Not long ago people would laugh and call you a wimp or a worrier if you mentioned that you were concerned with normal glucose levels. of course you may first have to explain what a glucose level was. In those days people got up to a full breakfast of eggs, gravy, biscuits, and bacon so loaded with cholesterol that they should have been able to hear their arteries hardening and it was not uncommon for a person to be dead of heart attack or stroke before they reached the ripe old age of fifty. Nowadays, due to advancements in medical science and more knowledge about proper nutrition death and disability rates from heart attack, stroke, and cancer are on the decrease, but diabetes rates continue to rise making maintaining normal glucose levels ever more important for an ever growing number of people.
Maintaining the normal glucose level in blood has become more important than ever for a growing number of people. Even as heart disease, stroke, and stroke levels continue to decline the number of people affected by diabetes is rising by leaps and bounds. Diabetes, if not properly treated, can result in kidney failure, heart disease, liver problems, glaucoma, peripheral neuropathy, wounds that won’t heal, and an entire host of other health problems. Though there is, as yet, no cure for diabetes the key to managing the disease and stopping the worst effects is maintaining a normal glucose level in blood.
Diabetic blood glucose levels vary from person to person for many various reasons. Reasons such as heredity, age, weight, race and many other reasons, it all plays an important part in diabetes. For many, the idea of having diabetes seems so gloom and doom, such a downer but it doesn’t have too. Diabetes have so many more options made available to them today than there was years ago. For instance, diabetic blood glucose levels can range from person to person and what better way to keep track of those levels than to use a diabetic blood glucose chart in which you can chart your own progress right from the comforts of your home and eliminate doctor appointments at the same time.
Do you know what the acceptable blood glucose levels really are? Many people who suffer from diabetes wonder what a normal life would be without the constant checking and monitoring of their acceptable blood glucose level. When you or a loved one is told that you have diabetes, it is from the result that your body isn’t producing enough insulin or that your cells are not responding in a normal fashion with the rest of your body which means that a unacceptable blood glucose level would not be okay for your body and can even become toxic and result in death.
Understanding what is normal glucose level will give you a target to aim for when you are checking your blood sugar levels.
Depending on if you live in Canada or the United States, the Diabetes Associations in each country reports the blood sugar numbers slightly different because of the differences in imperial and metric measurement systems.
American and Canadian Diabetes Associations
Normal Glucose Levels Chart
Association
Fasting Glucose
2 Hours After Eating
A1C**
American Diabetes Association (mg/dl)
< 100
< 140
< 6%
Canadian Diabetes Association (mmol/L)
< 6.1
< 7.8
< 6%
**A1C is the major component that makes up your blood sugar and the A1C measurement is an average of your blood sugar levels over the past 120 days. Please also note that the numbers for pregnant women and children age 12 and under are different than those listed in the char.
A normal blood sugar level is anywhere between 80 mg/dl to 140mg/dl. The sugar amounts that diabetics have are often way above the normal 140 mg/dl. At this point damage is permanently suffered, so it is very important that steps are taken to regulate these levels through diet, exercise and medication.
Working with a Health Professional
The guides listed above on this page are just guides. In order to obtain a more precise Normal Gluclose Level range, you will need to work with a health care professional. There are several factors that can influence your normal range including:
Age
Medical Condition
Other Factors
By working with a professional you will get a better picture of what your normal glucose level will be, and then from there you can start to design your life around staying within that range.
While it may sound bad, what you’re more likely to find is that your improved lifestyle that focuses on keeping your blood sugar at bay will actually have a lot of hidden benefits. There’s no time like the present to take control of your life, and even thought you could look at getting diabetes as a negative situation, if you look on the bright side, this is a good wake up call to start living a more healthy, active life.
An Explanation of the Different
Glucose Level Measurements
what is normal glucose level
It’s important to understand what each of these different blood sugar measurements actually means and why they are important:
Fasting Glucose
2 Hours After Eating
A1C
The reason why this is important, especially if you are a new diabetic, is that during your fasting glucose test you may not show signs of diabetes.
The problem arises however when you measure your blood 2 hours after eating you may clearly see that you are out of the recommended range.
Fasting Glucose
The fasting glucose measurement is taken after you haven’t eaten or drank anything for 8 hours. This gives you a base measurement of how your body is handling the blood sugar when it is ‘at rest.’
Normal Range:
< 100 mg/dl – American Diabetes Association,
< 6.1 mmol/L – Canadian Diabetes Association
2 Hours After Eating
This test is important because it helps you to see how certain meals are affecting your blood sugar, so that you can deal with the situation accordingly. The two hour marker is also important because after 2 hours, the blood sugar of non-diabetics will have returned to its normal state.
Normal Range:
< 140 mg/dl – American Diabetes Association,
< 7.8 mmol/L – Canadian Diabetes Association
A1C
This test shows if your treatment is working over time, which is important to see how you are progressing and if any adjustments need to be made.
