Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsBlood Sugar Spike SymptomsCausesManagementPreventionKetoacidosis: Dangerously High Blood SugarWhat Are the Long-Term Effects of Blood Sugar Spikes?Frequently Asked Questions

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Blood Sugar Spike Symptoms

Causes

Management

Prevention

Ketoacidosis: Dangerously High Blood Sugar

What Are the Long-Term Effects of Blood Sugar Spikes?

Frequently Asked Questions

Blood sugar spikes are sharp rises in blood sugar levels. They can happen due to a variety of factors, but often occur when you eat too manysimple carbohydrates. You might notice symptoms like increased thirst, headache, and blurry vision.

The best way to manage them is to control yourblood sugar (glucose)levels well. This includes taking your diabetes medications as prescribed and keeping healthy lifestyle habits such as eating on a regular schedule, getting plenty of sleep, and being physically active.

Verywell / Laura Porter

Blood Sugar Management - Illustration by Laura Porter

Some people can feel ablood sugar spikewhen it happens. It typically occurs within an hour or two of eating. High blood sugar (hyperglycemia) can cause varying symptoms, including:

The length of blood sugar spikes can vary greatly from person to person and even meal to meal. In general, spikes tend to occur within one to two hours after beginning a meal, depending on what you ate, and can last anywhere from several minutes to several hours.

Sometimes, the symptoms are subtle and go unnoticed, but you feel them when the spike resolves and your blood sugar drops. This can cause low blood sugar symptoms such as:

Learning to recognize your individual symptoms can help minimize any damage to your body and keep your blood sugar in control.

If you havediabetesor prediabetes, the best way to identify patterns is totest your blood glucosewhen you experience these symptoms.

If youdo not have diabetesand have signs of high blood sugar, talk to your healthcare provider about being evaluated for diabetes.

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Illustrated human body with arrows outlining common symptoms of hyperglycemia. Text on image reads: Hyperglycemia: Common Symptoms: fatigue; blurry vision; excessive thirst; fruity breath; increased hunger; nausea and vomiting; increased urination.

If you have diabetes, you are at a higher risk of having a spike than people without diabetes. Eating foods high in simple carbohydrates, like desserts, sugar-sweetened beverages, and refined-grain pasta and bread, is the main cause of blood sugar spikes.

However, there are additional causes for high blood sugar levels, such as:

Why Do I Crave Sugar?

How to Manage Blood Sugar

Self-management of blood sugar levels is a key component of diabetes care. Being able to identify high and low blood sugar levels and knowing how to treat them is critical if you have diabetes. Below are some tips on how you can properly manage your blood sugar levels.

Proper Hydration

Staying hydrated is important even if you don’t have diabetes. Water makes up most of the body and plays a role in many different body functions. From digestion and absorption of nutrients to lubricating joints and maintaining your body temperature, water is vital to life.

In people with diabetes, dehydration can cause blood sugar levels to become more concentrated, spiking blood sugar levels.

Drinking water throughout the day will provide you with most of your daily fluid needs. Water from foods, such as fruits and vegetables, also adds to your daily water intake. Opt for water over sugar-sweetened beverages, such as soft drinks, flavored coffee beverages, juice, sports drinks, sweet tea, and others.

Meal Timing

When you eat can be just as important as what you eat when managing blood sugar levels. Being consistent with meal timing can help prevent blood sugar swings. Have a regular eating schedule where you eat the same amount of meals and snacks around the same time each day.

This might look like three regular meals with two to three snacks in between, or it might be five to six smaller meals throughout the day. Choose what works best for you and stick with it.

High Blood Sugar at Night and What to Do About It

Relaxation Techniques

Circulatingstress hormones can raise blood sugar levels, so learning techniques to help you relax and de-stress may help reduce blood sugar levels. What is relaxing for one person may make someone else more stressed. Explore different techniques and methods to help manage your stress. Find what works for you.

Some examples include:

Better Sleep

Getting enoughquality sleepeach night can help reduce stress hormones and reduce the risk of obesity.Aim for seven to nine hours of sleep each night along with regular sleep and wake times which will help to regulate your circadian rhythm.

Consider these additional tips for getting better sleep:

Physical Activity

Physical activitycan increase insulin sensitivity, helping it work better to decrease blood sugar levels. Aim for 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week.

