Diabetes is quickly becoming one of the greatest health care concerns of modern times, and if you are a diabetic the best way to keep a handle on your diabetes is by keeping track of your blood sugar by using blood glucose charts. Diabetes, if not properly treated, can lead to heart problems, kidney failure, peripheral neuropathy, coma, and even death. The only way to keep these things from happening is to keep your blood sugar as close to normal as possible for as much of the time as possible and this can be done with blood glucose charts.
When it comes to managing diabetes effectively the key is proper glucose management, and the best way to check the efficiency of the patient’s glucose management regimen is with the hemoglobin a1c test. Most diabetics are familiar with checking their blood sugar by glucometer, sometimes many times daily.
So How Does the Hemoglobin A1C Test Work?
The glucometer measures the level of glucose in a drop of blood which is placed on a test strip and read by the machine. The hemoglobin a1c is also a blood test which measures the average glucose levels over a long term period.
Hemoglobin is a protein based, iron containing component in red blood cells that is primarily responsible for carrying oxygen from the lungs and transferring it around the body to be used by the cells. Glucose also binds to some hemoglobin and stays bound to it for the length of the life of the red blood cells which is about 120 days.
The hemoglobin a1c test measures the amount of glucose bound to the red blood cells in this manner and therefore can give the physician a very good average of the patient’s average blood glucose level for as far back as the previous three to four months.
Since proper management of glucose levels is key to diabetes treatment and glucose levels should be kept as close to normal as possible twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, day and night, the hemoglobin a1c test is an invaluable aid.
People without diabetes have and A1C of less than 6 per cent. An A1C of more than 8 per cent suggests persistently elevated glucose levels.
You should aim to keep your A1C as low as possible, especially if you are young, but also to reduce your risk of hypoglycaemia. Your own targets should take into account your age, lifestyle, work practices, life expectancy, risk of diabetes complications and side effects and a host of other factors.
The diabetic patient may check their sugar many times daily, but only the hemoglobin a1c test can give and average which includes round the clock glucose levels.
Diabetes Maintenance with Hemoglobin A1C Test
By using the hemoglobin a1c test the patient and physician can work together to make the type of medication, diet, and lifestyle changes which will keep the patient’s blood glucose level as normal as possible, as much as possible.
Managing your glucose levels requires teamwork in which you are the central player. The best way to stay in control is to harness the support of your diabetes care team. Involve your whole family and work mates as a team to optimize your diet, organise activities and improve everyone’s health!
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.
If you have a family history of diabetes chances are that at some point you will have to take a glucose intolerance test. If your doctor recommends a glucose intolerance test, don’t worry, it isn’t the kind of test you have to study for or really even the kind of test you can fail. A glucose intolerance test is designed to test the way your body metabolizes the glucose (sugars) that you ingest.
The most common type of glucose intolerance test is the oral glucose tolerance test. For this test you will usually be asked to fast for several hours before the test begins. Upon arriving for your test your blood sugar will be checked, then you will be given a glucose solution to drink. You blood will then are sampled at intervals after you have ingested the glucose solution so that the doctor can see how well your body manages the glucose.
Are you or someone you know a diabetic and use an Accucheck glucose meter? The AccuCheck glucose meter is a very reliable and dependable glucose meter that is found in almost every home, doctor’s office or ambulance across the country. AccuCheck glucose meter rates high on the charts for glucose meter reviews.
Are you a recently diagnosed diabetic and hate the thoughts of having to stick yourself multiple times a day in order to monitor your glucose levels? If you already find yourself cringing at the thoughts of needles and just don’t want to stomach the thoughts of pricking your arm or finger each and every day in order to monitor your blood glucose level then the AccuCheck glucose meter is at home meter for you!
Hemoglobin is a protein based, iron containing component in red blood cells that is primarily responsible for carrying oxygen from the lungs and transferring it around the body to be used by the cells. Glucose also binds to some hemoglobin and stays bound to it for the length of the life of the red blood cells which is about 120 days.
If you have a family history of diabetes chances are that at some point you will have to take a glucose intolerance test. If your doctor recommends a glucose intolerance test, don’t worry, it isn’t the kind of test you have to study for or really even the kind of test you can fail. A glucose intolerance test is designed to test the way your body metabolizes the glucose (sugars) that you ingest.