How to Lower Blood Sugar Spikes and How Long It Takes To Come Down

Your blood sugar rises as your body breaks down the carbohydrates in your food into glucose, the body’s primary energy source. The type of food you eat plays a significant role in these changes, with refined sugars and processed carbohydrates often causing quicker, sharper spikes. 

Your body’s ability to clear excess sugar from the bloodstream depends on factors like insulin sensitivity and overall metabolic health. When blood sugar rises, the body is designed to bring levels down to a healthy level quickly. For people with diabetes, blood sugar spikes that persist can increase the risk of complications such as nerve damage, cardiovascular issues, and impaired kidney function.

The good news is that simple, effective strategies—such as regular physical activity, limiting refined sugar, and incorporating more fiber-rich foods—can help stabilize blood sugar levels. In this article, you’ll discover practical steps to lower blood sugar spikes to support your long-term metabolic health.

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Why Do Blood Sugar Levels Spike?

Your digestive system breaks down carbohydrates into simple sugar molecules called glucose, which are absorbed into your bloodstream. Food high in fiber and protein tends to be digested more slowly than others and will cause a gradual increase in your blood sugar.¹

Conversely, meals that are low in fiber and high in refined carbohydrates and sugars cause a rapid increase in sugar molecules in the bloodstream. This influx of glucose leads to a sugar spike (hyperglycemia).  

High blood sugar levels prompt the pancreas to release insulin, a hormone that clears glucose from the bloodstream and moves it into your cells. Glucose is used for immediate energy or stored in the liver, muscles, and fat tissues as energy reserves.

Blood sugar spikes are completely normal and can happen for a variety of reasons that could be related to food choices or other elements impacting your physical and mental health, including:

• Smoking: Smokers are 30% to 40% more likely to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes than non-smokers.²
• Oral Health: Gum disease can cause blood sugar levels to spike since the body’s immune system is heightened to fight pathogens.³
• Diet: Ultra-processed foods and added sugars are quickly digested and absorbed, leading to blood sugar spikes.
• Illness: Infections can increase blood sugar, as the body emits a stress response that allows it to recruit the proper immune cells.
• Recovering From Surgery: When the body is under stress, both from surgery and anesthesia, glucose levels can increase.
• Dehydration: When dehydrated, the bloodstream contains less fluid and more glucose, which can spike blood sugar levels.
• Certain Medications: Specific medications that increase glucose in the human body include diuretics (water pills), medications for depression, and blood pressure medications.
• Chronic Stress: Epinephrine, cortisol, growth hormone, and glucagon—the stress hormones—work together to release glucose into your bloodstream, among other changes. 

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How Long Does It Take to Lower a Blood Sugar Spike?

Blood sugar spikes can be accompanied by symptoms such as headaches and ringing in your ears (tinnitus), but many people don’t feel any symptoms at all.

The American Diabetes Association has found that people who live with diabetes and prediabetes take longer to bring high blood sugar levels back down to normal compared to people without diabetes.⁴

People Without Diabetes

If you do not have diabetes, your body’s insulin will naturally decrease blood sugar. Glucose levels usually return to normal within two hours after eating.⁵

Exercise can help reduce blood sugar faster, but it is normal for insulin to take two hours to complete its cycle and successfully move surplus sugar out of your bloodstream.

People With Prediabetes

Prediabetes is a condition marked by high blood sugar, but not levels high enough to be called diabetes. People with prediabetes have lost some ability to clear the sugar out of the bloodstream, though in most cases, blood sugar can be managed through lifestyle and diet modifications.

For individuals with prediabetes, how long it takes to bring down a blood sugar spike can vary widely based on:

• How much insulin their body can produce
• What kind of food they ate
• How much sugar they ate
• Muscle mass

Getting some exercise after eating, even a light stroll or some chores around the house, can help bring blood sugar down more quickly.

People With Type 2 Diabetes

People diagnosed with type 2 diabetes may still have some insulin, but the body no longer responds to insulin, so blood sugar remains high.⁶

Depending on the progression and severity of type 2 diabetes, insulin medication may be needed as part of the diabetes treatment to help bring blood sugar down. Blood sugar spikes treated with fast-acting insulin can normalize blood glucose numbers within 15 minutes.

Anyone diagnosed with diabetes or prediabetes should follow their doctor's diabetes management plan to avoid hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). People with Type 1 diabetes will have specific goals based on their individual care plan.

Dangerous Blood Sugar Levels: When Should You Worry?

While slight fluctuations are normal, persistently elevated blood sugar is your body’s warning sign of a problem. Unaddressed, high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) can increase the risk of diabetes-related damage to blood vessels surrounding your heart, kidneys, nerves, and eyes.

A fasting blood sugar level of 100 to 125 mg/dL indicates prediabetes, while 126 mg/dL or higher signals diabetes. 

9 Tips to Manage Your Blood Sugar Levels

Frequent blood sugar spikes can have unpleasant side effects, including fatigue, hunger, and moodiness. For people without diabetes, simple lifestyle changes are the best way to prevent blood sugar spikes from happening as often and reap the benefits of stable blood sugar.

