Target levels, management, risks, and more

A blood sugar chart of normal blood sugar levels can help people know what range their blood sugar levels should be in at different times of the day.

Doctors use blood sugar charts, or glucose charts, to help people set goals and monitor their diabetes treatment plans. Charts can also help people with diabetes understand their blood sugar levels.

An ideal blood sugar level will depend on individual factors. A doctor will work with each person to establish suitable levels for different times of the day, depending on whether the person has just woken up, eaten, or exercised.

The charts in this article give an idea of suitable blood sugar levels throughout the day. We also explain the importance of staying within the range a doctor advises.

Measuring blood glucose levels is an essential step in managing diabetes. Tools for blood glucose management, also called glycemic control, include:

• the A1C test, which shows blood sugar levels over time
• continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), an ongoing measure that tracks levels throughout the day
• self-monitoring of blood glucose through fingerprick tests

Doctors measure blood sugar levels in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl), but A1C results may also appear as a percentage. The percentage refers to the amount of hemoglobin that glucose has bound to in the blood.

The following charts outline general target levels for those with and without diabetes.

These figures serve as a guide, but each person’s individual needs vary according to age and other factors. A doctor will work with a person to establish their suitable blood sugar levels and help them stay close to their target goals.

General target levels

General blood sugar target levels are as follows:

A1C levels

An A1C test measures a person’s average blood sugar levels over 3 months. It can show if glucose management strategies are working over time.

According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), a person’s A1C results may be as follows:

A doctor will need to carry out two tests to diagnose diabetes unless the person shows clear signs of the condition.

Blood sugar charts for children

Ideal blood sugar levels vary at different ages. Based on data from the Nationwide Children’s Hospital, the following chart shows the ideal levels for children aged 0–10 and over.

The following chart, using information from Diabetes UK, gives a rough idea of how a child’s blood sugar levels may vary during the day. However, they do not differentiate by age. A doctor will advise on levels that are suitable to the individual.

Experts note that strict adherence to complex blood sugar targets is not always the best approach, especially for children. Parents may find that a doctor provides more straightforward guidelines for children than adults if the benefits outweigh the risks.

Blood sugar chart for teens

The following are average guideline levels for teens, but people should ask a doctor for individual recommendations.

People with gestational diabetes

Gestational diabetes can occur during pregnancy. Often, it is a temporary condition, but it can lead to pregnancy complications.

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends that people with a diagnosis of gestational diabetes aim for blood sugar levels similar to those for people without diabetes, although individual targets may vary.

The ADA offers the following as a guideline:

A doctor will advise the individual on what to do if blood sugar levels are not within the target range.

A doctor may recommend higher blood sugar targets for a person with diabetes than for someone who doesn’t have diabetes.

Target levels vary throughout the day. They tend to be lower before eating and after exercise and higher an hour or so after meals.

When working out a person’s glucose targets, a doctor will consider individual factors, such as:

• age and life expectancy
• the presence of other health conditions, particularly cardiovascular disease
• how long a person has had diabetes
• problems with the smallest arteries in the body
• any known damage to the eyes, kidneys, blood vessels, brain, or heart
• personal habits and lifestyle factors
• how aware a person is of low blood sugar levels
• stress

Blood sugar charts often show recommended levels as a range, allowing for differences between individuals.

Why is diabetes more common in Black Americans? Find out here.

Some actions can help adjust glucose levels if they are slightly high or low.

Raising low blood sugar

A person with very low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, may notice the following symptoms:

• feeling shaky or jittery
• being hungry or tired
• feeling dizzy or lightheaded
• confusion
• changes in heart rhythm
• headache
• difficulty seeing or speaking

If these symptoms occur, the NIDDK advises people to:

1. Check their glucose levels.
2. Consume something containing 15–20 grams of glucose or carbohydrates.
3. Wait 15 minutes.
4. Recheck glucose levels.
5. Repeat if levels are still low.

If levels remain low, the person should seek medical advice. If the individual loses consciousness, someone should seek emergency medical help.

Lowering high blood sugar

High blood sugar is called hyperglycemia and may lead to:

• thirst
• weakness or tiredness
• headaches
• frequent urination
• blurred vision

Exercising may help. If high levels persist, the person should speak to a doctor as they may need to adjust their treatment plan.

A person should also contact a doctor if high or low blood sugar symptoms are severe, as they may need emergency medical attention.

What is a diabetic emergency, and what action should a person take?

Monitoring blood sugar levels is an important part of diabetes management. A monitoring plan may include:

• tests in a doctor’s office
• a fingerprick test
• using a CGM device, which monitors glucose levels throughout the day

Typical times a person will check their levels include:

• before meals
• before bedtime
• on noticing symptoms

People may also do additional testing:

• before, during, and after exercise
• during the night
• when unwell
• after adjustments to their treatment plan

The frequency of testing will vary according to the type and stage of diabetes and individual factors. A doctor will advise the person on how often to test and when.

