Blood sugar levels (sugar) levels are an important part of your overall health and the body’s ability to function properly.
For those of us with diabetes, striving to achieve “normal” blood glucose levels is an hourly tracking. And that’s not easy.
In this article, we will look at the normal blood glucose levels and target ranges in people without diabetes, as well as recommendations for blood glucose goals for people with pre-diabetes, type 1 diabetes, and type 2 diabetes.
Normal blood glucose range for people without diabetes (chart)
For people without diabetes type, blood glucose levels are generally fasting between 70 and 99 mg/dL (3.9 to 5.5 mmol/L) and below 140 mg/dL (7.8 mmol/L) after meals.
According to the NIH, the normal blood sugar range for people without diabetes is as follows:
| Fasting blood sugar (for example, the morning before eating) | Less than 100 mg/dl (5.6 mmol/l) |
| 1-2 hours after meal | Less than 140 mg/dl (7.8 mmol/l) |
| 2-3 hours after meal | Less than 100 mg/dl (5.6 mmol/l) |
Recommended blood glucose ranges for diabetic patients (chart)
According to the ADA, the following are the commonly recommended blood sugar ranges for people with diabetes:
| Fasting blood sugar (for example, the morning before eating) | 80-130 mg/dl (4.4-7.2 mmol/l) |
| 1-2 hours after meal | Less than 180 mg/dl (10.0 mmol/l) |
For more information on fasting and post-grain blood sugar levels, see below. Blood glucose level: Targets for blood glucose level and A1C.
How do you know what your blood sugar levels are?
Generally, you can’t feel what your blood sugar levels are, unless they are quite high or low. And in fact, you may not even be able to tell from physical symptoms when your physical symptoms are high or low.
The best way to know your blood glucose level is to check it with a traditional glucose meter or use a CGM (continuous glucose monitor) device.
For glucose meters, use the lancet to make your finger smell, put a drop of blood into the test strip, then insert the strip into the meter to read. With CGM, measurements are taken from interstitial fluid (intercellular fluid) approximately every 5 minutes via a sensor inserted just below the skin.
Diagnosis of pre-diabetes, type 1, and type 2 diabetes
Below are some tests that healthcare providers can use to determine if they have diabetes.
Tests used to diagnose diabetes
Fasting plasma glucose test
This test usually measures glucose levels at a single time point for at least 8 hours after fasting (no eating or drinking except for water).
Random glucose test
This test measures glucose levels at a single time point and may be given at any time, whether or not you fasted.
Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT)
In this test, blood samples are taken for at least 8 hours after fasting. Next, drink a liquid containing sugar and take another blood sample after 2 hours to see how your blood sugar levels have changed.
(For pregnant people, glucose is checked for 2-3 hours every hour to test for gestational diabetes.)
A1C Test
This blood test reflects average glucose levels over the past 2-3 months. You can eat and drink before taking the A1C test.
Repeated tests are usually necessary to confirm the diagnosis of diabetes.
Test results for diagnosing diabetes (chart)
According to the ADA, the following blood glucose levels and A1C results (a measure of glucose control over the past 2-3 months) are used to diagnose pre-diabetes and diabetes.
| A1c | Fasting glucose | Two hours after meal | |
| Pre-sugar | 5.7-6.4% | 100-125 mg/dl (5.6-6.9 mmol/l) | 140 mg/dl to 199 mg to dl (7.8-11.1 mmol/l) |
| Diabetes (Type 1 or Type 2)) | Over 6.5% | 126 mg/dl (7.0 mmol/l) or more | 200 mg/dl (11.1 mmol/l) or more |
For more information about diagnosing diabetes, see below. Types of diabetes.
please note: Type 1 diabetes tends to develop very quickly. This means that by the time symptoms are felt, blood glucose levels are always well above 200 mg/dl. For many people, symptoms occur so quickly that they are dismissed as a prolonged flu or another seemingly common virus.
By the time blood glucose levels are checked, many people with undiagnosed type 1 diabetes may have levels above 400 mg/dL.
If you suspect that you or a loved one has type 1 diabetes, immediately access primary or emergency care and seek out a urine test to measure your ketones in addition to checking your blood sugar and A1C.
Read more about ketones in the diagnosis: How to avoid diabetic ketosidosis (DKA).
Your A1C and blood sugar target
Managing any type of diabetes is much more complicated than telling a person to give insulin and maintain blood sugar within X and X mg/dl. If you’ve lived with diabetes for more than a few days, you probably already know this.
What is A1c?
“A1C, also known as hemoglobin A1C, HBA1C, glycation hemoglobin, or glycohemoglobin, is a blood test that measures the average blood glucose level over the past two to three months.”
This test reflects glucose attached to hemoglobin (a protein in red blood cells) for the past 2-3 months, but blood glucose levels for the two weeks leading up to the A1C test are the most impact on results. Essentially, high blood glucose levels during this period increase glucose binding to hemoglobin.
Convert A1C to blood sugar levels
This simple calculator from ADA allows you to convert the latest A1C results to “EAG” or “estimated average glucose level”.
You can also use this translation when working to improve A1C and achieve near normal blood glucose levels.
For example, if 6.0% A1c is known to correspond to an average blood glucose level of 126 mg/dL (7.0 mmol/L), you can look at current blood glucose results in CGM and meter to identify times that are often higher than that level.
| A1c | Eag |
| 6% | 126 mg/dl |
| 7% | 154 mg/dl |
| 8% | 183 mg/dl |
| 9% | 212 mg/dl |
| 10% | 240 mg/dl |
| 11% | 269 mg/dl |
| 12% | 298 mg/dl |
Normal blood glucose levels in people without diabetes can cause A1C below 5.6%.
