Your Blood Glucose
When you live with diabetes, you need to understand what "blood glucose levels" means and the significance of these levels.
The Importance of Glucose
Your body breaks food down into simpler forms, such as glucose (or sugar). You need glucose to live, since it provides an essential source of energy. After your body digests food, glucose travels through your bloodstream into cells with the help of insulin (produced by the pancreas). People with diabetes either don't produce enough insulin or don't produce it at all. As a result, glucose builds up in the bloodstream instead of entering the cells.
Why Test?
When you live with diabetes, you must test your blood glucose levels to determine how well you're managing your diabetes. If your levels measure too high or too low, you can then take the necessary steps to bring them back into the "normal" range.
Why is this so important? Because blood glucose levels that measure too high or too low can make you feel ill and cause serious problems. If your level falls too low in the short-term, you could fall unconscious and find yourself in a life-threatening situation. If it rises too high, you could develop serious complications over time, including eye, kidney, nerve and blood vessel problems.
Testing your levels allows you to manage your diabetes more effectively. Because blood glucose levels change throughout the day, experts advise testing before meals and at bedtime.
The American Diabetes Association recommends these ranges:
| Time |
Blood Glucose Level (mg/dL)* |
| Before meals |
90-130 |
| 1 to 2 hours after a meal |
less than 180 |
*(milligrams per deciliter)
Types of Tests
Two types of tests measure blood glucose levels:
For day-to-day control - The blood glucose test you do at home (or at work, while traveling, etc.), uses a drop of blood and a meter. Sometimes called self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG), this test measures your level at the time you do the test.
For long-term control - The A1C test indicates your average blood glucose level over the last three months. You should get this lab test done at least twice a year. Most people aim for an A1C level less than seven. Women should aim for an A1C level less than six before getting pregnant.
Look at the chart below to see how your home test results will likely correlate with your A1C results. The lower your home test numbers measure over three months, the lower your A1C test results for that period, and vice versa.
| A1C Level |
Average Self-test Glucose Level |
| 12 |
345 |
| 11 |
310 |
| 10 |
275 |
| 9 |
240 |
| 8 |
205 |
| 7 |
170 |
| 6 |
135 |
Determining Your Goal Level
Your health provider will discuss your goal range with you. This target varies from person to person. The American Diabetes Association points out that a "normal" range for a teen recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes will differ from a "normal" range for a 75-year-old with type 2 diabetes with foot problems.
Keeping a Log
In our DiabetesCare.net Self-Care Tools, you will find a place to keep a record of your daily levels. Bring it to appointments with your diabetes health provider. That way, he or she can discuss what works for you and determine whether you need to make any changes.
Staying Positive
Don't be discouraged by a reading above or below your normal range. You might feel frustrated or disheartened if you get certain numbers, but your reading is just that - a reading. It might mean you need to make some changes to your management strategy. Also, exercise, stress and food all affect your blood glucose level, and certain illnesses and conditions like high altitude might give inaccurate readings.
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Thursday
November 20, 2008
Tip of the Day
Regular exercise increases the number of insulin receptor sites on cells, making the body more sensitive to insulin.
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