Where Should My Sugar Level Be

Whats My Target Range

You might be asking, what’s the normal range for blood sugar levels? The answer is, there is a healthy range that you should ideally be aiming for. The infographics above show the general guidelines, but your individual target range for your blood sugar levels may be different. Youll healthcare team will agree with you what it is.

Youll get different readings at different times of the day, depending on things like what youve eaten and how much you are moving around. Heres a guide to help you get started on finding your target range:

If youre a child with type 1 diabetes

• when you wake up and before meals: 4 to 7mmol/l
• after meals: 5 to 9mmol/l

If youre an adult with type 1 diabetes

• when you wake up and before meals: 5 to 7mmol/l
• before meals at other times of the day: 4 to 7mmol/l

If you have type 2 diabetes

• before meals: 4 to 7mmol/l
• two hours after meals: less than 8.5mmol/l

Make Physical Activity Part Of Your Daily Routine

Set a goal to be more physically active. Try to work up to 30 minutes or more of physical activity on most days of the week.

Brisk walking and swimming are good ways to move more. If you are not active now, ask your health care team about the types and amounts of physical activity that are right for you. Learn more about being physically active with diabetes.

Following your meal plan and being more active can help you stay at or get to a healthy weight. If you are overweight or obese, work with your health care team to create a weight-loss plan that is right for you.

Symptoms Of High Blood Sugar Level

Hyperglycemia, often known as high blood sugar, can be brought on by various factors, such as being ill, being under stress, eating more than you intended, and not taking enough insulin.

A persons pancreas secretes more insulin when blood sugar levels are too high. Their pancreas releases glucagon to increase blood sugar levels when they fall. This equilibrium aids in giving the cells enough energy while avoiding damage that persistently elevated blood sugar levels could bring.

Long-term, major health issues might develop from elevated blood sugar over time. High blood sugar symptoms include:

• Incredibly fatigued
• Having visual problems
• A higher need to urinate

Managing your blood sugar can be challenging if you become sick. Your ability to eat and drink may be limited, impacting your blood sugar levels. Use an over-the-counter ketone test kit to screen your urine for ketones if youre sick and your blood sugar is 240 mg/dL or above.

If your ketones are high, call your doctor. High ketones may be a precursor to diabetic ketoacidosis, a medical emergency that requires prompt treatment.

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Normal Blood Sugar Ranges In Healthy Non

For a person without any type of diabetes, blood sugar levels are generally between 70 to 130 mg/dL depending on the time of day and the last time they ate a meal.

Newer theories about non-diabetic blood sugar levels have included post-meal blood sugar levels as high as 140 mg/dL.

Here are the normal blood sugar ranges for a person without diabetes according to the American Diabetes Association:

• Fasting blood sugar : Less than 100 mg/dL
• 1-2 hours after a meal: Less than 140 mg/dL
• 2-3 hours after eating: Less than 100 mg/dL

What Can I Expect During A Blood Glucose Test

You can expect the following during a venous glucose test, or blood draw:

• Youll sit in a chair, and a phlebotomist will check your arms for an easily accessible vein. This is usually in the inner part of your arm on the other side of your elbow.
• Once theyve located a vein, theyll clean and disinfect the area.
• Theyll then insert a small needle into your vein to take a blood sample. This may feel like a small pinch.
• After they insert the needle, a small amount of blood will collect in a test tube.
• Once they have enough blood to test, theyll remove the needle and hold a cotton ball or gauze on the site to stop the bleeding.
• Finally, theyll place a bandage over the site, and youll be finished.

You can expect the following during a capillary blood glucose test :

• A healthcare provider will ask you which finger youd like them to use.
• Theyll disinfect your fingertip with an alcohol swab and prick it with a small needle called a lancet, which is usually contained within a small plastic device.
• Theyll squeeze your fingertip to form a drop of blood.
• Theyll place your finger/the drop of blood against a test strip thats inserted into a glucometer.
• After they have enough blood for the test, theyll give you a cotton ball or gauze to hold against your fingertip to stop the bleeding.
• The glucometer will show your blood glucose level within seconds.

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Low Blood Sugar Level Causes

Most low blood sugar level causes are preventable and are caused due to a persons lifestyle and diet habits. Low blood sugar is common among diabetic patients who take medications to increase insulin levels.

All of the above causes are risk factors that may or may not be able to be inhibited. They are important to be aware of and act accordingly to keep yourself from getting a too high or too low blood sugar level.