Louise Morales-BrownADULTHOOD T1D

Living with Type 1 diabetes

To figure out how much [insulin] to inject, I quickly had to learn to carb count….For example, I find that pizza and gnocchi require extra insulin and monitoring. Read full article

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Usually, the body can manage excess blood sugar either by eliminating it or converting it into fat cells. If high blood sugar levels persist, however, problems can arise.

In time, persistent high blood sugar may result in damage to the:

• eyes
• nerves
• kidneys
• blood vessels

A wide range of complications can also result, such as slow wound healing and frequent infections. Other possible complications include:

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA)

If the body cannot use glucose for energy, it starts to break down fat instead. In doing so, it releases substances called ketones. At high levels, ketones are toxic.

If high levels of ketones build up in the blood, DKA can occur. Symptoms include:

• a fruity smell on the breath
• difficulty breathing
• nausea and vomiting
• a very dry mouth
• in some cases, loss of consciousness and coma

DKA is a life threatening emergency, and a person will need immediate medical attention. Research suggests it is the most common complication of type 1 diabetes.

Why does my breath smell like acetone? Find out more about DKA.

Hyperosmolar hyperglycemic syndrome (HHS)

HHS is a potentially life threatening condition that involves high blood sugar and dehydration.

Symptoms include:

• extreme thirst
• increased urination
• weakness and a feeling of being unwell
• dry skin
• changes in vision and consciousness due to reduced blood flow to the brain
• coma, in severe cases

Anyone showing signs of HHS needs immediate medical attention.

Managing blood sugar levels is an important step in preventing the complications of diabetes. If blood sugar levels stay within a moderate range, this can indicate that treatment is working.

Individual needs can differ, and a doctor will set goals at the start of treatment. They may adjust these targets as treatment progresses.

If anyone has concerns about their blood sugar levels, they should seek medical attention.

Read this article in Spanish.

Diabetes: Blood Sugar Levels | Kaiser Permanente

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Overview

Keeping your blood sugar in a target range reduces your risk of problems from diabetes. These problems include eye disease (retinopathy), kidney disease (nephropathy), and nerve disease (neuropathy). If you’re pregnant, staying in a target range can also help prevent problems during pregnancy.

Work with your doctor to set your own target blood sugar range. Some people can work toward lower numbers. Other people may need higher goals. For example, people who have severe complications from diabetes may have a higher target range. Those who are newly diagnosed or who don’t have any complications from diabetes may do better with a lower target range.

Most adults with type 1 or type 2 diabetes (not pregnant)

In general, experts suggest an A1c of lower than 7% for most adults with type 1 or type 2 diabetes who aren’t pregnant. Before meals, the suggested target blood glucose range is 80 to 130 mg/dL. At 1 to 2 hours after meals, it is lower than 180 mg/dL.^{footnote 1}

Children of any age with type 2 diabetes

In general, experts suggest an A1c of lower than 7.0% for children of any age who have type 2 diabetes. Before meals, the suggested target blood glucose range is 80 to 130 mg/dL. At 1 to 2 hours after meals, the suggested range is lower than 180 mg/dL.^{footnote 1}

Youth (younger than 18 years old) with type 1 diabetes

In general, experts suggest an A1c of lower than 7.5% for those younger than 18 who have type 1 diabetes. Before meals, the suggested target blood glucose range is 90 to 130 mg/dL. At bedtime and overnight, the suggested range is 90 to 150 mg/dL.^{footnote 1}

Women with type 1 or type 2 diabetes who become pregnant

In general, experts suggest an A1c of 6.0% to 7.0% for women with type 1 or type 2 diabetes who get pregnant. Before meals, the target blood sugar range is less than 95 mg/dL. At 1 to 2 hours after meals, the range is 120 to 140 mg/dL or lower.^{footnote 1}

Women who have gestational diabetes

In general, experts suggest a target blood sugar less than 95 mg/dL before meals for women who have gestational diabetes. At 1 to 2 hours after meals, the suggested range is 120 to 140 mg/dL or lower.^{footnote 1}

References

Citations

1. American Diabetes Association (2022). Standards of medical care in diabetes—2022. Diabetes Care, 45(Suppl 1): S1–S259. Accessed January 3, 2022.

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It is always important to identify the disease at the very beginning, when the condition has not yet seriously harmed health and can be corrected with medications and changes in diet, lifestyle, activity. All this is true for diabetes, because sometimes doctors say that diabetes is not just a disease, it’s a way of life, says Dr. Peter. Not every one of us regularly goes to the doctor and takes tests, including the determination of blood sugar. If friends or relatives have a glucometer, a device for measuring blood glucose, you can check your indicators.

