Full Show Notes: https://bengreenfieldlife.com/glucosesurprises Coffee spikes blood sugar. Exercise spikes blood sugar. Sauna spikes blood sugar. And none of those automatically mean something is wrong with your biology or metabolism. I’m today’s podcast, Josh Clemente—Founder and CEO of Levels—and I take a clear-eyed look at what continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) data is actually telling us about metabolism, caffeine, alcohol, sleep, hormones, and the growing use of real-time health data—and where people most often misinterpret the signals. Josh is a former SpaceX systems engineer who helped design life-support systems for astronauts, and he now applies that same systems-level thinking to human metabolism. In this episode, we cover: - How coffee affects blood sugar differently from person to person—and why non-caffeine compounds in coffee drive much of that response - How transient glucose rises during exercise, sauna, or coffee should be interpreted—and why context matters more than the number itself - How alcohol suppresses blood sugar by diverting normal metabolism, masking instability, while increasing fat storage and metabolic risk - How eating too close to bedtime—especially higher-carbohydrate meals—can impair sleep and elevate next-day blood sugar If you’ve ever looked at your glucose data and wondered whether you should be concerned—or questioned how to interpret what you’re seeing—this episode is for you. LIFE Network: https://joinlifenetwork.com Ben Greenfield Life Website: https://bengreenfieldlife.com/ Ben Greenfield Life Podcast: https://bengreenfieldlife.com/podcast/ Ben Greenfield Books: https://shopbengreenfieldlife.com/collections/books Instagram https://www.instagram.com/bengreenfieldfitness/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/BGFitness X https://twitter.com/bengreenfield TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@bengreenfield 00:00 "Becoming a Coffee Drinker" 05:22 Caffeine's Impact on Blood Sugar 08:54 "Coffee, Fitness, and Health Insights" 10:24 "Short-Term Spikes, Long-Term Benefits" 13:43 Healthcare Data: Paradigm Shift Needed 18:55 "Advancing AI for Health Predictions" 21:56 Making CGMs Accessible for All 26:37 "Ethanol's Effects: Risks vs. Benefits" 30:21 "Red Light Therapy Lowers Blood Sugar" 31:30 "Red Light's Mitochondrial Benefits" 35:36 "Low-Carb Diet Glucose Paradox" 40:39 Sleep, Meal Timing, and Glucose 43:17 Balanced Nutrition Benefits Sleep 47:41 "Carbs, Hormones, and Cycle Tracking" 49:40 Tracking Cycles and Dietary Adjustments 53:55 Dexcom: Leading CGM Innovations 55:52 Personalized Metabolic Monitoring Innovation