33 Home Remedies for Low Blood Sugar

by Stephanie Mantle · Published October 23, 2018 · Updated October 7, 2020

People with diabetes often experience low blood sugar as their bodies don’t have enough sugar to use as fuel. Whilst it’s most common in diabetics, low blood sugar can affect a range of people. This can be as a result of their diet, medication or the extent of their condition. Luckily, this article is full of home remedies for low blood sugar.

If you’re experiencing low blood sugar and experience any of the symptoms listed below on a regular basis, you should arrange to see your doctor in case you have an undiagnosed condition. Otherwise, home remedies should be enough to help you manage low blood sugar.

Symptoms

If you have diabetes your symptoms may differ compared to other sufferers and you’ll come to know what your typical symptoms are. If you haven’t been diagnosed and just experience rare bouts of low blood sugar you may experience any of the following issues.

Confusion
Dizziness
Hunger
Feeling weak, trembly, or shaky
Headaches
Irritability
Racing pulse or heartbeat
Sweating

If you don’t get treatment and are experiencing regularly low blood sugar levels you may start from some more severe symptom from the list below.

Poor coordination or concentration
Numbness in the tongue or mouth
Fainting spells
Seizures
Persistent nightmares
Coma

Home Remedies for Low Blood Sugar

Low blood sugar is most common in diabetes but it can happen to anyone

Eat More High-Fiber Foods

Foods that have a high fiber content can help to maintain blood sugar levels, preventing the occurrence of peaks and troughs. Fiber also helps to tackle insulin resistance which can really benefit those suffering from diabetes. Some great high-fiber foods to try include whole grains, pumpkin, seeds, nuts, and berries.

Get More Sleep

Inadequate or poor sleep makes it harder for your body to use its insulin supply effectively. Ideally, you should be aiming for between seven and nine hours sleep each night. This will help you feel more energized and prevent you from making poor food choices which could have a negative effect on your blood sugar levels.

Cinnamon

A cinnamon extract can help to improve your fasting blood sugar levels in both prediabetes and diabetes sufferers. But remember – cinnamon desserts don’t really count. Taking a pure supplement is the most effective way of getting cinnamon to balance your blood sugar levels.

Eat Chromium-Rich Foods

Chromium is essential to helping insulin perform as it should and promote healthy cell function. You can increase your intake of chromium by including more broccoli, oats, barley, and tomatoes in your diet.

Orange Juice

Any fruit can help tackle low blood sugar levels, but orange juice has been found to be one the most effective. Drinking a small glass every day could be really beneficial.

Honey

Honey can boost your supply of glucose because it’s easily absorbed into your bloodstream. Just a tablespoon of honey can help to lift your blood sugar levels if you start to notice any of the symptoms of low blood sugar.

Use natural, not artificial, honey for this home remedy

Sugar or Candy

Hard sugars or candy can help provide a quick boost to your blood sugar levels. Try not to rely on them too much though as they’re not great for your overall diet.

Dandelion Roots

Dandelion roots can help tackle low blood sugar level by regulating the amount of insulin your pancreas secretes. Drink the extract of dandelion root once a day to top up your blood sugar. This is a really effective home remedy for low blood sugar in non-diabetics.

Licorice Roots

Drinking licorice root powder that has been mixed into a glass of warm water is a great home remedy for low blood sugar. Its natural sweetness can help to increase your blood sugar levels in almost no time at all.

Eat a Protein-Rich Breakfast

One of the best diet tips for low blood sugar is to get a good protein-rich breakfast each morning. Proteins provide a slow and steady supply of sugar into the blood over the course of a day which will prevent your blood sugar levels from dropping too much.

Eat Little and Often

Eating a small amount of food at regular intervals will help to sustain your blood sugar levels. This prevents it from peaking after eating a large meal and crashing a little while after.

oatmeal, RLS, breakfast, berries, fruit, apple, abdominal pain

Try eating five small meals a day, rather than three large meals

Avoid Artificial Sugars

Artificial sugars have very few calories and don’t do anything to lift your blood sugar levels. To boost your sugar levels and add a little sweetness to your diet, opt for natural honey as an alternative.

Cashew Nuts

Cashews contain plenty of natural sugars which help to regulate your blood sugar levels. They’re also high in protein which means they can release sugar steadily throughout the day to prevent unpredictable peaks and troughs. Mix three teaspoons of cashew powder with a teaspoon of honey and add a little water. You can then drink this mixture, ideally before bed, to prevent a drop in your blood sugar.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes may a great home remedy for low blood sugar as they help release sugar into the blood. Eating just four or five tomatoes in your daily diet can really make a difference.

Magnesium

Eating foods which are high in magnesium is another great way to boost low blood sugar. Try including more foods like avocado, spinach, and fish to get more magnesium into your diet and improve your blood sugar levels.