But it is not always possible to use a glucometer, and it is extremely important to determine the increase in blood glucose in the blood plasma. “Doctor Peter” together with the therapist, the head of the methodical office Lidia Golubenko, have identified a simple algorithm by which you can find out about the increase in blood sugar.

Lidia Golubenko — general practitioner, endoscopist, head of the organizational and methodological office.

In healthy people, the concentration of blood glucose on an empty stomach and after a meal fluctuates in strictly defined values. This is important so that sugar is rationally spent on the needs of cells, energizes the body and does not cause harm to the body. On an empty stomach in blood taken from a finger, normal values ​​​​are considered from 3.3 mmol / l to 5.5 mmol / l. Two hours after a meal, the glucose level can be elevated in the range from 4.5 to 7.0 mmol / l.

If your values ​​are significantly higher than these limits, this condition may indicate the development of prediabetes (doctors correctly call it impaired glucose tolerance) or already diabetes.

With a glucometer and test strips, testing your blood sugar is easy. But we do not always have this device at hand, especially if there was no talk of diabetes before. You can determine that sugar is elevated (although not with 100% accuracy) by your own feelings, signs and symptoms.

For each item, you need to give yourself 0 or 1 point, depending on the answer: if there is a sign, put a point, if not, put zero. As a result, you need to sum up the points received.

When plasma glucose levels rise, our body tries to restore blood sugar balance by trying to dilute the overly sweet blood and drawing water out of the tissues. The movement of fluid from the tissues into the blood leads to irritation of the receptors that send signals to the brain about dehydration. The nervous system immediately turns on the mechanism of regulation: we are thirsty, thirst pushes us to drink liquids. If you are constantly thirsty, give yourself 1 point.

This problem follows directly from the previous one. If you are drinking much more liquid than usual, you need to go to the bathroom much more frequently. The liver and kidneys work closely together to get rid of excess blood sugar. But with a high glucose load, they cannot cope with the processing of excess glucose, so it is heavily excreted in the urine. The more sugar is excreted, the more you will urinate. In this case, the urine will be light, almost like water, up to 3-5 liters of urine or more can be excreted.

The higher the sugar in the blood, the more actively fluid is drawn from the tissues into the blood, and the more dehydrated the skin, mucous membranes and the rest of the body suffer from dehydration. On the skin, dryness is most noticeable: peeling, a feeling of strong tightness, itching, and even cracking are possible. On the lips, dryness will manifest itself in the form of wrinkles and folds, dryness and exfoliation of the skin.

Retinal vessels are thin and vulnerable, high levels of glucose in the blood plasma damage them, making them brittle and brittle (they literally sugar). Along with dehydration, vision suffers, there may be blurred vision, defocusing, blurred vision at a distance or near. If your usual glasses become uncomfortable for you or you notice that your vision has become worse – 1 point.

Constantly elevated blood glucose levels can, like the capillaries in the eyes, also damage and “sugar” nerve endings. Capillaries in the brain, nerve cells, and pathways may be affected. This threatens with some unpleasant sensations and manifestations. These are chronic fatigue that does not go away after rest, anxiety, irritability and problems with concentration, remembering new things and mental activity.

By the way, because of the damage to the nerves in the body, patients with diabetes often do not notice sores and calluses on their feet until they turn into serious ulcers.

If the glucose level is elevated and this is a long process, damage to the vagus nerve is possible. It is responsible for the peristalsis of the digestive tract, the movement of food from the stomach to the intestines and through it to the exit. If the nerve is damaged due to diabetes, frequent and prolonged heartburn, nausea, vomiting, and constipation are possible.

All the symptoms described above are not specific, they can also occur with other pathologies. But if you scored about 4-6 points, this is a reason to contact a therapist and perform a blood glucose test. Most likely, the rate will be increased.

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What are the harms and benefits of coffee and energy drinks, which is more harmful – June 24, 2023

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Sometimes, to cheer up, we are ready to do anything. You can, of course, get up early and take a shower, but staying in bed longer and drinking a cup of coffee in the morning looks easier. And even completely intercept a jar of energy on the run. If, of all the ways to recover, you only have coffee and energy drinks at hand, let’s figure out which drink is better to give preference to.

The main substance in coffee that affects the human body is caffeine. Once in the body, it increases dopamine levels in the brain, improving mood and memory. In addition, caffeine has a stimulating effect, increasing the feeling of alertness, physical and mental activity, while reducing drowsiness and the risk of depression.

— A number of scientific papers have also shown that coffee has properties that protect the viability of nerve cells. Coffee has a positive effect on Parkinson’s disease and conditions associated with progressive memory loss, says neurologist Natalia Gurariy.

Natalia Gurariy — neurologist of the first neurological department of the New Hospital, candidate of medical sciences.

In addition, there are studies that say that coffee drinkers are less likely to suffer from type 2 diabetes and heart disease, the results of other experiments show that coffee reduces the risk of developing liver cancer by about 40%, resists diseases such as cirrhosis and gallstone disease .

