Wakeup Blood Glucose Test

I assume that a "Wakeup Blood Glucose Test" is what's often referred to as a fasting blood sugar (glucose) test, before which one is not to eat or drink anything other than water for at least 8 hours. So it's convenient for most people to do in the morning upon rising and BEFORE eating. However, I've never been told to sit for any length of time before testing glucose levels as is recommended for testing blood pressure levels. Hope this helps.

To @canada @ronaldtseng,
Regarding your #3, one's glucose will test higher after one has recently eaten than when testing after an 8-hour or more fast.

Yes, it is called- fasting blood sugar. The morning blood level is not settle down then to have "high" blood glucose level. As said: body highest blood sugar level is between 4am - 8 am everyday.
This is another reason why to have high blood sugar level due to too early doing the test in the morning?
Do you have this experience?
When you do the test at Dr's office - always to be asked to sit down 5-10 minutes before the test.
Please help again.

No, I do the second test within 5 minutes.
Thanks!

@canada @ronaldtseng,
No, I don't have the experience you spoke of. And, I do my fasting test about 11 hours after I last ate. If you've truly fasted for at least 8 hours (or more) before testing (no raiding the frig during the middle of the night!), and still not getting proper results, you should check with your doctor.

Thank You!

I have the "dawn phenomenon" in which my blood glucose starts to rise about 5am from 100 to about 120 at 7am breakfast. It continues to rise after eating breakfast. I can see this each morning because I have a continuous glucose monitor. So you maybe experiencing this same phenomenon. I don't see a correlation between sitting and waking because it just continues to rise making each subsequent reading higher than the rest. My blood glucose is most stable from 12:00 midnight to 5:00 a.m. when it hovers around 100. I am not a healthcare provider but just wanted to share my experience with you.

The dawn phenomenon is real and a problem I've had. Without a doubt, my best waking values come when I intermittently fast (i.e. stop eating after dinner, 6pm or so). Also, I think that alcohol is converted to glycogen by your liver, glycogen is the sugar your body puts out to wake you up. I've quit drinking for blood pressure reasons, but I think it's helped my dawn #'s, too.

Making sure your carbs at dinner are unprocessed, whole wheat, and served with a protein and fat, will make them not spike your levels as badly and help keep you from going hypoglycemic at night, forcing glycogen release (symogi effect).

All of this is unique to your system and you may experience different effects. If I have a lab test due, I'll wait a few hours before I go so that my morning increase dies down. FRUSTRATING!

If you don't see your numbers dropping fast enough, go for a walk or ride exercise bike for 20 min and check again

@canada @ronaldtseng your original post was November 2022. I apologize for my late welcome and response.
#1 Your wake-up blood glucose test is commonly called fasting blood sugar. It is typically the first test of the day after sleeping and before eating. The exact time may vary for individuals because people’s work, sleep & eating schedules are different.
#2 The location where you test (bedroom, sitting room etc) and your posture (sitting, standing etc) shouldn’t matter. Someone else pointed out that sitting still for a few minutes is helpful for testing blood pressure, but it isn’t necessary to test blood sugar.
#3 Blood sugar naturally fluctuates during the day. That is why a fasting blood sugar (when you wake up after sleeping & before eating) will give you a good idea of what is true at that moment. If you do more tests then that you will become frustrated by the fluctuations. If you test consistently as described in #1 & #2 above you can start to see patterns or trends developing over time. Recording your results can help with this. What kind of record keeping system do you have for you and your provider to review your results?

@dextolen I apologize for my late welcome and response. I am new to this. It sounds like you have experience with the Dawn Phenomenon and the Somogyi Effect. At the moment I can’t recall the mechanics of them but they are similar and both can effect the fasting blood sugar.
You mentioned alcohol. My experience has been that alcohol lowers the blood sugar. Whereas carbohydrates raises blood sugar. Mixed drinks and cocktails can be tricky for a diabetic to consume since they include both.
Speaking of carbohydrates, simples carbs like table sugar will spike blood sugar quickly. Complex carbohydrates (like whole grains and some fruits & veggies) require more work to metabolize (less spikes). Adding lean protein, dairy and limited / healthy fats to the diet can provide a well balanced eating plan needed for a diabetic to thrive. It sounds like you have a pretty good handle on yours. You mentioned “unprocessed”. Not everyone has the experience to cook with Whole Foods. In that case label reading is essential. Do you read nutrition labels? What is your criteria for acceptable?
Regarding exercise, (so beneficial for blood sugar regulation). The key is finding something you like well enough to commit to. What are your favorites?