How soon after waking should i eat

What are your reasons for not eating breakfast? Why is eating breakfast such a big deal? One theory is that eating breakfast kick-starts your metabolism, helping your body start burning food for fuel. Watch this video to learn why. Work with your doctor to come up with a schedule for testing your blood sugar.

Factors for you and your doctor to consider in developing your schedule include the medicines you take, when you eat and how well-controlled your blood sugar is. Many people with diabetes find that it works well for them to check blood sugar first thing in the morning, but talk with your doctor to find out what's best for you. Unless you were to overdose on diabetes medications or get a guest spot on Dancing with the Stars, this will be your lowest blood sugar of the day.

For all the reasons the ADA listed, this is an important check, so long as you keep it in perspective. It is only one minute in a day with 1, minutes in it. The point of diabetes control is too keep your blood sugar under a given target number. Bottom line: checking only first thing in the morning can lead to a dangerous sense of false security.

The only way to know if your diabetes therapy is effective for you and your diabetes is to test at various times on various days. There are two reasons why your blood sugar levels may be high in the morning — the dawn phenomenon and the Somogyi effect.

The dawn phenomenon is the end result of a combination of natural body changes that occur during the sleep cycle and can be explained as follows: Your body has little need for insulin between about midnight and about a. Any insulin taken in the evening causes blood sugar levels to drop sharply during this time.

Then, between a. All of these events happen as your bedtime insulin dose is also wearing off. These events, taken together, cause your body's blood sugar levels to rise in the morning at "dawn".

A second cause of high blood sugar levels in the morning might be due to the Somogyi effect named after the doctor who first wrote about it. This condition is also called "rebound hyperglycemia. There are two potential causes. In one scenario, your blood sugar may drop too low in the middle of the night and then your body releases hormones to raise the sugar levels.

This could happen if you took too much insulin earlier or if you did not have enough of a bedtime snack. The other scenario is when your dose of long-acting insulin at bedtime is not enough and you wake up with a high morning blood sugar. Fasting blood sugar readings can set the tone for your entire day. When your morning blood glucose is high or low, you have to adjust your number before you can get your day started.

Understand what your morning target should be and the other factors that may contribute to problem readings. Tight control starts with managing your overnight and morning readings. Video of the Day The American Diabetes Association recommends a fasting blood sugar between 70 and for diabetics.

A morning blood sugar reading below 70 indicates a hypoglycemic reaction, or low blood sugar condition. Blood sugar readings over are considered high readings and should be treated according to your care team's recommendations. Gestational Diabetes Gestational diabetes occurs when a woman who has never been diagnosed with diabetes develops high blood sugar during pregnancy. High blood sugar levels during pregnancy can cause your baby to be larger than average at birth, have low blood sugar problems after delivery and possibly have respiratory problems.

Keeping your blood glucose levels within the target range will protect you and your baby. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases recommends that women with gestational diabetes keep morning glucose numbers below Your doctor or diabetic educator may have a different recommendation based on your pregnancy and medical history.

Testing your blood sugar within 10 to 15 minutes of waking up will help ensure that you receive an accurate reading. Wash your hands before you test to eliminate any contaminants that can cause errors or inaccuracies.

Do not eat or drink anything before you test. Caffeine may cause increases in blood sugar, so avoid coffee before testing. Managing diabetes is one part investigation and two parts action.

Unlike some other diseases that rely primarily on professional medical treatment, diabetes treatment requires active participation by the person who has it. Monitoring your blood sugar level on a regular basis and analyzing the results is believed by many to be a crucial part of the treatment equation. When someone is first diagnosed with diabetes, he is usually given a blood sugar meter or told to go buy one and told how and when to use it, as well as what numbers to shoot for.

However, the advice a person receives on when to monitor and what the results should be generally depend on his type of diabetes, age, and state of overall health.

At least three major health organizations have published slightly different recommendations regarding goals for blood sugar levels. The idea behind eating within the first hour of waking for blood sugar and hormonal imbalances is that your body is primed and ready to receive nutrients at that time—it's been a while since you last ate, after all—and balancing both out from the jump can lead to an uptick in energy.

Eggs are undeniably healthy and delicious. Greek Yogurt. Greek yogurt is creamy, delicious and nourishing. Coffee is an amazing beverage to start your day. Oatmeal is the best breakfast choice for cereal lovers. Chia Seeds. Green Tea. The evidence is clear, there is nothing "special" about breakfast. It probably does not matter whether you eat or skip breakfast , as long as you eat healthy for the rest of the day. Breakfast does not "jump start" your metabolism and skipping it does not automatically make you overeat and gain weight.

Some people naturally are not hungry at all first thing in the day and in those cases, it's fine to eat an hour or even two after you wake up. This said, you do need to know your body. Should you drink water as soon as you wake up? Drinking water first thing in the morning immediately helps rehydrate the body.

The six to eight hours of recommended nightly sleep is a long period to go without any water consumption. Drinking a glass or two of water right when you wake up, however, is a good way to quickly rehydrate your body, Batayneh says.

How soon after waking up should a diabetic eat? For most people with diabetes, mealtimes should space out through the day like this: Have breakfast within an hour and half of waking up. Eat a meal every 4 to 5 hours after that. In addition, those who exercised in a fasted state had lower insulin levels during the activity. Another review, which was published in the British Journal of Nutrition in October , assessed the metabolic effects of fasting compared to eating breakfast before exercise.

Researchers have found that aerobic exercise performed before eating breakfast in a fasted state induced higher fat oxidation than training after a meal. However, a May review in the journal Nutrients reported that eating breakfast prior to exercise may enhance performance, despite increasing insulin levels and lowering fat oxidation. Several studies have shown that consuming a high-carb breakfast within 60 minutes before intensive exercise improved physical performance.

Whether you eat within 30 minutes of waking up or find that eating breakfast two hours after waking fits best into your schedule, it's your overall nutrient and calorie intake that matters most. Ideally, opt for a healthy combination of whole foods that are high in fiber and low in fat, sugar and salt. Focus on the main food groups, such as whole grains, fruits and lean meat to feed your body with complex carbs, fiber, protein and a small amount of fat, all needed for health and satiety.

The Mayo Clinic offers some suggestions for making your breakfast healthy, including:. Read more: What 16 Nutritionists Eat for Breakfast. Your morning meal can consist of simple whole foods and it doesn't have to be time-consuming to be good for you. By keeping the breakfast basics in mind, you can set yourself up for healthier eating all day long. Nutrition Nutrition Basics Healthy Eating. By Gord Kerr Updated December 23, Andra Picincu is a certified nutritionist and personal trainer with more than 10 years of experience.

This can play havoc with your daily counts of calories, fat and sugar. Starting your day with a breakfast that contains both protein and fiber can help keep your hunger under control so that you can make smarter choices at lunch. Because your metabolism is faster in the morning, it makes more sense to skip dinner. There is no perfect time for everyone, but having breakfast within 30 minutes of waking up is a good rule of thumb. If mornings are chaotic, you may have to wait until kids are off at school or you are safely ensconced at your desk before you can find time to eat — and that's okay.

Planning ahead and having quick and convenient meals all ready to go can help you get your day off to a healthy and nutritious start. Once you have committed to having breakfast every day, you need to take the next step and commit to having the right kind of breakfast.