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Blood Sugar Targets

One of your main goals of treating diabetes is to control your blood sugar level by keeping it as close to normal as possible. People without diabetes normally have blood sugar levels less than 100 mg/dL (milligrams of sugar for every 100 milliliters of blood). The American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the American College of Endocrinology (ACE) recommend the following blood sugar goals for adults with diabetes1:

Goals for Blood Sugar Control

*Do not use these values if you are pregnant. Work with your healthcare provider to determine your target values.
†1-2 hours after the beginning of a meal.
‡A1C test values may be different for different test labs. The values used in this chart refer to a range of 4% to 6% for people without diabetes.

These guidelines apply to many people, but not to everyone. Your goals may be higher or lower than these guidelines. Your healthcare team will help you set the blood sugar target range that is right for you.

Checking your blood sugar
If you want to manage your diabetes, you need to check your blood sugar. Otherwise, you're flying blind. You can't know if what you're doing is working. You and your healthcare team can't make good decisions about what to do next. Regular blood sugar monitoring can help you:

  • Understand how food, physical activity, illness, and other factors impact your blood sugar levels
  • Improve your knowledge by applying what you have learned to your diabetes care plan
  • Track how well your diabetes care plan is working and make informed treatment decisions with your healthcare team

There are two good ways to find out how well you are managing your diabetes. You should do both.

  1. Check your blood sugar
    • Work with your diabetes educator to learn how to use one of the many types of blood glucose meters that are available for personal use.
    • Ask your healthcare provider what your testing schedule should be. You may be asked to check before and after meals and at bedtime.
    • Keep track of your results in a diary and take it with you for your office visits so your healthcare provider can check for any trends.
    • Think about the numbers in context. When you pair them with information about what you eat, your level of physical activity, and how much insulin you take, they speak volumes.

    Logging Your Results

  2. Have an A1C test
    • This can give a clearer picture of how well you are managing your diabetes, since it shows your "average" blood sugar level over the last several months.
    • Depending on your treatment and how well you are managing your diabetes, an A1C test should be done in your healthcare provider's office every 3 to 6 months.
Blood Sugar Meter

Using a blood glucose meter
Blood glucose meters are small computerized machines that "read" your blood glucose. Your blood glucose level shows up as a number on a screen. Be sure a member of your healthcare team shows you the correct way to use your meter.

There are many meters to choose from. Some meters are made for those with poor eyesight. Others come with memory so you can store your results in the meter itself. Be sure to ask what meter your healthcare team suggests. They may have meters that they use often and know best.

Next: Low Blood Sugar

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References

  1. American Diabetes Association. Standards of medical care in diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2008;31(suppl 1):S12-S54.
  2. American College of Endocrinology. Consensus statement on guidelines for glycemic control. Endocr Pract. 2002;8(suppl 1):5-11.