Have Juice, Glucose Tablets on Hand to Raise Blood Sugar

For people who occasionally experience low blood sugar, keeping juice and glucose tablets available are key to helping get back to a healthy level without overdoing it, a New York certified diabetes educator says.

“The symptoms of high and low blood sugar tend to overlap,” said Alefiya Faizullahboy, RD, certified diabetes educator at the North Shore-LIJ Health System. Because of that, Ms. Faizullahboy suggests people with diabetes check their blood sugar before trying to correct a blood sugar issue.

Some things people should have on hand to quickly raise their blood sugar:

• A small box of raisins
• Quick-acting glucose gels or tablets
• Juice

Ms. Faizullahboy says the glucose products are especially helpful because they are pre-measured and will not cause someone to over correct their blood sugar. She advises re-checking blood sugar after 15 minutes to ensure the level has gone up.

Low blood sugar can be brought on by things such as too much exercise, taking too much medication and not eating enough, Ms. Faizullahboy says.

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