Seafood, in general, is usually high in magnesium

Bitter Gourd

Bitter gourd is often used by diabetics to counteract low blood sugar levels. This is helpful because it encourages the pancreas to produce more insulin. It also stops your blood sugar levels becoming too high by preventing insulin resistance in your cells, making it great for a balanced blood sugar level in people with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes.

Fenugreek

Fenugreek is high in fiber which makes it great for increasing low blood sugar levels. Eating fenugreek can slows down your digestion and allows blood sugar to be properly absorbed. It also stimulates the secretion of glucose-dependent insulin which makes it effective for the management of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Rosemary

Rosemary helps to regulate your blood sugar levels. It’s easy to increase your intake of this particular herb too as it’s used in so many recipes to add flavor to food. It also helps to promote weight loss which can be a huge benefit for people struggling to manage their diabetes.

Curry Leaves

Curry leaves are great for regulating your blood sugar levels and minimizing the symptoms of low blood sugar. This is largely because it helps to improve the function of your pancreas.

Curry leaves can be purchased whole, ground, or powdered

Ginger

Ginger helps to regulate your blood sugar levels and thus manage the symptoms of diabetes and low blood sugar levels.

Turmeric

Turmeric has a number of qualities that make it a fantastic home remedy for many conditions. It’s antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and is an antioxidant. Not only that, but it’s also great for regulating your blood sugar levels and preventing high peaks and low troughs.

Cayenne

Adding a little bit of cayenne pepper to your food can help to naturally stabilize your blood sugar levels. It does this by regulating your glucose uptake to ensure a positive balance between the glucose levels in your blood and the amount taken up by cells for energy.

Manage Your Stress

High levels of physical and emotional stress can impact the way our body’s function. This has been known to cause drastic peaks and troughs in blood sugar levels. Try to leave work stresses at work to reduce your stress levels at home. You could also try to do gentle breathing or yoga exercises to clear your mind, slow your heart rate and reduce your stress.

Listening to relaxing music, like instrumentals, can also be helpful

Quit Smoking

If your low blood sugar is down to your diabetes, quitting smoking could be the best thing for you. Quitting can help to control your blood sugar more effectively. What’s more, it’ll also help to cut your risk of potentially fatal diseases like heart disease and a range of cancers.

Soda

Many people with low blood sugar find that the occasional soda can have similar effects to orange juice. Its high sugar content can help give you an immediate boost if you start to notice the symptoms of low blood sugar. However, try not to drink too much, as the sugars and acids could do damage to your teeth.

Apples

Apples are high in natural sugars which make them a great home remedy for low blood sugar. Either drink a glass of apple juice or eat two apples a day to reduce the symptoms of low blood sugar. They’re also high in chromium and magnesium which both help to regulate blood sugar levels.

Wild Yams

Wild yams are another fantastic home remedy for low blood sugar. They can help control your insulin production and therefore manage the level of glucose in your blood. Boil the yams in some water and leave to cool for about an hour. After this, strain and drink the liquid. You can also make a paste using powdered yams and water. This paste can then be added to a glass of milk and drunk.

Yams can be cooked in many of the same ways potatoes can

Molasses

Molasses is a very useful home remedy for low blood sugar. The extract from molasses can be drunk to help ensure your cells have enough glucose for the energy they need during exercise. Add a small amount to a glass of warm water and drink each day (twice a day if you can) to help maintain a regular blood sugar level.

Parsley

Parsley helps to improve your liver and pancreas function which makes it a brilliant home remedy for low blood sugar. Its juices can be extracted and consumed daily to help rejuvenate and repair your liver and pancreas cells. This helps them to function better for the proper management of your blood sugar levels.

Sunflower Seeds

Sunflower seeds are a rich source of antioxidants which help repair and relieve oxidative damage to the liver and pancreas. This helps them to function in a much better way and regulates your blood sugar levels. This way you are less likely to experience the negative symptoms of low blood sugar. You could eat the sunflower seeds war or crush them into a powder and add this to a glass of water.

Make sure to shell the seeds before eating them

Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin seeds are a rich source of magnesium which is well known for its ability to regulate blood sugar levels. They also help to improve the functions of your kidneys which further helps to improve your blood sugar levels. As with sunflower seeds, you could eat them raw or you could roast them. You could also try powdering the seeds and adding them to a glass of warm milk.

Gentian Root

Gentian root is a very useful home remedy for low blood sugar. It has the natural ability to boost the level of sugar in the body. Dip the gentian root into some boiling water and stir it around. You can then let the liquid cool and drink it.

Barley

Barley is a great home remedy for people who have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes or regularly experience low blood sugar. It’s packed full of all sorts of vital mineral and nutrients including magnesium. As already discussed, magnesium is very important to the regulation of glucose absorption. It’s therefore crucial to the regulation of a steady blood sugar level.