10 Surprising Things That Can Spike Your Blood Sugar

What to know

If you have managed your diabetes for a while, you have seen how food, activity, stress, and illness can affect your blood sugar levels. But there are things that trigger blood sugar spikes that you may find surprising.

Do you know all these blood sugar triggers?

• Sunburn—the pain causes stress, and stress increases blood sugar levels.
• Artificial sweeteners—some studies show they can raise blood sugar.
• Coffee—even without sweetener. Some people's blood sugar is extra-sensitive to caffeine.
• Losing sleep—even just one night of too little sleep can make your body use insulin less efficiently.
• Skipping breakfast—going without that morning meal can increase blood sugar after both lunch and dinner.
• Time of day—blood sugar can be harder to control the later it gets.
• Dawn phenomenon—hormones tend to surge early in the morning, and for people with diabetes blood sugar can spike.
• Dehydration—less water in your body means that your blood sugar is more concentrated.
• Nose spray—some contain chemicals that trigger your liver to make more blood sugar.
• Gum disease—it's both a blood sugar spiker and a complication of diabetes.

Individual responses to each of these triggers may vary. If an activity or food is new, check your blood sugar before and after to see how you respond.

Sept. 11, 2026

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National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion; DiabetesAbout This Page

Published: May 15, 2024

Updated: September 11, 2026This page was last updated on this date. Updates may include minor edits, image changes, or other modifications to page content.

Reviewed: September 11, 2026The information on this page was last reviewed by subject matter experts to ensure accuracy.

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