The Dawn phenomenon is best described as early morning hyperglycemia due to dawn hormones. What is a common management approach?

• A. Adjusting the evening basal insulin or bedtime snack.
• B. Increasing morning rapid-acting insulin at breakfast.
• C. Reducing the bedtime snack to zero.
• D. Ignoring

Answer: (A)

Dawn phenomenon happens when early-morning hormones raise liver glucose output, causing higher blood sugar before breakfast. A common way to manage this is to adjust overnight insulin coverage—such as increasing the evening basal insulin or tweaking the bedtime snack—so the liver’s overnight glucose production is better suppressed by the time you wake up. This directly targets the source of the rise at that pre-breakfast period. Adding more morning rapid-acting insulin tackles the rise after breakfast and doesn’t prevent the dawn spike, and removing the bedtime snack can risk nocturnal lows without addressing the overnight hepatic output. Ignoring isn’t appropriate.