Keep Track of Blood Sugar Levels

Tracking your glucose can help you discover irregularities in your body’s glucose processing, learn what causes your glucose to spike, and determine whether your glucose levels fall within the average range.

Cut Back on Carbohydrate Intake

Carbohydrates raise blood glucose levels more than other foods; however, a low-carb eating style may help stabilize and manage blood sugar. Before reducing carb intake, make sure to consult a healthcare professional or a dietitian to ensure this dietary style works well for your body.

Choose Carbohydrates That Are Good for Your Body

Choosing slow-carb foods and foods with a low glycemic index will have a delayed impact on your blood glucose. These foods are also rich in fiber, minerals, and nutrients and promote stable blood sugars and health overall.

Stay Within Your Moderate Weight Range

The ideal weight range varies among individuals, but a doctor can help guide your specific situation.

Studies note a link between obesity and type 2 diabetes. Research also highlights the relationship between obesity and insulin resistance. Oftentimes, losing between five and 10% of overall body weight can help those with excess weight improve their blood sugar levels.^{7, 8}

Manage Your Portion Sizes

Portion sizes also vary depending on your individual calorie needs, but as a general guideline, the US Department of Agriculture recommends building your plate using the following:⁹

• Half of your plate should include fruits and non-starchy vegetables
• Half your grain choices should be whole grains
• Dairy should be low-fat or fat-free
• Include protein with every meal

Exercise Regularly

Physical activity can help lower blood sugar and resolve spikes by improving insulin sensitivity. Your muscles rely on glucose for fuel, so the more you use them with regular exercise, the more fuel they will burn.

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Physical Activity Guidelines jointly recommend the following:^{10, 11}

• Exercise at a moderate intensity activity level for 30 minutes a day, five days a week, for a total of 150 minutes of exercise per week.
• Exercise at a vigorous intensity for a minimum of 20 minutes, three days per week, for 60 to 75 minutes per week.
• Do a combination of moderate and vigorous-intensity walking.

Stay Hydrated

Water plays a crucial role in maintaining the healthy function of many biological systems in the body, including those involved in blood sugar control. Water flushes our system, so it can help remove excess blood glucose.¹²

Increased water intake allows the kidneys to process and flush excess glucose through your urine, which ultimately helps prevent blood sugar levels from trending high. Drinking water can also help prevent overeating and proactively prevent blood sugar spikes.

Keep Stress Levels Under Control

The stress response floods your body with chemicals and hormones that increase blood sugar. This glucose surge into your bloodstream provides your muscles with enough energy to face or flee from your stressor. In the modern world, this response isn’t very helpful. Managing stress effectively can stabilize and even reduce blood pressure and blood sugar. Too much chronic stress can increase your risk of prediabetes and other serious health conditions.

Get Enough Sleep

Your brain does not shut down when you go to sleep. During sleep, the brain and body eliminate waste, release hormones, recharge cells, and work on learning and memory. Disrupted or insufficient sleep increases your risk of insulin resistance, prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, obesity, high blood pressure, abnormal blood lipids, and heart disease.

Even one night of sleep deprivation can increase insulin resistance and the risk of developing prediabetes. Aim for 7 to 8 hours of restful sleep each night.¹³

Blood Sugar Spikes: When to See a Doctor

Speak to your healthcare provider to determine your blood sugar goals, especially if you are living with prediabetes or diabetes.

General guidelines for seeking diabetes care are as follows:

• 140 mg/dL is considered hyperglycemic
• 180 mg/dL is considered high
• 240 mg/dL is life-threatening and could put the individual at risk for diabetes ketoacidosis (DKA)
• 600 mg/dL or higher can cause potentially fatal hyperglycemic hyperosmolar syndrome (HHS)

If you experience any of the below symptoms, you should call 911 or go directly to an emergency room for assistance:

• Hyperglycemia and high ketone levels
• Sustained high blood glucose levels
• DKA or SHA symptoms
• Two high blood glucose values of 300 mg/dL or higher
• Blood glucose levels above 180 mg/dL (or target range) over one week

Contact your medical provider if you have any of the following symptoms, as they can indicate diabetes:

• Ongoing elevated blood glucose
• Frequently urinating
• Increased thirst

Main Takeaways

Without a diagnosis of prediabetes or diabetes, it should take one to two hours for a blood sugar spike to come down. You can opt for a walk or a workout to accelerate the process. People with prediabetes or diabetes may not have enough insulin to lower blood sugar, or the body isn’t responding to insulin as it should, causing health problems if not addressed.

A continuous glucose monitor (CGM) device can provide personalized insight into what causes blood sugar spikes. This data can help prevent future spikes and empower you to make healthy lifestyle choices that align with your blood sugar goals.

One high blood sugar reading should not significantly impact your overall health and weight loss goals. However, if your glucose levels are consistently trending upward, you should connect with your doctor to discuss the risk of long-term implications.

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