Have you just been diagnosed with diabetes and need a way to keep a good glucose level? Or have you had diabetes for many years and are looking to hone your in on good glucose level? Diabetes is when the body does not produce enough insulin, a chemical used to convert glucose (sugar) into fuel for your body. When the glucose levels in the body are too high it can lead to serious injury or even death making diabetes a serious health problem. This can be managed by correct exercise, diets, and medications prescribed by your doctor.
There are several ways to improve or lower your glucose level to a good diabetes level. By making a chart and listing what your blood sugar is at each reading every day and what you did that day. This can help filter out the things that you do that can help you and what hurts you.
Another way is to have your perfect blood glucose meter, one that you know how to operate and can easily used and read. This will make the blood testing simpler. Also you must learn the signs of hypoglycemia, which is a too low blood glucose level. Which causes dizziness, headaches, confusion, and fainting, these must be taken care of when noticed or risk hurting your body.
Also you should watch for ketones, a chemical sign that the body is using fat cells for fuel and can signal that you don’t have enough insulin. The symptoms of a excess ketone amount are dizziness, confusions, tiredness, you feel sick, and you feel tired all the time. Ketones are checked with special strips that are put into a container of urine and tell you thru color, if your ketones are high talk to a doctor immediately. Doing that can you keep a good blood glucose level. These are just a few ways to keep a good glucose level.
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.
