I have been insulin-dependent since I was 13 years old. That is over 40 years of lows — the kind that wake you up at 2am, hit you mid-swim, or catch you halfway through barn chores on an empty stomach. When I get low enough, I know what it feels like. But I don't always catch it before the Dexcom alarm goes off.
And for most of those 40 years, I handled lows the same way a lot of us do: I ate. Not 15 grams of fast-acting carbs. Not a glucose tablet. I ate. A pint of Ben & Jerry's. A bag of Albanese Sour Gummy Bears — the big one. Whatever I could get my hands on, as fast as I could get it. Then came the high. And when the high hit, I rage bolused to bring it down — and ended up right back in a low I had to treat all over again.
That's the rollercoaster.
The Problem With How Most of Us Treat Lows
When your blood sugar drops, your body sends a very clear message: eat. Now. Everything. That signal is powerful, and it doesn't care about portion control.
A correction isn't a reward. It isn't a hall pass. It's a dose. The moment I started thinking about corrections the same way I think about insulin — as medicine, with a specific amount and a specific purpose — everything changed.
My Target and Why It Matters
I run a target blood sugar of around 80. That means when I'm sitting at 62, I don't need much to get back in range. I need just enough.
Most corrections go wrong because people overcorrect — because the low feels urgent, because they grab something that comes in a large portion, or because the food is too appealing to stop at one serving. If you only need to move 20 points, you don't need 45 grams of carbs. You need 3 to 6. The hard part isn't knowing that. The hard part is having something on hand that makes stopping at 3 grams actually possible.
Set your Dexcom alarms earlier than feels necessary. If your target is 80 and you're alarming at 70, you're already behind. I alarm at 80 on the way down. At that level I still feel fine, I can think clearly, and correcting with a small amount is easy. Catching a low before it catches you is the difference between a minor correction and eating the kitchen.
The Foods That Changed Everything
After some trial and error, here's what I actually use:
- Dried apricots. One apricot is roughly 3–4 grams of carbs. I don't particularly love them, which turns out to be a feature, not a bug. I can eat one, put the bag down, and wait. They live on my nightstand, in my gym bag, on the bike, and on the pool deck. During a run, one apricot every half mile keeps me level without a spike.
- Reese's Pieces. Three pieces equals 3 grams of carbs and works fast. I love peanut butter cups, but I have almost no desire to grab a handful of Reese's Pieces. That distinction matters at 2am.
- Smarties. Practically indestructible — they survive a hot car, a frozen car, a sweaty jersey pocket. Fast-acting and portion-controlled by design.
- What didn't work for me: Kid-sized raisin boxes (too messy when half asleep — I'd find them in my sheets), dried mango (one piece was already too much), and anything I actually love enough to overeat.
The Five-Minute Rule
I correct, then I wait. I check my next Dexcom reading — usually five minutes — and decide from there whether I need another small amount. This is harder than it sounds when you feel terrible, but it is the single habit that got me off the rollercoaster.
Treating a low is not a race to feel better instantly. It's a calibration. If you catch it early and correct with a small amount, you should feel better in 5 to 10 minutes without the high that follows an overcorrection.
A Note on Athletic Performance
A low during a workout isn't just uncomfortable — it shuts you down. A high isn't much better; everything feels sluggish and heavy. Staying in range during training is a skill, and it requires the same precision as any other part of your sport.
I carry dried apricots on every run and on the bike, and keep them on the pool deck. One apricot, half a mile later if needed, repeat. It's not glamorous. It works.
Finding What Works for You
The right correction food is personal. It needs to be fast-acting, portion-controlled, convenient to carry, and — ideally — something you won't mindlessly overeat. Test a few options. Pay attention to how your blood sugar responds. Start smaller than you think you need to and give it time to work.
The goal isn't to white-knuckle your way through a low. It's to catch it early, correct with precision, and feel better in 5 to 10 minutes — without spending the rest of the day cleaning up the mess an overcorrection leaves behind.
This post reflects my personal experience managing insulin-dependent diabetes. It is not medical advice. Always work with your healthcare team on your individual management plan.