Gestational Diabetes Bedtime Snack Guide to Lower Fasting Blood Sugar
- Erica Ingraham, MS, RDN
- Mar 31
- 6 min read
Do you have Gestational Diabetes and struggle with high fasting blood sugar?
You are not alone, and it's not your fault!
Because of pregnancy hormones, high fasting blood sugar is common with Gestational Diabetes.
A bedtime snack is one strategy to help lower fasting blood sugar.
In this post you will learn what causes high fasting blood sugar, how to build a balanced bedtime snack, and 12 snacks that have helped others with Gestational Diabetes lower their fasting blood sugar.
What is Fasting Blood Sugar?
Fasting blood sugar is your baseline blood sugar. It measures the glucose in your blood when you haven't eaten for eight hours or more. Your fasting number is greatly impacted by hormones.
When Are Fasting Numbers Too High?
According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), the fasting blood sugar target in pregnancy is <95 mg/dL (<5.3mmol/L).
Some healthcare providers prefer fasting to be under 90mg/dL (5mmol/L).
Remember that if your blood sugar is high, it’s simply a sign that you need some supportive tools during your pregnancy. Your blood sugar does NOT define you as a parent!
You didn’t fail your baby and you can still have a healthy pregnancy with the right tools and support.
What Causes High Fasting Blood Sugar?
There are a number of factors that impact fasting blood sugar.
The Placenta
Placental hormones cause insulin resistance to help your baby grow. Insulin resistance ensures your cells don’t absorb all the nutrients from your food so there is enough for your baby. With Gestational Diabetes there is a lot of insulin resistance and often not enough insulin secretion which can lead to high blood sugar.
Morning Hormones
Other hormones including cortisol rise in the early morning, causing more insulin resistance. As part of your natural sleep cycle, cortisol tells your liver to release sugar into your blood to help you wake up. Placental hormones combined morning cortisol can add up to a lot of insulin resistance and can cause high fasting blood sugar.
The Liver
Your liver has a storage unit of sugar. Overnight your liver drips out stored glucose into your blood so that vital organs like your brain, heart, and placenta have a steady supply of energy while you’re asleep. With Gestational Diabetes, the liver doesn’t respond well to insulin due to a high level of insulin resistance, so it may release too much stored sugar by the morning.
Nutrition and Lifestyle
Meal timing, the balance of nutrients at meals and snacks, hydration, nutrient deficiencies, physical activity, stress, and sleep can also affect fasting levels.
What is a Bedtime Snack?
A snack that you eat before you go to sleep.
Why is a Bedtime Snack Often Recommended?
A strategic bedtime snack may help stabilize blood sugar overnight. Essential organs like your placenta, brain, heart, and lungs need a steady supply of energy even while you sleep.
Your liver can provide glucose from its storage unit, but since it doesn't respond well to insulin it might release too much sugar into the blood overnight.
For example, if you go too long without eating between dinner and breakfast, your liver senses that there may not be a steady supply of energy for your baby and will respond by dumping glucose into your blood.
A bedtime snack gives your body some fuel to use overnight which may prevent your liver from dumping too much stored sugar into your blood while you sleep.
When Should I Eat My Bedtime Snack?
Most providers recommend going no longer than 8-10 hours between your bedtime snack and first bite of breakfast. Going longer than this time frame may cause your liver to dump glucose into your blood which can raise fasting blood sugar.
What is a Good Bedtime Snack for Gestational Diabetes?
There is not a one-size-fits-all when it comes to a bedtime snack, but protein is a key ingredient.
Protein provides a sustained source of energy which helps prevent high blood sugar.
Fat and fiber are also helpful to include because like protein, they slow down digestion.
A low carb snack with less than 15 grams of carb works best for some.
A medium carb snack with 15-20 grams of carb works better for others.
Finding the right bedtime snack may take some trial and error because we all have different carb tolerances.
The key is tuning into what works for you. If your fasting blood sugar is high after trying a medium carb snack, you may want to try a low carb snack to see if that changes your number.
