My Blood Sugar Drops to 60 mg/dL When Fasting and I Feel Shaky. Should I Stop?

My Blood Sugar Drops to 60 mg/dL When Fasting and I Feel Shaky. Should I Stop?

Short Answer

Yes — a reading of 60 mg/dL combined with physical symptoms like shakiness, dizziness, or weakness is a meaningful signal that your body is not tolerating this fasting duration well at this stage. Breaking the fast at that point is the right call. Whether you should stop fasting entirely, shorten your window, or continue with modifications depends on your health history — and if you are testing blood sugar regularly like this, talking to a healthcare provider about your fasting approach is the appropriate next step.

The Full Explanation

Blood glucose of 60 mg/dL sits at the lower end of what most clinical guidelines define as hypoglycaemia. Standard definitions put hypoglycaemia below 70 mg/dL, with 60 mg/dL representing a reading that is low enough to produce symptoms in most people.

Why This Happens During Fasting

When you stop eating, the body goes through a predictable sequence. Blood glucose falls gradually as cells draw on circulating glucose. The liver then releases stored glycogen to maintain blood sugar levels. As fasting continues, the liver begins producing glucose from non-carbohydrate sources (gluconeogenesis) and the body increasingly shifts to burning fat and producing ketones.

In most healthy people, this process keeps blood glucose in a manageable range — typically between 70 and 90 mg/dL during fasting. The body is very effective at maintaining glucose within a narrow range without incoming food.

If your blood sugar is falling to 60 mg/dL with symptoms, it may mean:

• Your liver's glycogen stores are low — if your diet is very low in carbohydrates, you may have less stored glycogen available to maintain blood sugar during fasting
• The fasting window is currently too long for where your body is adapted
• You may have an underlying condition affecting glucose regulation — diabetes, insulin resistance, reactive hypoglycaemia, or adrenal insufficiency are possibilities that would benefit from medical assessment
• You may be on medication that lowers blood sugar (metformin, insulin, or sulphonylureas can all cause hypoglycaemia during fasting)

Symptoms Matter More Than the Number Alone

A blood glucose of 60 mg/dL in someone who is fully fat-adapted and producing ketones may produce no symptoms at all — the brain switches to ketones as fuel and compensates. But a 60 mg/dL reading with shakiness suggests your body has not yet made that adaptation, and is genuinely struggling at this point in the fast.

The combination of the number and the symptoms together is what makes this worth stopping and reassessing.

What to Do

1. Break the fast when you feel this way. Do not push through hypoglycaemic symptoms. Eat something with protein and fat — not something sugary, which will spike blood sugar briefly and then cause another drop.