Diabetes patients often suffer from early-morning increases in blood sugar, which may be backed by a “dawn phenomenon” or a “sumujee response”, the causes of which are very different from the way they respond, and the right distinction is essential.
“The dawn” occurred between 3 and 8 a.m. At this point, the human body is excreted with hormones such as growth hormones, cortisols, in order to contribute to the awakening of the body and the storage of energy for daytime activity. However, these hormones reduce body sensitivity to insulin and reduce the ability of insulin to transfer blood sugar to the cell, leading to increased blood sugar. If the previous night was not characterized by low sugar, and the pre-sleep blood sugar was stable, and other factors such as high sugar food for dinner and poor sleep at night were excluded, it was likely that the early morning blood sugar rise was due to a “dawning phenomenon”.
The Somujee response is a “correction” mechanism for the body to low blood sugar at night. When low blood sugar is triggered at night by low food consumption, excessive pre-sleep exercise, insulin or a high use of sugar, the body is able to glucose, epinephrine, etc. These hormones contribute to the release of glucose from the liver and the recovery of blood sugar, resulting in high blood sugar in the early morning. Thus, if there was a low blood sugar display the previous night, such as panic, hand shaking, sweating, strong hunger, etc., or if there was a greater adjustment to the dosage of pre-sleep drugs and a marked change in diet, then there was a need to consider “the Somuje response”.
The key to identifying both is to strengthen blood sugar surveillance, especially at night. If the blood sugar is normal at 3 a.m. and the morning sugar rises, it is the “dawn phenomenon”; if the blood sugar is low at 3 a.m. and then the morning sugar rises, it tends to be the “sumujee reaction”.
Responses vary in different contexts. In the case of the “dawn phenomenon”, an appropriate increase in the dose of insulin before dinner or bedtime may be made, under the supervision of a doctor, or the choice of a sugar-relief drug that better controls the empty abdominal sugar. For the Somujee response, there is a need to reduce the use of insulin or sugar for pre-dinners, while some low blood sugar index foods, such as whole-wheat biscuits, milk and so on, can be fed at appropriate levels before bed, in order to prevent low blood sugar at night and to avoid excessive pre-morning of blood sugar.
Diabetes patients are able to effectively control early morning blood sugar fluctuations, reduce the risk of complications and provide a solid basis for full-time blood sugar stability, thus improving the quality of life and better managing their own health, only if they clearly identify the “dawn phenomenon” and the “reaction” to Somuje.
