Blood sugar is a needed nutrient provided by carbohydrates and proteins eaten from your meals. You can have high and low blood sugar levels without experiencing any type of disease, such as diabetes mellitus. Fluctuations in blood sugar are a normal bodily response to stress, missed meals or to your regular meal or snack. Slightly elevated blood sugar levels could be a sign of insulin regulation problems. Maintaining normal blood sugar levels is important for your future health status.
Fasting
Fasting blood sugar levels in human means no food or liquids for at least eight hours. Blood sugar levels for fasting nonpregnant adults are below 100 mg/dL, short for milligrams per deciliter, as stated by the Texas Diabetes Council. Morning fasting blood sugar levels are the lowest in the morning because of the overnight fasting during sleep. Blood sugar guidelines are constantly changing because the slightest elevation can cause damage to the blood vessels in your eyes and increase your risk of heart disease, according to Texas Diabetes Association.
Before Meals and Snacks
Normal blood sugar levels before meals and snacks are maintained below 110 mg/dL per the Texas Diabetes Council. Your body regulates this narrow margin for blood sugar levels by proper insulin secretion and your tissues respond with the appropriate sensitivity to the hormone. According to My Online Dietitian Giselle Brand, insulin and glucagon work together to control blood sugar levels. Insulin's mode of action is storing blood sugar in targeted tissues such as your muscles and fat cells. Glucagon stimulates your liver to release stored sugar into your blood to keep blood sugar levels from falling below 70 mg/dL.
After Meals and Snacks
Blood sugar range after meals is 70 to 140 mg/dL, according to the Texas Diabetes Council. This level of blood sugar is expected up to two hours after a meal or snack. Insulin levels peak one hour after meals and should return blood sugar levels to pre-meal levels within one to two hours after the start of a meal. When blood sugar levels rise above and remain higher than normal levels, sugar can accumulate in your body and produce inflammation. The inflammation or formation of advanced glycation end products, or AGEs, collects on your cells and accelerates the aging process, hardening your blood vessels and possibly leading to diabetes, according to Brand.
Bedtime
Normal blood sugar levels for nonpregnant adults are below 110 mg/dL per the Texas Diabetes Council. During this period, your food eaten from dinner and evening snacks should be digested, leaving you with the lowest possible blood sugar level before retiring for the night.
References
- My Online Dietitian: What is a Normal Blood Sugar Level?
- "Diabetes Tool Kit - A Practitioner's Reference"; Texas Diabetes Council; 2009
