Why Your Morning Blood Sugar Is High And How To Fix It

If you wake up in the morning and your blood sugar is already elevated, even when you swear you are eating smart, you are not alone. Many people with prediabetes or insulin resistance see their highest numbers before they even eat breakfast. It feels unfair and confusing and sometimes even a little scary.

Here I'm diving into why this happens and the three simple morning habits that can help you calm it down quickly. These take only a few minutes, they fit into any morning routine, and they work even if you are stressed, tired, or still half asleep.

Let’s start with the surprising reason this happens in the first place.

☀️ The Morning Stress Spike You Don’t Realize You Have

Most people assume that fasting glucose and morning blood sugar levels are mostly affected by the dinner the night before. And yes, your nighttime meal can absolutely play a role. But in many cases there is something bigger happening behind the scenes.

It is called the Cortisol Awakening Response or CAR. This is completely different from the dawn phenomenon which happens before you wake up. The Cortisol Awakening Response is a natural, built-in surge of cortisol that happens in the first thirty to sixty minutes after waking. It is supposed to happen and it is supposed to give you a burst of energy and alertness so you can start your day.

Here is the key though. This cortisol surge signals your liver to release stored glucose into your bloodstream. That means your blood sugar will rise even without a single bite of food. This is normal and healthy. It helps you wake up with mental focus, physical energy, and the ability to get moving. Your body is designed this way on purpose.

The issue arises when the Cortisol Awakening Response becomes exaggerated. This can happen when you are stressed, sleep deprived, inflamed, anxious, or carrying a heavy mental load. When that cortisol surge is stronger than your body can comfortably handle, the morning glucose release becomes bigger and faster.

For someone with prediabetes or insulin resistance, this can look like:

• High fasting glucose before breakfast

• Higher than expected morning spikes

• Feeling shaky or irritable

• Morning cravings

• A harder time losing weight

• Feeling tired or wired before lunch

If you have ever looked at your CGM or glucose meter and thought, “How is my blood sugar high when I just woke up,” now you know. A stressed or amplified cortisol awakening response can exacerbate the response. And most people have no idea this is happening.

💡 Why This Happens: The Six Hidden Causes of an Amplified CAR

Think of your cortisol awakening response as the spark that lights the engine in the morning. When it fires at the right level you get steady energy throughout the day. When it fires too high, too fast, or too unpredictably, you get morning glucose spikes that can set the tone for the entire day.

There are six surprisingly simple causes that can turn a normal morning spark into an unnecessary biochemical surge.

1. Poor Sleep or Fragmented Sleep

If you toss and turn, get fewer than seven hours, or wake up multiple times during the night, your brain enters a version of survival mode. Your body senses that something is off and overcompensates by increasing cortisol as soon as you wake up.

This means more glucose release from the liver and higher fasting glucose numbers. This can happen after one bad night of sleep, and it becomes consistent if poor sleep becomes a pattern.

2. Early Morning Stress or Rushing

If you wake up and immediately check your phone, read emails, look at the news, or start thinking about everything you need to get done, you are signaling danger to your brain. The brain responds with a higher cortisol surge which magnifies the glucose release.

This is why the first fifteen to twenty minutes of your day matter more than you think.

3. Late Night Eating

Eating too late at night is strongly linked with higher morning cortisol and higher morning glucose. When you eat late your digestive system and pancreas are still working when they should be resting. That shifts your cortisol rhythm and makes the morning spike more pronounced.

4. Chronic Stress and a Dysregulated Nervous System

If you have been under long-term stress, your cortisol cycle can become flattened or tilted. This means the awakening response is no longer smooth and predictable. It can be too high, too early, or too erratic. Blood sugar becomes elevated too early too often and you feel it as cravings, irritability, or inconsistent energy.

5. Inflammation or Illness

If your body is inflamed or fighting something off, whether it is menopause changes, chronic pain, immune system activity, or general inflammation, your adrenal system compensates by boosting morning cortisol. This leads to a bigger glucose release from the liver.

6. The Dawn Phenomenon

People with prediabetes often experience an amplified dawn phenomenon, which is a rise in blood sugar between two and eight a.m. This is caused by hormones like glucagon, cortisol, growth hormone, and catecholamines. These hormones stimulate the liver to release glucose before you wake up.

