For most people with diabetes, mealtimes should space out through the day like this: Have breakfast within an hour and half of waking up. Eat a meal every 4 to 5 hours after that. Have a snack between meals if you get hungry.
Move breakfast earlier.
A study in Chicago recently discovered that adults who ate their first meal before 8:30 a.m. each day showed lower insulin resistance compared with those who ate after 8:30 a.m., regardless of their eating interval duration.
Test your blood sugar
Testing your blood sugar is an essential part of managing your diabetes. Test your blood sugar first thing in the morning to get a baseline reading for the day. This can help you adjust your diabetes management plan as needed.
“For people with Type 1 diabetes, the pancreas does not produce insulin, therefore it's important to eat regular meals to regulate insulin dosage accordingly.” A good rule of thumb, Moyer says, is to eat within one hour of waking up. It is optimal for people with diabetes to eat carbohydrates that contains fiber.
People with diabetes should eat dinner between 8 and 9 pm. Eating close to bedtime or late at night must be avoided.
As a general rule, try to minimize any long gaps during the day without fuel, Sheth said, noting that 5–6 hours between meals is the absolute max most people with diabetes should push it. Some people may even need to eat every 3–4 hours for optimal blood sugar management, added Phelps.
You forget to eat
“Waiting too long between meals can also result in hypoglycemia for individuals with diabetes, especially if they're taking particular diabetes medications,” says Massey. If left untreated, hypoglycemia can get worse and cause confusion, clumsiness or fainting.
If you have diabetes, your body doesn't release more insulin to match the early-morning rise in blood sugar. It's called the dawn phenomenon, since it usually happens between 3 a.m. and 8 a.m. The dawn phenomenon happens to nearly everyone with diabetes.
What should your blood sugar be when you wake up? Whenever possible, aim to keep your glucose levels in range between 70 and 130 mg/dL in the morning before you eat breakfast, and between 70 and 180 mg/dL at other times.
When blood sugar levels are high, the kidneys overcompensate by causing you to urinate more often. During the night, these frequent trips to the bathroom lead to disrupted sleep. High blood sugar may also cause headaches, increased thirst, and tiredness that can interfere with falling asleep.
Work it out. Exercise can also help you manage your morning highs. If you have waning insulin, an after-dinner walk or other workout can help keep your blood glucose down overnight. But use caution when exercising before bedtime.
The dawn phenomenon leads to high levels of blood sugar, a condition called hyperglycemia. It usually happens between 4 a.m. and 8 a.m.
Skipping breakfast—going without that morning meal can increase blood sugar after both lunch and dinner. Time of day—blood sugar can be harder to control the later it gets. Dawn phenomenon—people have a surge in hormones early in the morning whether they have diabetes or not.
Missing morning meal could raise blood sugar levels the rest of the day, study says. You've probably heard why skipping breakfast is a bad choice for your health. In this HealthDay article, however, we learn that it's especially dangerous for people with type 2 diabetes.
Many healthcare providers believe that the best approach for people with type 2 diabetes is to eat more, smaller meals at regular intervals throughout the day. Typically experts recommend eating six times a day.
Target blood sugar levels differ for everyone, but generally speaking: if you monitor yourself at home – a normal target is 4-7mmol/l before eating and under 8.5-9mmol/l two hours after a meal.
In general: Less than 100 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/L ) is normal. 100 to 125 mg/dL (5.6 to 6.9 mmol/L ) is diagnosed as prediabetes. 126 mg/dL (7.0 mmol/L ) or higher on two separate tests is diagnosed as diabetes.
Adults over the age of 60 should try to maintain glucose levels between 100 to 140 mg/dL. Below are some of the issues associated with high glucose levels and what your aging loved one can do to maintain healthy blood sugar.
While fasting blood glucose could still be in the normal range, it is taking increasing amounts of insulin to keep it there. As insulin resistance develops, and insulin becomes increasingly ineffective to bring blood sugars down, blood sugars will eventually rise too high.
If you don't eat, your blood sugar levels are lower and medication may drop them even more, which can lead to hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia can cause you to feel shaky, pass out, or even go into a coma. When you “break” your fast by eating, you may also be more likely to develop too-high blood sugar levels.
According to Laura Hieronymus, MD, vice president of health care programs at the American Diabetes Association, “Fatigue is a symptom of hyperglycemia (high blood glucose). When blood glucose levels are too high, the body is not processing glucose as energy; therefore, tiredness or fatigue may occur.”
If you have type 2 diabetes breakfast cereals made with wholegrains can help to manage blood glucose levels, they release glucose more slowly as they are low GI. Weetabix, Oatibix and Shredded Wheat can make for good choices.
If you have diabetes, late-night snacks aren't necessarily off-limits — but it's important to make healthy choices. Late-night snacks add extra calories, which can lead to weight gain.