If a person has medical, lifestyle or diet habits that cause irregular blood sugar levels, symptoms will begin to develop along with the drop or spike in blood sugar, and are as follows:

Taking Frequent Smaller Meals

This is another good way of tackling diabetes. This will surely avoid the risks of sudden spikes in blood sugar levels which can even damage organs. Frequent snacks in between the meals minimizes the risk of occurrence of type2 diabetes.

Several small snacks between meals also enhance insulin sensitivity and simultaneously lower blood sugar levels. It reduces HbA1C levels which is an index of lowered blood sugar levels.

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How Can One Tell If I Have Diabetes By Examining My Blood

Your body converts sugar, also called glucose, into energy so your body can function. The sugar comes from the foods you eat and is released from storage from your bodys own tissues.

Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas. Its job is to move glucose from the bloodstream into the cells of tissues. After you eat, the level of glucose in the blood rises sharply. The pancreas responds by releasing enough insulin to handle the increased level of glucose moving the glucose out of the blood and into cells. This helps return the blood glucose level to its former, lower level.

If a person has diabetes, two situations may cause the blood sugar to increase:

• The pancreas does not make enough insulin.
• The insulin does not work properly.

As a result of either of these situations, the blood sugar level remains high, a condition called hyperglycemia or diabetes mellitus. If left undiagnosed and untreated, the eyes, kidneys, nerves, heart, blood vessels and other organs can be damaged. Measuring your blood glucose levels allows you and your doctor to know if you have, or are at risk for, developing diabetes.

Much less commonly, the opposite can happen too. Too low a level of blood sugar, a condition called hypoglycemia, can be caused by the presence of too much insulin or by other hormone disorders or liver disease.

Why Does Blood Glucose Level Rise In Diabetes

Blood sugars in diabetes play the most important role in the optimal management of the condition. When these levels fluctuate, a person with diabetes can undergo severe distress and may have to deal with the other complications associated with high or low blood sugars. When a person is newly diagnosed and for the caregivers too, it can be of great help to understand the physiology of the condition and what may cause rises and falls in the daily blood sugars.

A few things that may lead to spikes in blood sugars could be:

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Tests For Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes is diagnosed using blood tests. Youll probably be tested between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy. If your risk is higher for getting gestational diabetes , your doctor may test you earlier. Blood sugar thats higher than normal early in your pregnancy may indicate you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes rather than gestational diabetes.

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Treatment For Low Blood Sugar Levels

For those with low blood sugar levels, management and treatment is a little easier to do yourself. If you find your blood sugar is too low and you notice symptoms, always seek medical attention. They will aid you with what necessary precautions to take if the reading is extremely low.

Most of the time, the following treatment methods are advised to do at home yourself. Having a sugary drink or snack can help increase blood sugar levels and balance out and improve any symptoms. Even a small juice of juice or sweets can improve weakness and similar symptoms.

After youve consumed a sugary drink or snack, it is recommended to test your blood sugar level again. If it has increased and you feel better then you should consume a carbohydrate containing meal, such as bread, biscuits or milk. It is advised to eat a small meal to prevent any further drop in blood sugar.

For normal people without diabetes, it is sometimes advised to consume daily supplements that are beneficial for increasing insulin sensitivity and balancing your blood, its sugars and pressures. You can seek medical advice for those from a doctor. Some options may include supplements such as Garcinia Cambogia, which has shown results for increasing insulin sensitivity.

You may be wondering exactly how you can read and calculate your blood sugar level, as it advised to do so for both treatments. If you wish to calculate your blood sugar level, here is how to do so:

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What To Expect From Your Blood Sugar In The Morning

After an overnight fast, a normal blood sugar level is less than 100 milligrams per deciliter , according to the American Diabetes Association . But, according to Susan Spratt, MD, an endocrinologist and associate professor of medicine at Duke University School of Medicine, not everyone with type 1 or type 2 diabetes has to shoot for ânormalâ levels.

âIf youâre young, the goal may be to get your fasting blood sugar levels to less than 120 mg/dL,â Dr. Spratt says. But if youâre older and have other health conditions, that number may be higher, she says.

The ADA points out that not everyone will have the same blood sugar level goals. Instead, your endocrinologist or doctor will calculate your target number based on your age, how long youâve had diabetes, whether you have health conditions like heart disease and other factors.

Keep in mind, too, that your fasting blood sugar levels can be too low. For example, a morning blood sugar reading below 70 mg/dL can indicate a hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar.

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What Blood Sugar Goals Should I Be Aiming For

The American Diabetes Association recommends that most people with diabetes aim for the following blood sugar goals:

• Preprandial : 80-130 mg/dL
• Postprandial : Less than 180 mg/dL

Your doctor will likely set different goals for you based on many factors including your age, how long you’ve had diabetes, any co-existing illnesses or long-term conditions you might have, your individual lifestyle and social circumstances.

