What Should Be My Glucose Reading During the Day?

Many people in the world live with diabetes (high blood glucose) and hypoglycemia (low blood glucose), with fluctuating sugar levels affecting them at least to some extent. Non-diabetic people have an easier time with their blood sugar, although it fluctuates as well. A normal glucose level depends on things like whether or not you just woke up or just had a meal or a snack. "Normal" for all people differs to some extent.

Diabetic

• When a person has diabetes it is because their pancreas does not make enough of a natural chemical, called insulin, to process the sugars in the food eaten and digested throughout the day. The sugars collect or accumulate in the bloodstream and, if left untreated, can cause health problems. The problems include kidney failure, glaucoma, heart attack, stroke, poor circulation in the leg veins, nerve damage, and possible amputation of a lower limb, foot or toe, caused by an infection that did not heal properly because of the poor circulation, among other problems.

  Because sugar levels for a diabetic fluctuate wildly, diabetics must monitor their sugar level between one and five times a day, depending on what their doctor advises. Normal levels vary as well, depending on the severity of the diabetes, what time of day it is, and whether or not they have just eaten. A fasting glucose level, or a level taken when the person has not eaten for 2-3 hours or overnight, for a diabetic is between 90 mg/dl and 120 mg/dl. Two hours after a meal, blood glucose should be no more than 180 mg/dl. If it is any higher, it means the diabetes in that person is not controlled properly.

Non-Diabetic

• Non-diabetics can have high, normal and low levels all throughout the day and still be considered within a normal range and non-diabetic. This is because their levels always return to the base level within two to three hours after eating and most times after eating, blood glucose levels will not go over 140, all without the use of insulin. Non-diabetics' normal levels whether they are fasting or not, are as low as 70 mg/dl and as high as 120 mg/dl.

Hypoglycemia

• Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, can be a condition on its own or a result of a diabetic injecting too much insulin. When a person has hypoglycemia as a permanent condition, it is because the body makes too much insulin, as opposed to too little, as in diabetics. The goal is to keep glucose levels in the blood higher than they normally are. A normal glucose level for persons with hypoglycemia can range from 60 mg/dl to 100 mg/dl. Their glucose levels rarely go over 120 mg/dl and it usually only happens if the person has eaten a piece of food with very high sugar content or if they have eaten a glucose tablet. The tablets contain up to 5 mg pure glucose in each one and used when the hypoglycemic is experiencing a low blood glucose "attack.," This means it (the blood glucose) dropped suddenly, usually without warning, and the person needs a quick boost of sugar lest they slip into a coma.

Considerations

• Because everyone's personal "normal" level is different, always talk to your doctor if you believe either of these conditions may afflict you. Even if you feel fine, when a person is first affected by these conditions, the symptoms are not usually noticed until the first high or low blood sugar attack happens.