Sugar, also known as glucose, is the way your cells obtain energy for normal functioning. A regular supply of energy is through blood glucose. After you eat, especially a meal containing carbohydrates, the small intestines pass the nutrients into your blood. When glucose enters your blood stream the cells that need it, take it in and use it. In a normal functioning metabolic system, all of this occurs in a balance to keep your blood sugar in a normal and safe range.
Levels for Healthy Individuals
There are three different circumstances that should elicit a certain response by your body that can tell you how your body handles your blood glucose, according to the book "CECIL Essentials of Medicine," who have adapted their guidelines from the American Diabetes Association. First, is during fasting. A normal fasting glucose should fall below 100 milligrams per deciliter of blood. After you eat, your body should be able to clear the blood glucose and keep it in a range somewhere below 140 mg/dL. Before bed, at the end of your day, your body should have been able to maintain your blood glucose at or below 110 mg/dL.
Diabetes
Diabetes is a disease in which your body has an impaired ability to move blood sugar from the blood and into the cell. It is usually characterized by the cell's insensitivity to insulin or the body's inability to produce insulin. Insulin is the facilitator hormone that helps to move blood glucose into the working cells. For a diabetic, blood glucose goals differ. A fasting glucose should be below 110 mg/dL. After eating blood glucose should remain below 140 mg/dL and before bed a range between 100 to 140 mg/dL is acceptable.
Hypoglycemia
If your blood sugar is too low, you may be experiencing hypoglycemia. According to the National Institutes of Health, hypoglycemia occurs when your blood sugar is below 70 mg/dL. Symptoms include cold sweats, impaired vision, blurry vision, rapid heart rate, fatigue, headache, hunger, mood swings, shakiness and impaired cognition. If left untreated, hypoglycemia can cause you to go into a coma. For a fast treatment of hypoglycemia, eat a glucose-rich food like milk or honey.
Hyperglycemia
Hyperglycemia is when your blood sugar is too high. It is less common that hypoglycemia, but can still have negative health effects. It is characterized by a blood glucose greater than 300 mg/dl, according to the American College of Sports Medicine. Symptoms of hyperglycemia include weakness, thirst, dry mouth, soft eyeballs, increased urination, low appetite, nausea, vomiting and stomach pain. Hyperglycemia can indicate a problem with your body's ability to produce or recognize insulin, so you should seek medical help.
References
- "Nutrition"; Paul Insel, Don Ross, Kimberley McMahon, Melissa Bernstein; 2011
- "Cecil Essentials of Medicine"; Thomas Andreoli, Charles Carpenter, Robert Griggs, Joseph Loscalzo, eds.; 2004
- PubMed Health: Hypoglycemia
- "ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription"; Mithcell H. Whaley, PhD, Peter H. Brubaker, Phd, Robert M. Otto, Phd, eds.; 2006.
