The Somogyi effect is caused by nighttime hypoglycemia, which leads to a rebound hyperglycemia in the early morning hours. When blood glucose drops during sleep, hormones are released which trigger the liver to release glucose. This results in a high-fasting glucose reading the next morning.
The Somogyi effect is a result of having extra insulin the body before bedtime, either from not having a bedtime snack, or from long-acting insulins. The Somogyi effect occurs mainly in type 1 diabetes.
It is similar to the dawn phenomenon in that both lead to high morning blood glucose readings as a result of a hormone release that causes the liver to release glucose into the blood. The difference is that dawn phenomenon is not caused by hypoglycemia, but by a random release of the triggering hormones.
Michael Somogyi, Ph.D., was a Hungarian biochemist, who is credited with discovering the chain of events that results in rebound morning hyperglycemia
For an indepth look at the Somogyi effect, read more...
Source:
Phipps, PhD, RN, FAAN, Wilma. Medical-Surgical Nursing. 5th. St. Louis MO: Mosby - Year Book, Inc., 1995.
