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Is My Blood Sugar Normal?


Is my blood sugar normal? seems like a simple
question but its not! The answer can vary
dramatically based on your situation. Lets look at In This Section

1. Normal Blood Sugar in


some of the factors to consider. Please remember:
Diabetic vs. Non-Diabetic
you should figure out your personal goals in 2. Normal Waking Blood Sugar
(or Fasting Blood Sugar)
consultation with your doctor.
3. Normal Blood Sugars After
Meals (or Post-Prandial Blood

Normal Blood Sugar in Diabetic vs. Non- Sugar)


4. What Blood Sugar Levels Are

Diabetic Healthy?
5. A Note About Meter
Accuracy
6. Is My Blood Sugar Normal?
First, a quick note on how we measure blood sugar.In
7. Next Up
the USA, blood sugars are measured by weight in
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milligrams per deciliter, abbreviated as mg/dL. Most
everyone else uses millimole per liter, abbreviated
mmol. If you are in the USA, look at the big numbers,
most everyone else look at the small numbers.

In a person without diabetes, blood sugars tend to stay


between 70 and 100 mg/dL (3.8 and 5.5 mmol). After
a meal, blood sugars can rise up to 120 mg/dL or
6.7mmol. It will typically fall back into the normal
range within two hours.

These are normal blood sugars in someone without diabetes.


Source: Thriving with Diabetes

In a personwith diabetes, the story is much more


complex:

Below 70 mg/dL Low Blood Sugars


Below 3.8 mmol (Hypoglycemia). When
blood sugars drop below
this level, you may start
feeling hunger,
shakiness, or racing of
the heart. Your body is
starved for sugar
(glucose). Read how to
detect and treat low blood

sugars.

70 mg/dL to 140 mg/dL Normal Blood Sugar. In


3.8 mmol to 7.7 mmol this range, the body is
functioning normally. In
someone without
diabetes, the vast
majority of the time is
spent in the lower half of
this range.

140 mg/dL to 180 Elevated Blood Sugars.


mg/dL In this range, the body
7.7 mmol to 10 mmol can function relatively
normally. However,
extended periods of time
in this zone put you at
risk for long-term
complications.

Above 180 mg/dL High Blood Sugars.At this

Abovoe 10 mmol range, the kidney is


unable to reabsorb all of
the glucose in your blood
and you begin to spill
glucose in your urine.
Your body may begin to
turn to fat for energy and
release ketones in your
urine. (You can purchase
strips to test your urine
for ketones. Contact your
doctor immediately if you
have ketones in your
urine.)

Normal Waking Blood Sugar (or


Fasting Blood Sugar)
Ideally, everyone with diabetes will wake up with blood
sugars in the normal range. However, many people
experience what is called the dawn phenomenon. As
the body prepares to wake and start moving, it
releases stored sugar into the blood. This can cause a
moderate spike in blood sugar. You can read How to Fix
High Morning Blood Sugarsfor tips on how to improve

these numbers.

To confirm if this is happening to you, you can wake


up in the middle of the night and check your blood
sugar. If its in the normal range then but high after
waking, this is probably the cause. If the spike is small
and goes away quickly, then its likely nothing to worry
about (check with your doctor). The spike from dawn
phenomenon is often less than the one you get from
eating a typical meal.

Morning blood sugars can also be impacted by what


happened the night before. The amount of
carbohydrates you ate and how much medicine you
took can have an impact. Even stressful night of
tossing and turning can lead to high blood sugars.
Learning what causes your blood sugars to rise and
fall by checking your blood sugars strategically is the
key to figuring out why your blood sugars are what
they are in the morning.

Normal Blood Sugars After Meals (or


Post-Prandial Blood Sugar)

The chart below comparespost-meal blood sugars in


a typical person with diabetes and someonewithout
diabetes. Most diabetes organizations recommend
keeping your post-meal rise below 180 mg/dL or 10
mmol.
So is 200 mg/dL or 11 mmol a surprisingly high blood
sugar an hour after a meal? If you were at 150 mg/dL
or 8.3 mmol before you began eating, then probably
not. Your meal only caused a modest bump of 50
mg/dL or 2.8 mmol. That would be perfectly
reasonable in someone with a perfectly functioning
pancreas!

To know whether a blood sugar is what one would


expect, its important to understand where you started.
If you would like to reduce your blood sugars after
meals, readHow to Start a Low-Carb Diabetes Diet.

What Blood Sugar Levels Are Healthy?

This is an area of some debate. The long-term studies


show that the risk of complications drop off
dramatically when an HbA1c is lower than 7%, an
estimated average blood glucose of 154 mg/dL or 8.6
mmol. It continues to drop until its below 6%, an
average blood sugar of 126 mg/dL or 7 mmol. There
are manypeople who strive for lower targets, but there
is not a lot of research outlining the benefits of that
approach yet.