Medication

Medication can help you manage your diabetes and keep your blood sugar levels from spiking. There are two main types of diabetes medications:oral (pills) and injectable.

What medication you take will depend on various factors, such as the type of diabetes you have, your personal health history, current diabetes management, and other medications you may also be taking. Try not to skip any doses of your medication and never stop taking it without consulting your doctor first.

How to Prevent Blood Sugar Spikes

There are additional ways to prevent blood sugar spikes.

Is Sugar Bad for You?

If your blood sugar levels remain high for too long, glucose will remain trapped in your bloodstream, leaving your cells starved for energy.

In people with diabetes who don’t make any insulin or whose insulin isn’t working properly, ketone levels can rapidly rise to dangerous levels. When ketone levels get too high in people with diabetes, the blood can become overly acidic, and they can developdiabetic ketoacidosis(DKA).

Symptoms of Diabetic Ketoacidosis

Call 911 or seek medical attention immediately if you experience any signs or symptoms of DKA, such as:

The occasional spike should not cause any issues in the short term. However, frequent ones are associated with diabetes complications.

High blood sugars can cause damage to both large (macrovascular) and small (microvascular) blood vessels. This can lead to:

Even people without known diabetes or prediabetes can experience spikes. In one study, 15% of nondiabetics had blood sugar increases that exceeded the healthy range.Over time, this may lead to a diagnosis of prediabetes or diabetes along with complications.

Summary

It is normal and natural for blood sugar levels to fluctuate throughout the day. However, blood sugar spikes are higher than normal rises and can lead to complications over time.

Knowing your individual symptoms of high blood sugar levels and regularly monitoring your blood sugar levels if you have diabetes can help you identify spikes.

Managing your diabetes at home is a critical part of prevention. Also, work with your healthcare team to create a diabetes treatment plan that works for you.

However, any reading that is noticeably above your usual blood sugar level range would be considered a spike for you.

While the main cause of blood sugar spikes tends to be carbohydrates you have consumed, there are other non-food factors that can cause high blood glucose levels.These include not taking enough medication (oral or injectable), needing changes to your medication dosage, illness, infection, having an injury or recent surgery, stress, taking certain medications, such as steroids, dehydration, the Somogyi effect, and the dawn phenomenon.Learn MoreCan Stress Cause High Blood Sugar?

While the main cause of blood sugar spikes tends to be carbohydrates you have consumed, there are other non-food factors that can cause high blood glucose levels.These include not taking enough medication (oral or injectable), needing changes to your medication dosage, illness, infection, having an injury or recent surgery, stress, taking certain medications, such as steroids, dehydration, the Somogyi effect, and the dawn phenomenon.

While the main cause of blood sugar spikes tends to be carbohydrates you have consumed, there are other non-food factors that can cause high blood glucose levels.

These include not taking enough medication (oral or injectable), needing changes to your medication dosage, illness, infection, having an injury or recent surgery, stress, taking certain medications, such as steroids, dehydration, the Somogyi effect, and the dawn phenomenon.

Learn MoreCan Stress Cause High Blood Sugar?

The first step in managing high morning blood sugar levels is determining the cause. Checking your blood sugar level at bedtime, in the middle of the night, and first thing in the morning can help you identify trends in your blood glucose levels leading up to the morning high.Adjusting your medication (after consulting with your healthcare provider), changing the amount or type of food eaten at dinner or bedtime snacks, or going on a walk after dinner can all make a difference in morning blood sugar levels.

The first step in managing high morning blood sugar levels is determining the cause. Checking your blood sugar level at bedtime, in the middle of the night, and first thing in the morning can help you identify trends in your blood glucose levels leading up to the morning high.

Adjusting your medication (after consulting with your healthcare provider), changing the amount or type of food eaten at dinner or bedtime snacks, or going on a walk after dinner can all make a difference in morning blood sugar levels.