Coffee is more than just a refreshing drink

Infographics: Vitaliy Kalistratov / City portals

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Another important point is that coffee contains B vitamins (B2, B5, B3) and microelements (manganese, potassium, magnesium), coffee grains are also rich in fiber. Therefore, coffee lovers can safely drink this drink. In reasonable quantities. A sense of proportion is generally the basis of a healthy approach to nutrition.

Firstly, not the most pleasant consequences await those who like to start the morning with a cup of coffee on an empty stomach. It stimulates increased production of acid in the stomach, irritates the gastric mucosa, hence heartburn and nausea. And if you have irritable bowel syndrome, then coffee will only worsen its symptoms – cramps in the abdominal cavity, bloating, increased gas formation and indigestion.

— Caffeine relaxes the pylorus, causing reflux — the reflux of bile into an empty stomach and, as a result, unpleasant symptoms such as nausea, heaviness, stool disorders, — says gastroenterologist Veronika Cheraneva. – After eating, on the contrary, you can afford a cup of coffee – a source of trace elements and antioxidants.

Veronika Cheraneva — gastroenterologist, nutritionist. Specialist in the treatment of gastric and duodenal ulcers, gastritis, pancreatitis, cholecystitis, dysbacteriosis, flatulence, colitis, constipation, esophagitis and other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

Since coffee increases the acidity of gastric juice, it is obvious that patients with diseases of the stomach and duodenum should not abuse it. Together with them, coffee can harm those who have cardiovascular problems. Because caffeine increases the heart rate.

It is worth paying attention to the fact that in healthy people who drink coffee moderately, no tendencies to the development of diseases of the cardiovascular system have been revealed.

Another less pleasant side effect of caffeine is that it can increase feelings of anxiety. So if you already have increased anxiety, and sometimes panic attacks happen, drinking cup after cup of coffee is not your option.

There are many frightening legends about coffee, but if you do not have hypertension, gastrointestinal diseases and coronary heart disease, then you can easily afford three or four cups of coffee a day. After such a dosage, you are unlikely to feel the special effects of coffee.

— If you drink more than five cups of coffee a day, it may well lead to malfunctions in the digestive tract, arrhythmia, dehydration and nervous exhaustion, says gastroenterologist Galina Bartashevich. – The nervous system will react to excess caffeine with irritability, anxiety, nervousness, or, conversely, lethargy and apathy. Dehydration, in turn, reduces immunity and increases the risk of getting the flu or SARS.

Galina Bartashevich — gastroenterologist of the highest category, pediatric gastroenterologist, nutritionist, candidate of sciences.

We understand if a grin appeared on your face when you saw the words “energy” and “benefit” in one sentence. They really gained fame, to put it mildly, not the most healthy drinks. First, let’s look at the composition of these drinks.

The basis of all energy drinks is the same – sugar, caffeine, taurine and a whole bunch more

Infographics: Vitaly Kalistratov / City Portals

energy can contain a third of the daily requirement. It was taurine that molecular physiologist Vijay Yadav of Columbia University took a close look at in a recent study. And I found quite interesting advantages in it.

In general, taurine has been studied relatively modestly, but its level is known to decrease with age. This fact became the basis for the study. Yadav and colleagues gave a fair amount of taurine to middle-aged mice (the doses were equivalent to what a human would get from three to six cans of energy drinks) and monitored the animals for two years. As a result, it turned out that rodents under taurine lived about 10-12% longer than their counterparts, which did not receive additional taurine. They were also healthier: leaner, less restless, performed better on coordination tests, had sharper memories and stronger bones.

Impressed by these figures, physiologists moved on to human experiments and analyzed data on the blood levels of taurine in almost 12,000 people who participated in a 25-year health study in the UK. It turned out that participants with high levels of taurine tended to be healthier in many ways, boasted lower levels of obesity and cholesterol, and were less likely to suffer from diabetes. This gave scientists reason to claim that taurine slows down aging (while the scientists noted that no company paid them for the study).

But all this is not a reason to buy energy drinks and drink them every day.

Biochemist Pavel Popkov notes: canned energetics greatly loosen the nervous system and consume energy reserves that nature did not provide for this.

– If caffeine can bring the body to hypertonicity and even a convulsive state, then taurine smooths out the effects of caffeine. In energy drinks, it is included in the recipe in a large dose. Therefore, the use of two cans of energy drinks will significantly exceed the daily need for taurine, says Pavel Popkov. – An energy drink can be prepared simply from sugar, caffeine and taurine. But drinking it with so much sugar is almost impossible, so phosphoric acid is added to energy drinks as an acidity regulator so that it does not seem so disgusting.

Pavel Popkov — Senior Lecturer, Department of Biochemistry named after R.