(ReadHbA1c: Everything You Need to Know)

One challenge is that studies of A1c arejust looking at


averages. In reality, there seems to be a huge
difference in risk of complications based on genetics.
There are many people who have lived thirty or forty
years with type 1 diabetes running high blood sugars
almost continuously and have no complications.
There are others who have had nearly perfect blood
sugars that still get complications. But
formostpeople, its safe to say that striving for an
HbA1c of below 7% and probably below 6.5% is a
realistic goal for staying healthy.

There are exceptions, of course. Doctors might often


recommend higher targets for those that cant sense
low blood sugars, are elderly or have some other
health conditions. The reasoning is that the health
risks of striving for lower targets may be outweighed
by the risks of doing so. For example, most
complications take decades to appear. If someone is
diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at 90, theres almost no
chance of living to see those complications. So a
doctor might prescribe less intensive therapies.
There is also a lot of research suggesting thatthe total
time you spend in a health range is more important
than your A1c. For example,if your low A1c comes
from a lot of severe lows balancing out highs, this is
less good than just having more steady blood sugars
near the normal range.

A Note About Meter Accuracy

In the USA, a meter can be approved for sale so long


as the results are consistently within 20% of the right
number. That means that if your blood sugar was 180
mg/dL or 10 mmol, than a result of 216 mg/dL (12
mmol) or 144 mg/dL (8 mmol) would still be
considered accurate. In practice, most meters are
more accurate than that, but even an expensive
hospital blood test using calibrated equipment has a
10% margin of error.

So986
dont automatically panic if you check your blood
sugar
and its 140 mg/dL (7.7 mmol) and a few
minutes later its 150 mg/dL (8.3 mmol), a change of

under 10 mg/dL or 1 mmol. This may just be the

meter. Look for trends over time to truly understand
happening.
whats


You can check out this chart comparing blood glucose

accuracy. Keep in mind that this study is not


meter

current and, unfortunately, that no one has published



93 current data. (There should be some
more
independent group testing meter accuracy in the real
world, but it just isnt happening yet.)

Is My Blood Sugar Normal?

So there you have it: a long and winding answer to


what seems like a simple question! And remember:
please consult your doctor to understand what healthy
blood sugars are for you.

Next Up

Read Everything You Need to Know About Your A1c.

Need to know what causes highs and lows?


Check out22 Factors That Affect Your Blood Sugars.

87 Comments

Blog Downloads Basics Blood Sugars Diet

Treatment Complications

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Name

Robert McEachern
5 years ago

5 years ago

I am a type 2 for a yer now and took my A1C from last January fo
10.6 down to 5.2 in November and my readings average between
5.5 and 6.2. I am on meds but not insulin. I have lost 25lbs thru
diet (no sugars or very little), lots of fibre and exercise. The best
advice I have had so far is to eat more fresh fruit and veggies
with 25 to 30 grams of fibre a day and keeping more active about
10 to 20 minutes a day and I try to do this and once a week to a
heavy work out for about 30 to 45 minutes to keep the heart in
shape and the weight off.
13 Reply

This comment is awaiting moderation. Show comment.


beth > Sheila Crosthwaite
5 years ago

I'm not sure in your case why they would be high but in my
case when I eat any kind of fried foods my bs rise very high.
I've read that the body stores the fat from high fat foods and
releases glucose to store it (or something like that). Now I
have lots of baked - a long time so it's crispy- foods. I've also
noticed that now I'm having some challenges with high starch
vegetables. Age may contribute to the challenges as our
bodies may absorb foods differently now. Good luck.
Reply

Sunny

4 years ago

My 13 yr. old son has chronic/reactive mono and is suffering


from its effects right now. He is tired, has headaches, dizziness
and stomachaches. The doctor found glucose in his urine, so I
have been monitoring his blood sugar. 2 hrs after eating it was
134. After sleeping all night for two nights I have checked it. Once
it was 132, the other time it was 134. I think this is too high. My
husband has diabetes and has handled his by diet and exercise
for many years. He told me not to worry, that our son's Mono
could be affecting his blood sugar and that it may be nothing. I
am panicking though, and thinking we really need to see if he has
type 1 diabetes and needs insulin. My husband thinks we need to
wait, let our son get to feeling better, then check into that. I am
worried that my son's symptoms are not only from Mono, but
also diabetes, and that he will not feel completely better until we
can get him on insulin. What do you think?
You are probably wondering what the big holdup is and why I
don't just go and have all the testing done. It's money! I want to
convince my husband and have his blessing before I go and
spend the money. We do not have insurance. Just a medical
spend the money. We do not have insurance. Just a medical
sharing plan. They are pretty picky about what is covered and
what is not.
4 Reply

