When your blood sugar drops below 70 mg/dL, you need 15 grams of fast-acting carbohydrates, something your body can convert to glucose quickly. The goal is speed: you want sugar that hits your bloodstream in minutes, not foods that take a long time to digest. Once you’ve treated the immediate drop, a follow-up snack with protein keeps your levels from crashing again.
The 15-15 Rule
The standard approach to treating low blood sugar is simple: eat 15 grams of fast-acting carbohydrate, then wait 15 minutes. If you still feel shaky or your meter still reads below 70 mg/dL, eat another 15 grams and wait again. Each of these counts as roughly 15 grams:
- Glucose tablets: 3 to 4 tablets (check the label, as brands vary)
- Fruit juice: about 4 ounces (half a cup)
- Regular soda: about 4 ounces (not diet)
- Hard candies: 4 to 5 pieces, depending on size
- Honey or table sugar: about 1 tablespoon
- Glucose gel: one tube
Glucose tablets are the most reliable option because they contain a precise amount of sugar and nothing else to slow absorption. Juice and regular soda work well too. The key is choosing something that’s almost pure simple carbohydrate.
Why Certain Foods Don’t Work
When your blood sugar is actively low, reaching for a candy bar, peanut butter, or a handful of nuts feels intuitive but actually delays your recovery. Fat slows down the digestive process, creating a delayed rise in blood sugar rather than the quick spike you need. Fiber does the same thing: it slows the breakdown of carbohydrates and delays their absorption into the blood. Protein also puts the brakes on digestion.
So a chocolate bar (high in fat), whole grain crackers (high in fiber), or cheese and crackers (protein and fat together) will all take significantly longer to bring your levels back up. Save those foods for after you’ve treated the low. In the moment, you want the simplest, fastest-digesting carbohydrate you can find.
What to Eat After Your Levels Come Back Up
Once your blood sugar is back above 70 mg/dL, the fast-acting sugar you just ate will burn through quickly. Without a follow-up, you risk dropping again within an hour or two. Within about 15 to 30 minutes of treating the low, eat a balanced snack or a full meal if one is due. This is where protein and fat become your allies: they slow digestion and help keep your blood sugar steady over the next few hours.
Good follow-up snacks include:
- Crackers with peanut butter or another nut butter
- A small sandwich with lean meat or hummus
- Cheese and whole grain crackers
- Yogurt with a piece of fruit
- A handful of nuts with a banana
- Cottage cheese with fruit
The combination of a carbohydrate source and a protein source is what gives this snack staying power. Aim for about 15 to 30 grams of carbohydrate alongside a serving of protein.
Preventing Overnight Lows
Blood sugar drops that happen while you sleep are particularly concerning because you can’t feel the warning signs. If your blood sugar is below 130 mg/dL at bedtime, a snack that combines carbohydrate, protein, and a small amount of fat works best to prevent overnight drops.
Effective bedtime snacks include a bowl of cereal with milk, a small bagel with nut butter, hummus with half a pita, or a few graham cracker squares with yogurt. These combinations provide 15 to 20 grams of carbohydrate alongside enough protein and fat to slow digestion through the night, giving you a more gradual, sustained release of glucose while you sleep.
Understanding How Low Is “Low”
Not all lows are the same. A blood sugar between 54 and 69 mg/dL is considered a mild low. You’ll likely feel shaky, sweaty, irritable, or lightheaded, but you can treat it yourself with food. Below 54 mg/dL is a more serious drop that needs faster attention and may require repeated doses of fast-acting carbohydrate.
A severe low is defined not by a specific number but by what’s happening to you: confusion, inability to eat or drink safely, loss of consciousness, or seizures. At that point, oral treatment isn’t safe. Someone nearby would need to administer glucagon, a hormone that forces the liver to release stored sugar. If you take insulin or medications that can cause lows, having a glucagon kit accessible and making sure someone in your household knows how to use it is a practical safety measure.
A Note on Certain Diabetes Medications
If you take a type of diabetes medication that works by blocking the enzymes that break down complex carbohydrates in your gut, regular table sugar and juice may not raise your blood sugar as expected. These medications prevent your body from converting sucrose (table sugar) into glucose efficiently. In that case, you need pure glucose: glucose tablets or glucose gel. These bypass the enzyme step entirely and absorb directly. If you’re unsure whether your medication falls into this category, your pharmacist can tell you quickly.