Many people who have just been diagnosed with diabetes face a world full of questions. The most important being, "What's an optimal blood sugar level for me?" Blood sugar (also called blood glucose) levels fluctuate throughout the day. In the morning, blood sugar levels can be quite low and increase dramatically an hour after breakfast. Diabetics who effectively manage their disease learn how to regulate their insulin and oral medications with diet and exercise. The goal is to maintain even blood sugar levels, avoiding spikes and dips that can lead to secondary symptoms.
Fasting Blood Glucose Levels
When doctors suspect their patients to be diabetic or pre-diabetic, they may request a fasting blood glucose test. The purpose of the test is to monitor glucose levels without the impact of food, stress or exercise. The normal range is between 70 to 110 mg/dl.
If their blood glucose levels are high, they may suggest getting an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), during which the patient is asked to drink a high glucose concentrated drink, and their glucose levels are monitored over several hours. The normal glucose response during an OGTT is 140 mg/dl or less after two hours. If the patient exhibits high glucose levels after several hours, they may be a candidate for a hemoglobin A1c test.
Hemoglobin A1c
Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) is a component of red blood cells. Both oxygen and glucose (or sugar) attach to it. If blood glucose levels are high, it can interfere with how the cells of the body get oxygen. Hemoglobin A1c is often thought to be a better tool for diagnosing diabetes because it represents the average blood glucose level in the blood over the 120-day lifespan of the blood. The normal level for HbA1c is less than 6.5 percent and fair levels are between 8.5 and 9.5 percent. Poor HbA1c levels are greater than 9.5 percent.
Diet, Exercise and Medication
Managing new cases of diabetes can get tricky when you start introducing certain variables, including diet, exercise and medications. Diet can cause abnormal spikes in blood glucose, followed by steep drops. These ups and downs can cause a number of secondary symptoms like nausea, sweating, shaking and memory loss. Diabetics learn the importance of eating foods that are low on the glycemic index---foods that prevent spikes in blood sugar levels.
Exercising large muscle groups can cause drops in blood glucose, as they become more sensitive to insulin. Medications can also cause rapid increases and decreases until the patient learns to balance their dosage with the foods they eat and when they exercise. The goal is to maintain normal blood glucose levels between 70 to 110 mg/dl, with limited spikes and drops.