12 Gestational Diabetes Bedtime Snack Ideas
Yasso Bar and Cheese Stick
These Greek yogurt bars are higher in protein and lower in carb than many other frozen bars. Option to pair with a cheese stick to boost the protein.
This bar has a mix of protein, fat, and fiber
1oz Dark Chocolate and a Handful of Almonds
In addition to protein, fat, and fiber, this pairing is rich in magnesium, a mineral that helps insulin work better.
Greek Yogurt with Peanut Butter and Berries
Greek yogurt is rich in protein, the peanut butter offers protein, fat and fiber, and the berries provide fiber.
Protein Shake
Enjoy over ice or warm it up for “hot chocolate.” Some brands that have worked well for others with Gestational Diabetes are the low-carb options from OWYN, Premiere Protein, Fairlife, and Orgain.
Popcorn and a Cheese Stick
Popcorn is a high-fiber carb which means it digests more slowly than high sugar carbs. Pair with a string cheese for protein.
Olives and Cheese
Olives are a good source of unsaturated fats which may help improve insulin sensitivity. Cheese provides some protein.
Apple and Peanut Butter
Keep the skin on to get more fiber and pair with peanut butter for protein.
Edamame
This snack is rich in fiber, protein, and magnesium, all blood-sugar friendly ingredients.
Cottage Cheese and 1/2 Cup Berries
The protein in cottage cheese combined with the fiber in berries may help keep levels steady.
Hard Boiled Egg with Salt
Eggs are a rich source of protein and one of the few food sources of vitamin D, which helps regulate blood sugar.
Crackers and Cheese
Some crackers that have worked for others with Gestational Diabetes include whole grain, almond flour, and low-carb crackers.
What if My Fasting Blood Sugar is Still High After Trying a Bedtime Snack?
Finding the bedtime snack that works best for you may take some trial and error because we all have different hormone responses and carb tolerances.
Sometimes a snack works for a few weeks and then as your pregnancy progresses you need a different one for better results.
A Registered Dietitian can give specific snack guidance unique to you to help save time and avoid frustration while troubleshooting.
There are also times when a bedtime snack is not enough to bring down fasting on its own.
If this is the case for you, remember that this is not a sign of failure!
Starting around 16 weeks, your baby and placenta are growing quickly and more insulin resistance is added each week.
This means other tools besides a bedtime snack are often needed to manage blood sugar as you get further along in your pregnancy.
What Else Can I Try to Lower My Fasting Blood Sugar?
Fasting blood sugar can be influenced by many factors like
timing of meals and snacks during the day
balance of carbs through the day
certain nutrient deficiencies
hydration
physical activity
sleep
stress
Making strategic adjustments in these areas may help your fasting.
Final Thoughts
High fasting blood sugar is common with Gestational Diabetes and a bedtime snack is one strategy to help lower morning numbers.
Finding the right bedtime snack may take some trial and error because we all have different carb tolerances. Protein, fat, and fiber are helpful ingredients to include because they help keep blood sugar steady.
Some people are able to lower their fasting blood sugar with a low carb snack, and for others a medium carb snack works better.
Sometimes a bedtime snack is not enough to bring down fasting blood sugar on its own. If this happens to you, remember that it's not a sign of failure!
It is simply a sign that more tools are needed to get your fasting number within range.
Because a bedtime snack is just one strategy to lower morning blood sugar, I created a full Gestational Diabetes Guide to Lower Fasting Blood Sugar.
So that you get the most evidence-based and effective nutrition and lifestyle strategies to lower fasting blood sugar in one easy-to-follow guide.
In this guide you will learn:
how to strategically time and balance meals and snacks to get the best chance of a low fasting blood sugar.
what supplements can help lower fasting blood sugar and the safe doses for pregnancy.
physical activity, sleep, and stress reduction strategies to help prevent a spike before it starts.
PLUS a list of Gestational Diabetes-friendly food products and 50+ easy bedtime snacks to help satisfy your cravings.
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