Insulin Resistance Syndrome

     Insulin Syndrome is a psychological (concerning body functions) conditional where the natural hormone insulin becomes less effective at lowering blood sugar.  The resulting increase in blood glucose (sugar) may raise to levels outside the normal range and can cause several health problems, depending on dietary conditions.  Certain types of cells, such as fat and muscle cells, require insulin to absorb glucose.  When these cells fail to respond adequately to the circulating insulin in the body, blood sugar levels start to rise.  The liver helps regulate sugar levels by reducing its secretion of glucose in the presence of insulin.  When a person has insulin resistance, the normal reduction in the liver's glucose may not occur.
     Treatment for Insulin Resistance Syndrome includes losing weight to improve glucose control and metabolism, eating a healthy diet, exercising, and taking all medication prescribed.
     Many diabetics blood sugar escalates in the early morning hours.  You go to bed with a good reading and wake up in the morning with a high blood sugar.  You didn't get up during the night to eat, so what happened?  Your doctor keeps telling you to get those morning readings down, but you can't.  If you are having high early morning blood sugar readings, it may be that you are taking an insufficient amount of insulin and/or medication or taking it at the wrong time.  The effective duration of your medication is ending sometime during the night instead of carrying through the early morning hours.
     Diabetes is unique in that it is unpredictable; no two diabetics are alike.  All diabetics respond differently to food, exercise, insulin, medications, and even the complications from the disease.  The doctor may diagnose you as a "brittle diabetic" if your blood sugar is habitually unpredictable.  A real "brittle diabetic" doesn't follow any pattern.  The blood sugar may be up and down within short periods of time without any change in normal routine.
   All body cells need glucose to function.  After each meal, your blood sugar will rise and, hopefully your body will produce enough insulin, along with the medication, to adjust the level of sugar in your bloodstream.  Even when you are asleep your body uses some glucose for energy.  Your liver releases some glucose to provide that energy.  This release of glucose usually happens around three to four a.m.  If you are not a diabetic, the brain will tell the pancreas to release insulin and everything will be in a normal range.  In a diabetic, the brain may tell the pancreas to release insulin, but there may not be a response.  Diabetics have a problem because they may not want the liver to release excess glucose early in the morning.  Some of the diabetic medications given to you by your doctor try to control the blood glucose produced and/or released by the liver.
     There are many causes for high early morning sugar.  Some doctors do not believe in it, but a condition called Dawn Phenomenon does exists.  Dawn Phenomenon Syndrome is a consistent rise in blood glucose levels early in the morning.  This syndrome is usually seen in insulin-dependent diabetics.  Dawn Phenomenon occurs when hormones produced by the body causes the liver to release glucose into the bloodstream.  It is difficult to deal with because of the time it occurs.  If you are not on an insulin pump and you have Dawn Phenomenon Syndrome, you might need to take a shot about three to four a.m. to lower those high morning readings.
     A lot of diabetics have an increase in glucose production and insulin resistance brought on by the release of hormones early in the morning.  This effect seems similar to the Dawn Phenomenon, but it is different because it is not a habitual early-morning rise in blood sugar.  A person taking long-lasting insulin can sometimes exhibit these symptoms.  When the sugar level drops low, hormones are released to bring the sugar level up - this leads to a high morning glucose reading.  If you do not eat a bedtime snack, your sugar may drop during the night.  Have a snack before bedtime and keep the evening blood sugar around 140mg/dl.  Have some protein, like peanut butter, with your snack.  Consult your doctor or diabetic educator about diet and medication to treat this problem.