Dawn phenomenon and the early morning rise you didn’t cause
The dawn phenomenon is not a rebound from a low. Across 4,705 nights in 2,600 people with type 2 diabetes, fasting glucose ran lower after hypoglycemia.
Sameer Patel — Founder & Editor
Sameer Patel is the founder and editor of My Medicine Advisor. He is not a doctor or medical professional — before starting this site he worked in banking, and he now researches and edits health information full-time.
He started My Medicine Advisor to make clear, well-sourced health information freely available to anyone. Every article is researched from recognised authorities such as the WHO, CDC, NIH, and NICE, drafted with the help of AI tools, and edited by hand, with sources linked so readers can check them. The calculators on the site use established, published formulas, each one named so you can look it up yourself.
My Medicine Advisor is currently a one-person operation with no clinical review panel, and the site is open about that. If you're a qualified clinician or researcher interested in reviewing content, Sameer would genuinely like to hear from you via the contact page.
Medications that raise blood sugar, and what to check next
Medications that raise blood sugar rarely come with a number. Steroids move it in 32.3% of people without diabetes; statins shift A1C 0.06-0.08%.
How to lower blood sugar, from the next hour to your next A1C
Lowering blood sugar starts with one number: CDC puts the two-hour post-meal target under 180 mg/dL. What works within an hour is a short list.
Know Your Blood Sugar Target Over 65 and Why Health Sets It
Blood sugar target over 65 loosens for a reason: insulin users past 80 reach the ER for insulin-related lows 2.5 times as often as those 45 to 64.
Normal blood sugar for a child, made clear for parents
Normal blood sugar for a child follows the same thresholds as adults. The age-by-age charts everywhere online are retired ADA type 1 targets from 2011.
Normal glucose levels in pregnancy, and when to check each one
Glucose levels in pregnancy have a target and an average, and they are not the same. Measured healthy pregnancies run near 71 fasting; the target is 95.
A failed 1-hour glucose test, made clear before your next visit
A failed 1-hour glucose test is a screening result, not a diagnosis — and roughly one in five screened pregnancies produces one. Here is what follows.
What the 1-hour glucose test in pregnancy actually checks
Your 1-hour glucose test cutoff was chosen by your practice, not by a universal rule — ACOG permits 130, 135 or 140 mg/dL, and the difference matters.
CGM cost without insurance, and what to check before buying
CGM cost without insurance drops to about $11 a month if you use a meter and strips at 18 cents each — the option most price guides leave out.
Smartwatch Blood Sugar Readings and What to Check Instead
Smartwatch blood sugar sensing stays unproven: in one 2024 evaluation of a light-based monitor, 18.5% of readings met the ISO accuracy standard.