11 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Hyperglycemia.U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Hypoglycemia.American Diabetes Association.High morning blood glucose.Cappuccio FP, Miller MA.Sleep and cardio-metabolic disease.Curr Cardiol Rep. 2017;19(11):110. doi:10.1007/s11886-017-0916-0Depner CM, Stothard ER, Wright KP Jr.Metabolic consequences of sleep and circadian disorders.Curr Diab Rep. 2014;14(7):507. doi:10.1007/s11892-014-0507-zCenters for Disease Control and Prevention.Diabetes: get active.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Fiber: the carb that helps you manage diabetes.U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Diabetic ketoacidosis.Jyotsna F, Ahmed A, Kumar K, et al.Exploring the complex connection between diabetes and cardiovascular disease: analyzing approaches to mitigate cardiovascular risk in patients with diabetes.Cureus. 2023;15(8):e43882. doi:10.7759/cureus.43882Hall H, Perelman D, Breschi A, et al.Glucotypes reveal new patterns of glucose dysregulation.PLoS Biol. 2018;16(7):e2005143. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.2005143American Diabetes Association.The big picture: checking your blood sugar.

11 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Hyperglycemia.U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Hypoglycemia.American Diabetes Association.High morning blood glucose.Cappuccio FP, Miller MA.Sleep and cardio-metabolic disease.Curr Cardiol Rep. 2017;19(11):110. doi:10.1007/s11886-017-0916-0Depner CM, Stothard ER, Wright KP Jr.Metabolic consequences of sleep and circadian disorders.Curr Diab Rep. 2014;14(7):507. doi:10.1007/s11892-014-0507-zCenters for Disease Control and Prevention.Diabetes: get active.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Fiber: the carb that helps you manage diabetes.U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Diabetic ketoacidosis.Jyotsna F, Ahmed A, Kumar K, et al.Exploring the complex connection between diabetes and cardiovascular disease: analyzing approaches to mitigate cardiovascular risk in patients with diabetes.Cureus. 2023;15(8):e43882. doi:10.7759/cureus.43882Hall H, Perelman D, Breschi A, et al.Glucotypes reveal new patterns of glucose dysregulation.PLoS Biol. 2018;16(7):e2005143. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.2005143American Diabetes Association.The big picture: checking your blood sugar.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Hyperglycemia.U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Hypoglycemia.American Diabetes Association.High morning blood glucose.Cappuccio FP, Miller MA.Sleep and cardio-metabolic disease.Curr Cardiol Rep. 2017;19(11):110. doi:10.1007/s11886-017-0916-0Depner CM, Stothard ER, Wright KP Jr.Metabolic consequences of sleep and circadian disorders.Curr Diab Rep. 2014;14(7):507. doi:10.1007/s11892-014-0507-zCenters for Disease Control and Prevention.Diabetes: get active.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Fiber: the carb that helps you manage diabetes.U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Diabetic ketoacidosis.Jyotsna F, Ahmed A, Kumar K, et al.Exploring the complex connection between diabetes and cardiovascular disease: analyzing approaches to mitigate cardiovascular risk in patients with diabetes.Cureus. 2023;15(8):e43882. doi:10.7759/cureus.43882Hall H, Perelman D, Breschi A, et al.Glucotypes reveal new patterns of glucose dysregulation.PLoS Biol. 2018;16(7):e2005143. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.2005143American Diabetes Association.The big picture: checking your blood sugar.

U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Hyperglycemia.

U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Hypoglycemia.

American Diabetes Association.High morning blood glucose.

Cappuccio FP, Miller MA.Sleep and cardio-metabolic disease.Curr Cardiol Rep. 2017;19(11):110. doi:10.1007/s11886-017-0916-0

Depner CM, Stothard ER, Wright KP Jr.Metabolic consequences of sleep and circadian disorders.Curr Diab Rep. 2014;14(7):507. doi:10.1007/s11892-014-0507-z

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Diabetes: get active.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Fiber: the carb that helps you manage diabetes.

U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Diabetic ketoacidosis.

Jyotsna F, Ahmed A, Kumar K, et al.Exploring the complex connection between diabetes and cardiovascular disease: analyzing approaches to mitigate cardiovascular risk in patients with diabetes.Cureus. 2023;15(8):e43882. doi:10.7759/cureus.43882

Hall H, Perelman D, Breschi A, et al.Glucotypes reveal new patterns of glucose dysregulation.PLoS Biol. 2018;16(7):e2005143. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.2005143

American Diabetes Association.The big picture: checking your blood sugar.

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