What is the normal blood sugar level? This is one of the most important questions for diabetics. Diabetics have to know accurate measurements on their blood sugar levels or risk having to high blood sugar and damage their body. Diabetes is a disease were the body produces to little of the chemical insulin. Insulin is a chemical created by the pancreas; the job that does is in turning the glucose (sugar) in the body into fuel that the body can use.
When insulin is not created in high enough amounts, glucose soars. This has many health effects that permanently damage the body, such as:
nerve damage,
blindness,
heart disease,
and kidney failure.
Knowing what is the normal blood sugar level, is absolutely vital for the survival of the diabetic. Hypoglycemia is where too much insulin is created and the body needs more fuel. This can result in fainting, dizziness, confusion, and other serious side effects.
So what is the normal blood sugar level? 64.8 to 104 mg/dl is the normal blood sugar level for the average person. Blood sugar levels are monitored by a blood glucose meter. This is a small unit that measures the amount of glucose in a person’s blood and displays it. The blood is placed in a small plastic strip that is then scanned and the results are displayed on a small window on the side. This allows a diabetic to closely monitor their blood sugar levels. Things that can be done to help lower the blood sugar levels include a normal blood sugar level chart this is where you write down all of your readings that you take and what you were doing prior to it to narrow down activities that should not be a part of your daily life. So knowing what is the normal blood sugar level is very important.
Do you know what the normal glucose ranges are for an adult? Diabetes, also called hypoglycemia, affects 30 million people in the United States only, with much, much larger numbers in other nations. Diabetes is high glucose levels in the bloodstream. This is generally caused by low insulin production by the pancreas. Insulin is the main chemical that converts the glucose (sugar) in the blood into useable fuel.
When the body produces too little of this substance the sugar in the blood shoots above high. This can cause many long term consequences such as nerve damage, heart disease, kidney damage, and blindness. Hypoglycemia is where the body has too little fuel which is just as deadly in a short time scale. Producing dizziness, confusion, headaches, and eventually fainting. This can be caused by under eating or by the injection of too much insulin. Both of these exceed or are below normal glucose ranges making them extremely dangerous.
Normal glucose ranges often vary between individual by factors such as weight, age, exercise levels, and other small factors. The American diabetes association states that the normal blood sugar level for a adult should be in the low to mid 100’s at any time. This can be checked at any time with a blood glucose meter. This unit uses small plastic strips to measure the glucose in the blood, and then displays it on a screen. If the number of glucose in your blood is above 200 at any random time diabetes should be suspected and should be reported to your doctor immediately. Normal glucose ranges after eating should still be the same.
If you fear that you have diabetes a quick talk with your doctor and some small tests will prove wither you have it or not. So talk to your doctor about your normal glucose ranges and see if you’re at risk for developing diabetes.
What is a high blood sugar level? That is a tough question to answer, because everyone is different, everyone has different body types and there are many factors to take into consideration such as age.
Determining what is a high blood sugar level or a normal blood sugar level can be tricky and often times difficult.
The blood glucose level is the amount of glucose or sugar in your blood. The sugar comes from what we eat and also from what has been stored inside the body. Our energy comes from this sugar or glucose and is carried to the rest of our body through the bloodstream.
What is a high blood sugar level reading is considered to be known as hyperglycemia or high blood sugar. When our bodies cannot make enough insulin or can’t respond to the amount of insulin that one takes then they body will be hyperglycemic.
If hyperglycemia goes untreated for long periods of time then it can result in serious health problems such as risk, heart disease, vision problems and nerve problems or damage. Kids are not as likely to suffer from this because normally they are newly diagnosed diabetic patients or patients who have just been diagnosed with diabetes. Long term damage from high blood sugar normally results from an older person who has let this problem go or not spoke out about the symptoms that they have been having.
What is a high blood sugar level? A high blood sugar level is normally considered high when the readings fall above your target range. A target range can occur when you have monitored your sugar levels for long periods of time and the doctor takes that into consideration with other factors such as age, gender and medical history. Your doctor or physician can help you determine what is a high blood sugar level for you?
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.
So what is the normal blood sugar level? 64.8 to 104 mg/dl is the normal blood sugar level for the average person. Blood sugar levels are monitored by a blood glucose meter. This is a small unit that measures the amount of glucose in a person’s blood and displays it. The blood is placed in a small plastic strip that is then scanned and the results are displayed on a small window on the side. This allows a diabetic to closely monitor their blood sugar levels. Things that can be done to help lower the blood sugar levels include a normal blood sugar level chart this is where you write down all of your readings that you take and what you were doing prior to it to narrow down activities that should not be a part of your daily life. So knowing what is the normal blood sugar level is very important.
