The fastest way to raise your blood sugar is to eat 15 grams of fast-acting carbohydrates, such as glucose tablets, half a cup of juice, or a tablespoon of honey. If your blood sugar is below 70 mg/dL, this is the standard first step. What you do after that initial boost matters just as much, because without a follow-up snack, your levels can drop right back down.
The 15-15 Rule
The CDC recommends a straightforward approach called the 15-15 rule: eat 15 grams of fast-acting carbs, wait 15 minutes, then check your blood sugar again. If it’s still under 70 mg/dL, repeat. Keep cycling through until you’re back in your target range. Once you’re there, eat a balanced snack or small meal that includes both protein and carbohydrates to keep your levels stable.
For young children, especially infants and toddlers, 15 grams may be too much. Their dose should be adjusted based on age and size.
Best Fast-Acting Foods and Portions
Not all sugary foods work equally well. Pure glucose enters your bloodstream faster than other types of sugar. A pooled analysis of clinical studies found that glucose tablets relieved hypoglycemia symptoms more effectively at the 15-minute mark than other dietary sugars like fructose, sucrose, orange juice, jelly beans, or milk. If glucose tablets are available, they’re your best first option.
Each of these provides roughly 15 grams of fast-acting carbohydrates:
- 3 to 4 glucose tablets
- ½ cup of fruit juice or regular soda (not diet)
- 1 tablespoon of sugar or honey
- 1 tube of glucose gel
Glucose gels and pre-measured liquid glucose products are especially useful because there’s no guesswork about the dose. Many come in single-serve pouches with exactly 15 grams. Keep a few in your bag, car, or nightstand so you’re never caught without them.
One important note: regardless of which fast-acting source you use, your body still needs time to absorb it. Don’t expect instant relief. Give it the full 15 minutes before rechecking or eating more.
Preventing a Secondary Drop
Fast-acting sugar raises your blood glucose quickly, but the effect is short-lived. Without a follow-up, your levels can slide back down within an hour or two. Within 15 to 30 minutes of getting your blood sugar back into range, eat a more substantial snack or meal that combines complex carbohydrates with protein.
Good follow-up snack combinations include:
- Cheese and crackers
- Toast with peanut butter
- Fruit with cottage cheese or Greek yogurt
- Pretzels or vegetables with hummus
- A protein bar with a piece of fruit
Protein slows the digestion of carbohydrates, which prevents the sharp spike and crash cycle. Think of the fast-acting sugar as a rescue, and the follow-up snack as the thing that actually keeps you stable.
Recognizing the Warning Signs
Your body sends two waves of symptoms when blood sugar drops. The first wave is driven by your nervous system’s stress response: sweating, a racing heart, shaking hands, anxiety, and sudden intense hunger. These early warning signs typically appear before things get serious, giving you a window to act.
If blood sugar continues to fall, the brain itself starts running low on fuel. That second wave looks different: confusion, difficulty concentrating, irritability, and in severe cases, slurred speech or loss of coordination. These cognitive symptoms signal a more urgent situation. The early physical symptoms are your alarm system, so treat them promptly and you’ll generally avoid the scarier second stage.
What to Do in a Severe Episode
If someone with low blood sugar loses consciousness or has a seizure, do not try to give them food or drink. They could choke. This is when emergency glucagon is needed. Glucagon is a hormone that triggers the liver to release stored sugar into the bloodstream, and it’s available as a nasal spray that doesn’t require any injection. You administer one spray into a nostril. If there’s no response after 15 minutes, a second dose can be given. Call emergency services immediately.
If you take insulin or medications that can cause low blood sugar, having a glucagon kit at home and making sure the people around you know where it is and how to use it can be lifesaving.
Raising Blood Sugar Before and During Exercise
Physical activity pulls glucose out of your blood and into working muscles, which can trigger a drop during or after a workout. The American Diabetes Association recommends eating about 15 grams of carbohydrates before exercise if your blood sugar is under 100 mg/dL. For sustained activity, plan on 5 to 15 additional grams of carbs for every 30 minutes, depending on the intensity.
Check your levels before you start, and keep fast-acting carbs within reach during the workout. Post-exercise drops can also happen hours later, so monitoring afterward matters too.
If You Don’t Have Diabetes
Low blood sugar isn’t exclusive to people on insulin. Reactive hypoglycemia causes blood sugar to dip a few hours after eating, typically after a meal heavy in refined carbohydrates. If you experience shaking, lightheadedness, or sudden fatigue between meals on a regular basis, your eating pattern may be the issue.
The core strategy is to prevent sharp spikes that lead to sharp crashes. Pair every carbohydrate with protein and healthy fat. Nuts are an ideal example because they contain all three in a single food. Beans, eggs, Greek yogurt, cheese, lean meats, and tofu all work well as protein sources alongside complex carbs like whole grains, vegetables, and legumes.
Eating smaller meals or snacks every two to four hours, rather than going long stretches without food, keeps your blood sugar more consistent throughout the day. The goal shifts from reacting to lows to preventing them from happening in the first place.