I have always had low blood sugar but I can generally keep it under control and don't have a problem. But every time I drink coffee my blood sugar takes a dramatic plunge. It happens so fast!! It doesn't seem to matter if I eat or not, it still happens. Then it takes forever to be normal again and I feel horrible for the next few hours. I make it a little strong and have two good size coffee cups of it and I put flavored powdered creamer in it. I know the wise thing to do with be to just not drink it. But I do love coffee and I would like to understand why this happens!!Sunday, October 2, 2011
Why Does Drinking Coffee Make My Blood Sugar Drop?
I have always had low blood sugar but I can generally keep it under control and don't have a problem. But every time I drink coffee my blood sugar takes a dramatic plunge. It happens so fast!! It doesn't seem to matter if I eat or not, it still happens. Then it takes forever to be normal again and I feel horrible for the next few hours. I make it a little strong and have two good size coffee cups of it and I put flavored powdered creamer in it. I know the wise thing to do with be to just not drink it. But I do love coffee and I would like to understand why this happens!!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
TheOrange Evil - Are you testing your blood sugar when this happens or do you just feel hypoglycemic?
ReplyDeleteThe reason I ask is that I am a diabetic, so I test my blood sugar every day. I, too, noticed a drop in my blood sugar after drinking coffee. I don't drop "low," but I can go down 10-15 points sometimes. I drink my coffee with one Splenda packet and a splash of heavy cream. The carbohydrate count is 1-2 grams at most, not enough to really raise blood sugar.
I also noticed, though, that a lot of caffeine can make me feel dizzy and light-headed like I am hypoglycemic. When I test my blood sugar, I'm completely normal. I think I just have difficulty with excessive amounts of caffeine.
In my case, I know I'm not having reactive hypoglycemia from a large sugar load. If you are susceptible to hypoglycemia, then perhaps the sugar content in the coffee is making you rebound. It's also entirely possible that you're just getting sick from the caffeine. Or maybe there's something about coffee that improves our insulin sensitivity - I honestly have no idea why.
Try separating out your coffee, making each cup less strong or switching to decaffeinated, and maybe even using something a little lower in sugar. Hopefully one of these suggestions will help you.
Nana Lamb - I rarely use the creamer because of the carb grams in it!! But I use the coffee to do just that very thing, lower my fasting number. I have dawn phenomenom and really high fasting numbers. (have to remember to do a week or two of interrupted sleeping to make my PA understand that not every one can have great fasting numbers)
ReplyDeleteTry having a protein/fat snack with your coffee! This might help to keep you level.