Morning Highs: The Dawn Phenomenon and How to Measure It
Fasting readings are the number most people track. Understanding why they run high makes them far more useful.
Why morning readings run high
In the early morning the body releases hormones such as cortisol and growth hormone that tell the liver to release glucose, preparing you for the day. In people with insulin resistance, the extra glucose is not cleared as efficiently, so the first reading of the day can be the highest. This is often called the dawn phenomenon [1].
Other causes to rule out
A large or late evening meal, a missed evening medicine, poor sleep and illness can all raise morning numbers. In people on insulin, a low reading overnight followed by a rebound is another possibility; checking at around 3 a.m. on a few nights helps tell these apart [3].
Measuring fasting glucose properly
- Test right after waking, before food, coffee or exercise.
- Wash and dry your hands first.
- Use the same meter, at the same time, for comparisons.
- Average at least a week; single readings vary by several mg/dL.
Fasting values of 100 to 125 mg/dL fall in the prediabetes range and 126 or above on two occasions in the diabetes range [2].
What helps
An earlier, smaller evening meal with fewer refined carbohydrates, a walk after dinner [4], regular sleep and, for people with diabetes, a review of medicine timing with the care team [5]. Supplements are not a fix for dawn highs.
Quick answers
Why is my blood sugar higher in the morning than at night?
Early-morning hormones prompt the liver to release glucose. With insulin resistance it is cleared less efficiently, so fasting readings can be the day's highest.
What is a normal fasting glucose?
Under 100 mg/dL. Values of 100 to 125 fall in the prediabetes range; 126 or more on two tests suggests diabetes.
Records cited on this page
Links go to the original abstract or agency page. Every trial below gave one ingredient on its own, mostly at doses far above what a 200 mg blend shared by 22 names could hold; nobody has published a trial of Olivaro itself.
- 1MedlinePlus (U.S. National Library of Medicine). Blood Sugar. medlineplus.gov/bloodsugar.html
- 2American Diabetes Association. Diagnosis: A1C, fasting plasma glucose and oral glucose tolerance test ranges. diabetes.org/about-diabetes/diagnosis
- 3National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Low Blood Glucose (Hypoglycemia). www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/preventing-problems/low-blood-glucose-hypoglycemia
- 4Reynolds AN, Mann JI, Williams S, Venn BJ. Advice to walk after meals is more effective for lowering postprandial glycaemia in type 2 diabetes mellitus than advice that does not specify timing: a randomised crossover study. Diabetologia. 2016;59(12):2572-2578. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27747394/
- 5National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. 4 Steps to Manage Your Diabetes for Life. www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/managing-diabetes/4-steps
Give Olivaro a measured 60-day trial
Checkout happens on the vendor's BuyGoods page. Note a week of morning readings before the first dropper; if the numbers have not moved by day 50, write to the vendor while the refund window is still open, opened bottles included.