Is your blood sugar usually highest in the morning? The reason may be related to how long your insulin covers your body’s needs overnight, says the American Diabetes Association (ADA). In many people, an intermediate acting insulin, also known as NPH, is too short-acting because it only lasts 6-8 hours. This may not be long enough to maintain good blood sugar levels overnight if you take your NPH at suppertime.
The ADA recommends trying your evening NPH injection at bedtime. If this change doesn’t work, the association recommends switching to a longer-acting insulin, such as human ultralente. Many people who use two injections of human ultralente per day (in addition to regular insulin before each meal) see improvement in their morning blood sugars. Or, says the ADA, you may need to increase your NPH dosage.
To see if you have nighttime lows, check you blood sugar between 2 and 4 a.m. Starting off the day with a blood sugar close to normal is a key to good overall blood sugar control.
Reprinted from 101 Tips for Improving Your Blood Sugar, by the University of New Mexico Diabetes Care Team. Copyright by the American Diabetes Association. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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