Heres What Causes Blood Sugar Levels to Rise (Without Eating)

Publish date: 2024-05-10

People living with diabetes know that carb-rich meals aren't the only thing that can cause blood sugar to spike. In fact, ebbs and flows in your blood sugar levels are common and can be attributed to many factors that have nothing to do with food. 

Both high (and low) blood sugar levels contribute to serious health problems, such as diabetic ketoacidosis, heart disease, kidney disease, obesity, and high blood pressure. If you're dealing with random blood sugar rises that don't seem related to your meal plan, you'll want to take a closer look at your lifestyle and consider other factors that can influence your glucose levels.

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8 Things That Cause Your Blood Sugar Levels to Rise

Multiple factors can cause your blood sugar levels to shoot up; many have nothing to do with food. 

Some common causes of blood sugar levels rising include:

8 Things You Didn’t Expect Would Cause Your Blood Sugar Levels to Rise


Sometimes, it's even harder to pinpoint the cause of considerable blood sugar level swings, making it much more important to monitor your levels closely. Monitoring your blood sugar regularly can help you get to the bottom of your blood sugar spikes.

Some surprising causes of blood glucose spikes include:

Some Actionable Tips to Prevent and Control These Sugar Spikes


Maintaining healthy blood sugar levels can help regulate mood, appetite, and well-being. Luckily, there are a few simple ways to help prevent a blood sugar spike — and get it under control after you've experienced one.

Here are some best practices to help you avoid blood glucose spikes:

Instead, enjoy a light breakfast that contains a balance of fiber-rich complex carbohydrates (think whole-grain bread and cereals, quinoa, brown rice, and starchy vegetables) as well as lean proteins and healthy fats, which slow the absorption of carbs. 6

Learn More About Healthy Nutrition with Signos’ Expert Advice

Keeping tabs on your blood sugar levels is super important when you live with diabetes, especially if you're taking insulin. Wearing a CGM can help you pinpoint the cause of these spikes (related to your meal plan, lifestyle, medications, or something else) more precisely so that you're better equipped to make those necessary changes. Even better, pairing your CGM with the Signos app can help you apply that raw data to your daily life to make lasting changes that make sense.

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