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Why The Test Is Performed

Your doctor may order this test if you have signs of diabetes . More than likely, the doctor will order a fasting blood sugar test.

The blood glucose test is also used to monitor people who already have diabetes.

The test may also be done if you have:

• An increase in how often you need to urinate
• Recently gained a lot of weight

SCREENING FOR DIABETES

This test may also be used to screen a person for diabetes.

High blood sugar and diabetes may not cause symptoms in the early stages. A fasting blood sugar test is almost always done to screen for diabetes.

If you are over age 45, you should be tested every 3 years.

If you’re overweight and have any of the risk factors below, ask your health care provider about getting tested at an earlier age and more often:

• High blood sugar level on a previous test
• Blood pressure of 140/90 mm Hg or higher, or unhealthy cholesterol levels
• History of heart disease
• Member of a high-risk ethnic group
• Woman who has been diagnosed with gestational diabetes
• Polycystic ovary disease
• Close relative with diabetes
• Not physically active

Children age 10 and older who are overweight and have at least two of the risk factors listed above should be tested for type 2 diabetes every 3 years, even if they have no symptoms.

How To Raise Blood Sugar When Needed

Hypoglycemia, where your blood glucose is lower than 70 mg/dL, is a common problem for people with type 1 diabetes. Its important to know how to handle it when it happens. Hypoglycemia can be caused by a number of things, such as taking too much insulin, waiting too long before eating or not eating enough, and exercising a lot more than usual.

Resolving it might be as simple as eating something that can raise your blood glucose. But in severe cases, where your blood glucose dips below 55 mg/dL, this might not be enough.

If youre at risk of this, your health care provider might prescribe an injectable medication called glucagon to use in an emergency. You can use it yourself, or someone else can use it on you if youre not able to. You will then need to seek after the injection to make sure that your glucose levels make it back up to a safe level.

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What Should My Blood Sugar Level Be

When youre first diagnosed with diabetes, your diabetes care team will usually tell you what your blood sugar level is and what you should aim to get it down to.

You may be advised to use a testing device to monitor your blood sugar level regularly at home.

Or you may have an appointment with a nurse or doctor every few months to see what your average blood sugar level is. This is known as your HbA1c level.

Target blood sugar levels differ for everyone, but generally speaking:

• if you monitor yourself at home with a self-testing kit a normal target is 4 to 7mmol/l before eating and under 8.5 to 9mmol/l 2 hours after a meal
• if your HbA1c level is tested every few months a normal HbA1c target is below 48mmol/mol

The Diabetes UK website has more about blood sugar levels and testing.

Multiple Ways To Lower Blood Sugar Levels Naturally

The struggle to lower blood sugar levels is not uncommon. In India alone, an estimated 77 million adults have high blood sugar levels and want to lower blood sugar levels for good health.

This number could be as high as 134 million by 2045. Even more concerning is that 57% of these cases go undetected and undiagnosed. Therefore, if you have high blood sugar levels, you have to make wiser choices to lower blood sugar levels.

• Complex Carbohydrates

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Remedies For High Sugar Level

• If your sugar levels are high, you will need to administer a correction dose. This means taking an injection or a dose of insulin that will bring the levels down. Notice signs of hyperglycemia and before administering insulin, always check your sugar levels. Sometimes, the signs of hypo and hyperglycemia can feel the same.
• Keep track of your blood sugars to identify patterns in spikes. You can do this with a glucometer or with a CGM device.
• Check for ketones in the body using a urine strip if the sugars are constantly and persistently above 250mg/dL
• Make use of technology like the insulin pump as it may help to provide continuous and timely doses of insulin. Pairing your pump with the CGM device can act as a pseudo-pancreas as the advanced technology will do all the work automatically.
• Drink a lot of water and go for a small brisk walk/exercise to lower your sugar levels. Exercise should only be done if your body is not too fatigued after the spike.
• Monitor your levels again before you consume food to know how much insulin you may have to take.

Correcting High Blood Sugar Levels With Insulin

If you take insulin, one way to reduce blood sugar is to inject insulin.

However, be careful as insulin can take 4 hours or longer to be fully absorbed, so you need to make sure you take into account how much insulin you may already have in your body that is yet to be absorbed by the blood. Insulin that is yet to be absorbed by the blood is called active insulin.

If you decide to correct with insulin, watch you dont over correct as this can lead to hypoglycemia and can be dangerous, particularly so before bed.

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