Sarah Wiltbank > Sunny


6 months ago

Your son could also have something called MODY, since your
husband is also diabetic it would make sense that they may
both actually have that instead (especially if your husband
seems to be very easily managed and not suffer many, if any
complications). MODY is a genetic condition that is not very
well known of by most doctors, there are several different
types. Unfortantly since it is an expensive genetic test it is
difficult to get tested for it. My doctor had to argue with my
insurance company for 2-3 years before they would cover it for
me and he had so much evidence to support his theory that
what I had was indeed MODY
Reply

Ronnie McCullough > Sunny


2 years ago

Munchousen syndrome?
Reply

Moustafa > Sunny


3 years ago

Your son is not type 1 diabetes since this type is insulin


dependent and the pancreas no longer producing insulin
anymore
Reply

Baratam Paparao
5 years ago

Diabetes is not harmful. My age is 66 years old. Now all results


are with in limit. first we have to control diet . When we will go to
eat the food first thing over it is how much sugars contained in
this food, where is is supporting body or not . this is the way to
control sugar sin body. PL tray to take energetic food. in little
quantity.
8 Reply

Randall Morris
2 years ago

70? Fat chance if I go that low I would be in trouble. If I go into


the 90s' I start feeling dizzy and have difficulty thinking. I try to
keep my blood sugar between 105 and 140 because if I go much
keep my blood sugar between 105 and 140 because if I go much
over 150 I can feel the difference as well. When I was first
diagnosed about 6 months ago my AC1 was 10 and it is as of 2
months ago 6.5 with a reduction in medication of 75%. The best
way I have found to control this is to do my own cooking and
eliminate the added sugar found in processed foods. Read the
labels on those cans because that stuff is pure poison to a
diabetic even chili has 35 grams in most brands for a single
serving while making your own is about 7 grams for a serving
twice the size. Stevia and neotame are not only cheaper to use
than sugar when you buy the real stuff but they don't affect your
blood sugar at all. I buy steavis concentrate online for less than
$20 for 4 ounces which will replace as much as 75 pounds of
sugar.
2 Reply

Caitlin
5 years ago

I know several people who have diabetes and my paternal


grandmother even died because of this. That is why my family
really is wary of our blood sugar. We make sure to always watch
what we eat and we have regular check ups to keep tabs on our
sugar.
2 Reply

James Flaxman
3 months ago

Hi all I have a question my blood sugar was 5.5 before lunch after
lunch it dropped to 4.5 is this normal ? I also drink 3 litters of
Coke a day. They seem very low for this ? Any help would be
good.
1 Reply

James Flaxman > James Flaxman


3 months ago

Just done a test and got 8.0 got a head ache and feel very
week and sugestions
Reply

David Edelman > James Flaxman


3 months ago

Hi James, I would talk to your doctor about this. It's


important to have a health care professional who
understands diabetes work with you to understand what is
happening and what strategies to use to approach this. If
you'd like to know how others are approaching diabetes,
you can join the forums at https://www.diabetesdaily.c... or
you can join the forums at https://www.diabetesdaily.c... or
by clicking the Forums tab at the top of the page.
1 Reply

James Flaxman > David Edelman



3 months ago
Thank you I was thinking I don't think these numbers are
bad but get symptoms of low blood sugar ?
Reply

David Edelman > James Flaxman


3 months ago

You can feel low blood sugar systems from dropping


quickly or even from being at normal levels if you've been
high for long periods. If you haven't signed up for our email
serIes called Thriving with Diabetes, I recommend it and
you can do so at https://www.diabetesdaily.c...
Reply

Carol G Coker
6 months ago

My doctor is concerned about pre diabetes so I check my blood


sugars and it was 186 2 hours after eating and 178 when I woke
up and before eating anything. Is this something to be concerned
about? My a1c was 6.5
1 Reply

Lily Ouelle
10 months ago

control blood sugar... Choose high-fiber carbs, such as green


vegetables, fruit, beans, whole grains.. and oats... Cut back on
salt. 10-minute walk after bha bha bha...
theirs different supplements to lower or control blood sugar right
1 Reply

MIke

3 years ago
My blood sugar is at 20 despite medication should I seek medical
advise
1 Reply

David Edelman > MIke


3 years ago

Yes. You should definitely talk to your doctor.


Reply
Howard

3 years ago
Hi I am 55 years old my blood sugar is 4.5 to 4.8 after a meal
11.04 then after an hour back to 4.5 or 4.8 can you tell me if thats
normal I am on glucophage 500 one in the morning one late
afternoon
1 Reply

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