The twist is that for many people the real driver is not just the dawn phenomenon. It is stress interacting with the dawn phenomenon. That creates a perfect storm for elevated morning glucose.

The good news is that you can interrupt this pattern very quickly.

😌 How to Calm the Cortisol Awakening Response and Lower Morning Blood Sugar

You do not need to get rid of stress entirely. You need to interrupt the physiology of stress. The first hour after waking is the most important window because this is when your nervous system is most sensitive. And the great news is that it does not take long to shift things.

Here are three fast, science-backed stress antidotes that directly calm the nervous system and lower cortisol, which then helps stabilize glucose within minutes.

Stress Antidote 1: The Physiological Sigh

This is one of the fastest and most effective ways to calm your nervous system. It is used in sleep clinics, anxiety treatment, and sports performance.

How to do it:

• Inhale through your nose

• Take a second, slightly deeper inhale at the top

• Exhale slowly through your mouth

Repeat two or three times.

This lowers sympathetic activity and stabilizes your cortisol rhythm almost immediately. It sends a clear message to your stress system that the morning is safe. Try to do this before checking your phone or talking to anyone. It creates a grounded baseline for the day.

Stress Antidote 2: The Hand Warming Technique

When you are stressed your body shifts into fight or flight. One of the first things that happens is vasoconstriction. Blood vessels narrow and warm blood is pulled inward to protect your core. This is why your hands get cold when you are stressed.

Warming your hands sends the opposite message. It tells your brain that you are safe and no threat is present. This quickly reduces sympathetic output and lowers cortisol.

How to do it:

• Rub your hands together for ten to fifteen seconds

• Place your warmed hands over your cheeks or eyes

Or you can wrap your hands around a warm mug, a heating pad, or a pocket hand warmer. Within twenty to thirty seconds most people feel a shift into calm.

This technique is used in biofeedback therapy for anxiety, migraines, and chronic stress. It is simple and surprisingly effective.

Stress Antidote 3: The Visual Horizon Technique

This one surprises people, but it works instantly. Humans feel safer when we can see distance. When your visual field is narrow your brain interprets that as potential threat. When your visual field is wide your brain interprets that as safety.

How to do it:

• Look out a window

• Let your eyes rest on something far away

• Keep your gaze soft and relaxed

This reduces amygdala activity and lowers cortisol output. It takes less than fifteen seconds but creates a strong calming signal for your nervous system. It is especially helpful if you wake up feeling rushed or mentally overwhelmed.

⭐️ Bonus Behaviors That Reduce Morning Spikes Even More

These small habits make a big difference when combined with the stress antidotes above.

Give yourself ten minutes before checking your phone. Your brain needs a calm ramp-up, not an ambush of stimulation.

Eat protein soon after waking if you are hungry. This stabilizes glucose and helps prevent a mid-morning crash or sugar craving cycle.

Get sunlight within the first hour. This anchors your circadian rhythm and regulates cortisol patterns.

Move gently for two or three minutes. This does not need to be a workout. A few squats, a small walk around the house, or activating your larger muscle groups can help pull glucose out of your bloodstream.

These tiny steps support your morning physiology and keep your glucose steadier throughout the day.

📌 Final Thoughts

If you are waking up with high blood sugar even when your diet is on point, the problem may not be food at all. It may be stress physiology, disrupted sleep, or a nervous system that is stuck in overdrive.

The good news is that your body responds quickly when you give it the right signals. A few minutes of intentional breathing, warming your hands, looking out a window, eating protein early, and getting natural light can transform your morning numbers faster than most people expect.

Your morning glucose does not have to be a mystery. With the right tools and a little consistency, you can calm your cortisol awakening response, reduce fasting glucose, and set yourself up for more steady energy all day long.

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Blood Sugar Bringing You Down?

If you’re dealing with prediabetes, insulin resistance, or stubborn weight, you don’t need a complicated diet — you need a simple plan that delivers fast wins. Sign up for my FREE 7-day mini course, the Blood Sugar Balance Blueprint. You’ll get a clear, step-by-step plan to calm blood sugar, reduce cravings, and boost your energy quickly. Learn more