What is feet on the floor syndrome?
Hormone levels fluctuate throughout the day in all of us. In the morning, the body’s full of wake-me-up hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. These drive blood sugar up, which is a problem for many diabetics. You might need to inject insulin just for waking up.
Feet on the floor is what it sounds like. The moment you get out of bed, your blood sugar levels start rising. It’s better than the dawn phenomenon, a variant of the same thing where levels rise in the early morning hours before you wake up. At least with feet on the floor, you’re awake, so it’s easier to intercept with insulin.
It helps to eat breakfast, preferably something low carb with lots of fat and protein. Carbohydrates in the morning are unpredictable, and it’s easy to spike your blood sugar. I have a two-egg omelette with cheese, so zero carbs and 25 grams of protein. With this, I take 5u of regular insulin, two for the food, and three to counter the glucose shower from feet on the floor. The insulin: carbohydrate ratio is sluggish, but it’s what you should expect in the morning. It improves as you move around.
I always eat breakfast. The few times I didn’t, I noticed levels creeping up regardless of any insulin I took. In the morning, the first thing I do is check blood glucose and inject insulin. Then my feet hit the floor. Breakfast is, for me, the most important meal of the day.