women. Around 4% of pregnant women will develop this type of Diabetes during their pregnancy, which doesn’t necessarily mean that they will have diabetes after giving birth to their child. Unlike Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Gestational Diabetes carries a great risk for the baby. Gestational Diabetes according to Wikipedia: “Gestational diabetes (or gestational diabetes mellitus, GDM) is a condition in which women without previously diagnosed diabetes exhibit high blood glucose levels during pregnancy. Gestational diabetes generally has few symptoms and it is most commonly diagnosed by screening during pregnancy. Diagnostic tests detect inappropriately high levels of glucose in blood samples. Gestational diabetes affects 3-10% of pregnancies, depending on the population studied. No specific cause has been identified, but it is believed that the hormones produced during pregnancy increase a woman’s resistance to insulin, resulting in impaired glucose tolerance. “

  Causes of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus are not quite known, but due to hormonal changes during the pregnancy your body has a hard time keeping up with the needs and the production of insulin. In the end the woman’s body doesn’t get enough energy from the intake of food.

  The symptoms are exactly like with Type1 Diabetes Mellitus and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. What causes the biggest issue with this type of diabetes is the risk for the baby. If Gestational Diabetes is caught in time there shouldn’t be a great risk, but if left unchecked it can cause the following issues:

  • Baby can have a low blood glucose right after being born
  • Baby can also have breathing problems
  • Can have extra fat

  To make sure that your baby is ok the doctors will run immediate tests like ultrasound, special stress tests and kick counts. The issue here is that both mother and child are at risk of having Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus for the rest of their lives.

  In some cases the symptoms of Gestational Diabetes will not show but nevertheless they may cause increased risk of high blood pressure, possibility of giving birth to a large baby which would require a Cesarean section.

  On the bright side in most cases Gestational Diabetes disappears after giving birth. But if you are not careful later you are at high risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. You may also develop Gestational Diabetes if you get pregnant again.