Your blood sugar rises and dips throughout the day in response to your eating. It also varies by your diabetic status. What's considered a healthy blood sugar level, therefore, depends on these factors. There are several indexes, from which public health authorities have established normal and desirable ranges for blood sugar. Ranges are set for measurements before and after you've eaten, for random sampling and as a composite that reflects blood sugar levels during a three-month period. In addition, your health care provider may establish figures for you that differ from the healthy ranges established for the general public.
Blood Sugar Measurement
When you have diabetes, your body has a problem using insulin, which is a protein that is responsible for moving blood sugar into cells for energy. As a result, blood sugar builds up in your bloodstream. Too much glucose can cause serious health consequences for diabetics. Controlling your blood sugar can help lower your risk of diabetes complications, including heart disease and nerve damage. Measuring your blood sugar and know what's a healthy level of blood sugar, is therefore critical to your health as a diabetic and the main tool you have to monitor how well you are controlling your condition.
A1C
There are a few ways you and your health care provider can determine your blood sugar level. An important measure is called A1C, which also goes by the terms "HbA1c" and "glycated hemoglobin test," according to MayoClinic.com. A1C, which measures your average blood sugar level during a three-month period, is a term for the blood sugar that attaches to hemoglobin, a protein in your red blood cells that shuttles oxygen throughout your body. The lifespan of a red blood cell is approximately is 120 days, according to Diabetes Health. In people who don't have diabetes, a normal level of A1C is between 4 and 6 percent. The American Diabetes Association says the healthy target for diabetics is to keep A1C lower than 7 percent. Each 1 percent change in A1C corresponds to about 35 mg/dL in average blood sugar. The National Diabetes Education Program recommends you check A1C at least twice annually.
Before a Meal
Blood sugar measurements differ based on when you have eaten. A fasting blood sugar test, or one taken before a meal, will usually produce a reading of less than 100 mg/dL in people without diabetes. Diabetes can interfere with how soon your blood sugar level returns to the fasting state after you've eaten. The American Diabetes Association says a typical pre-meal range for diabetics with adequate control of blood sugar is between 70 and 130 mg/dL.
After a Meal
The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse and the American Diabetes Association agree that to stay healthy, your blood sugar should measure less than 180 mg/dL. This is based on measurements taken up to two hours after you've eaten. Normal post-meal ranges in healthy, non-diabetics are from 70 to 139 mg/dL. You may also take random tests regardless of the proximity to your last meal or snack. MayoClinic.com says poorly controlled blood sugar, indicative of diabetes, will repeatedly measure 200 mg/dL or higher.
Interpreting Your Results
Measuring regularly helps you learn how food, time and activities and other factors like stress affect your ability to keep your blood sugar within a healthy range. Perhaps most important, your measurements may alert your health care provider and dietitian that it's time to change something about your management plan, such as your eating or medications.
References
- National Diabetes Education Program; Tips to Help You Stay Healthy; November 2007
- EndocrineWeb.com; Assessing How Well Diabetes is Controlled; James Norman; October 13, 2010
- FamilyDoctor.org; Diabetes: Monitoring Your Blood Sugar Level; October 2010
- MayoClinic.com; Diabetes Tests and Diagnosis
- National Diabetes Education Program; When Your Blood Glucose Is Too High or Too Low;
- "Diabetes Health"; What Is A1C And What Does It Measure?; Randie Little; March 1, 2005
