What is a Normal Glucose Level

What is a Normal Glucose Level
What is a Normal Glucose Level

For an ever increasing number of people what is a normal glucose level is a really important question. The number of people diagnosed with heart disease, hypertension, and many forms of cancer, has been fairly steady or even slightly declining in recent years, but the number of people with diabetes continues to skyrocket. For those with diabetes what is a normal glucose level is important because low blood glucose levels can be just as much of a concern as high blood glucose levels due to the simple fact the for the body to operate at optimum levels the blood glucose generally needs to stay somewhere between 60 and 10 mg/dl. Diabetes is the number one cause of abnormal blood glucose levels due to the way it affects the way the body is able to metabolize the glucose that is taken in as food.

Glucose is a type of sugar that the body gets from carbohydrates, sugars, and fatty foods that are consumed. Glucose is important because it is used by each cell of the body as a source of fuel, and when glucose levels fall the body begins to shut down just as surely as a car shutting down when the fuel tank is empty. For most diabetics there is a fine line between too much and too little glucose, and they must check their glucose several times a day in order to balance their medication dosage and diet to keep glucose within healthy levels. All it takes is one misjudgment in insulin dosage, or one forgotten meal or snack to cause blood glucose levels to plummet to the point that the diabetic will lose consciousness and could even die without prompt treatment.

If you or someone you know is a diabetic the only way to keep from suffering from low blood glucose levels or high glucose levels is by staying on top of your glucose checks, keeping your diet right, and following your doctors recommendations. You surely don’t want to be on a long trip when your car runs out of gas, and you don’t want to allow your body to suffer from lack of fuel or from an overload of glucose. Be sure and ask your doctor what is a normal glucose level.

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The importance of keeping a normal glucose level chart.

 

normal glucose level chart
normal glucose level chart

Using a normal glucose level chart is needed for those who have diabetes. This is to measure the changes in your glucose readings, which is very useful for showing your doctor how change in your life have improved or hurt your blood glucose amounts. The actual amounts should be dated, time stamped, and any other information on how you were at that time should be noted to better help your doctor monitor you.

A normal blood glucose level chart needs to be in a line graph form with the date on the bottom and the amounts of the glucose on the side. So that you can measure and watch how you have changed over the time and to do your best to keep blood sugar levels the same. If you suffer from hypoglycemia, a hypoglycemia chart is needed to measure the lows of your blood glucose levels. The idea of monitoring your body can also be used in keeping a normal cholesterol chart. In which you can monitor the changes in your cholesterol for better or worse. This can be used to know what causes your cholesterol to change, wither stress or over eating. Abnormal glucose level chart can be used for noting what days cause abnormal changes.

Though it can be annoying to have to write this down each day it can be a nice habit to add. Plus it can be very helpful if to know if anything happens and your doctor can easily see the events leading up to the issue. See if your doctor may want you to begin using a normal glucose level chart to add to treating your diabetes, or if your doctor wants you to measure your cholesterol in a chart and keep a record of it.

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What is Normal Glucose Level?

What is Normal Glucose Level
What is Normal 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
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.

Normal Range: < 6%

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