Only ten or two years ago, it was rare for people with type 1 diabetes to achieve A1C results of less than 6.0%.
Thanks to new insulin and better technologies such as CGM, smarter insulin pumps, and hybrid closed-loop technology (which allows for insulin doses to be automatically provided), as more people with diabetes are now able to safely achieve A1c levels in the higher 5% range.
Why is your A1C important?
In short, A1C is one of the most clear indicators of the risk of developing diabetic complications such as neuropathy (neuropathy), retinopathy (type of eye disease), nephropathy (renal disease), cardiovascular disease, and severe infections that require healing in any part of the body.
For example, small toe cuts can become infected due to high blood sugar, which can be difficult to cure, and can become so severe that the infection requires amputation.
General ADA guidelines recommend A1C levels below 7.0% to prevent diabetes-related complications. Bringing A1c closer to 6.0% can further reduce the risk of microvascular complications (those that impact small blood vessels), such as those that affect the eyes (retinopathy), kidneys (nephropathy), and nerves (neuropathy).
Some people with diabetes are aiming for A1C levels below 5S. Especially those who follow strict low-carb diets like the ketogenic and Bernstein diets. However, this has not been proven in research to be particularly necessary, nor is it reasonably achievable for the larger population of people with diabetes.
It is also important to remember that blood glucose levels and A1c are information indicating whether changes in factors such as insulin, metformin, nutrition, or other diabetic medications, such as physical activity, are necessary.
If you don’t like the number shown in your glucose meter or A1C results, use that number as a motivation and make changes (with the support of the diabetes care team) in a way that safely manages diabetes to achieve different results.
Determine the right A1C goal for you
Just because a blood glucose range of 70-130 mg/dL (3.9-7.2 mmol/L) is considered the healthiest for diabetics, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it is the right target range for you.
The reason this may not be the right goal for you is that very tight glycemic control in people taking insulin can potentially lead to frequent hypoglycemia (hypoglycemia).
Achieving very tight glycemic control generally requires strict nutritional planning, very frequent glycemic monitoring, accurate drug management, and many years of experience studying blood glucose levels.
A1C goals should be set in close consultation with a medical team that will help you balance the benefits and risks of different targets based on your health, lifestyle and preferences.
Elderly people with cognitive or functional limitations or severe comorbidities (major additional health problems) may have a lower A1C target of <8%.
It is also worth noting that as diabetes management evolves, A1C targets can change over time.
A1C goals must be individualized
“The goals of A1C should be individualized based on individual competence, risks and previous experience,” explains the founder of integrated diabetes and the authors of “MS, CDCES”, “CDCES”, “CDCES” and “CDCES” and “CDCES”.Think of it like a pancreas“.
“For example, we generally aim for very tight A1C levels during pregnancy, and aim to be more conservative targets for young children and older adults.”
Scheiner highlights key factors that can justify aiming for a higher A1C, such as recognition of hypoglycemia, where diabetics no longer feel the typical warning signs of hypoglycemia.
Hypoglycemia can pose a serious risk of severe hypoglycemia, which can be life-threatening. To reduce that risk, we aim for a higher target blood glucose range.
“People who are not aware of significant hypoglycemia should target higher blood glucose levels than those who can more effectively detect and manage hypoglycemia,” adds Scheiner.
“And certainly, anyone who runs A1C in double digits (over 10%) should not target 6% A1C for quite some time. It’s better to set modest, realistic, achievable goals.”
Read about a1c reduction: How to lower A1c and How to lower A1C naturally.
Your blood sugar levels aren’t just for what you eat
It’s easy to believe that your blood sugar levels are only affected by what you eat and how much you exercise, but people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes who check frequently can tell you otherwise.
It is especially important to keep this in mind when looking at your blood sugar levels and goals. This is because there are certain variables and challenges that affect blood glucose levels that are always uncontrollable.
for example:
- Menstrual cycle: It often increases blood sugar and insulin needs
- Adrenaline rushes from competitive sports, intense debate, roller coaster rides and other intense situations: Increase your blood sugar and insulin needs
- Colds and other illnesses: Usually raises blood sugar and insulin needs
- Hormonal changes due to adolescence and healthy growth in young adults: Increases blood sugar and insulin needs
- Damage that increases overall inflammation levels: Increases blood sugar and insulin needs
- Gluconeogenesis during anaerobic exercise: Increases blood sugar and insulin needs
While these factors affecting blood glucose levels cannot be prevented, they can help you work with the diabetes care team to adjust insulin, other diabetic medications, nutrition and activity levels to compensate you when they occur.
For example, when engaged in anaerobic exercises such as weightlifting, many people with type 1 diabetes feel that they need to take small bolus before or during training, as non-sick exercise can actually raise blood sugar levels.
Final Thoughts: Are you still irritated by your blood sugar and A1c results?
Your blood sugar levels and your insulin and medication needs never stay in one place. As you gain weight or lose weight, your insulin and medication needs change. More active or active will change your needs. Make dramatic or minor changes to nutrition and change your needs.
It is essential to work with your diabetes healthcare team and diabetes coach to show you how to change your entire diabetes management plan. Diabetes is a lifelong learning process.
Take a deep breath and hold on. If you don’t like what you’re looking at on a glucose meter, don’t get mad…study! Take good notes, work with your team and make changes to achieve your goals.
