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Why is my fasting sugar high in the morning when I eat nothing at night?

Answered by the AskDoc Medical Team · Medically reviewed under our Medical Director, MBBS

Blame the liver, not the fridge. In the early morning the body releases hormones that tell the liver to push out stored glucose, the dawn phenomenon. In insulin resistance, that push overshoots.

A late heavy dinner, poor sleep, or a medicine dose wearing off overnight can add to it.

Log sugar at bedtime and on waking for a week; the pair tells your doctor whether it is dawn hormones or evening habits. Either way it is a solvable pattern, not a mystery.

If you are buying a meter

Any major-brand glucose meter is accurate enough for home tracking. The real cost is the strips, so compare strip prices before choosing the meter.

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