Which statement best describes the Somogyi effect?

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Multiple Choice

Which statement best describes the Somogyi effect?

Somogyi effect is a pattern of nocturnal hypoglycemia followed by rebound hyperglycemia in the morning. When overnight insulin is too high, glucose can drop around 2–3 a.m., which triggers a surge of counterregulatory hormones (epinephrine, cortisol, growth hormone) that raise blood glucose by morning. That’s why the best approach described is to reduce or omit bedtime insulin and recheck overnight glucose to prevent the overnight dip. This distinguishes Somogyi from the dawn phenomenon, where morning hyperglycemia arises from a natural rise in hormones overnight without preceding hypoglycemia; the dawn pattern is managed by adjusting evening or bedtime insulin to blunt the early morning rise rather than by reducing overnight insulin.

Somogyi effect is a pattern of nocturnal hypoglycemia followed by rebound hyperglycemia in the morning. When overnight insulin is too high, glucose can drop around 2–3 a.m., which triggers a surge of counterregulatory hormones (epinephrine, cortisol, growth hormone) that raise blood glucose by morning. That’s why the best approach described is to reduce or omit bedtime insulin and recheck overnight glucose to prevent the overnight dip. This distinguishes Somogyi from the dawn phenomenon, where morning hyperglycemia arises from a natural rise in hormones overnight without preceding hypoglycemia; the dawn pattern is managed by adjusting evening or bedtime insulin to blunt the early morning rise rather than by reducing overnight insulin.

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