Blood glucose — also known as blood sugar — is the amount of sugar that is dissolved in your blood. For people with diabetes, managing blood sugar can be a challenge because their bodies either don’t make enough insulin or can’t use it effectively. Uncontrolled blood sugar can cause serious health issues.
For most adults, blood glucose levels are typically measured via a blood test as part of your annual preventive care checkup. This test helps your healthcare provider assess your overall health and monitor for conditions like diabetes.
For people with diabetes, more frequent blood glucose testing is essential for managing your condition and helping to prevent serious complications.
Keep reading to learn what your ideal blood sugar range should be, how to recognize when your blood sugar is too high or too low and what steps you can take to manage your blood sugar effectively.
Everyone’s ideal blood glucose range can vary depending on age, health conditions (including pregnancy) and other factors. In addition, target levels can vary throughout the day — tending to be lower before eating and after exercise, and higher an hour or so after meals.
Your provider will usually tell you to fast for a period of time before a routine blood test or metabolic panel. A normal fasting blood glucose level for adults is between 70 and 100 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL).
If you have diabetes and are monitoring your blood glucose at home, talk to your provider about your personal blood sugar target. Typical targets for adults before a meal are 80 to 130 mg/dL and two hours after the start of a meal are less than 180 mg/dL.
If your blood glucose is at a level that's outside of a healthy target range, you may be experiencing hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) or hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Both extremely high and extremely low blood sugar are dangerous, which is why it is important to monitor your levels and stay within your target range.
Hyperglycemia usually occurs when blood glucose is above 180 mg/dL. Many things can cause high blood glucose, including:
Some symptoms of high blood glucose levels are:
Seek immediate help from your provider or call 911 if you:
Hypoglycemia usually occurs when blood glucose is below 70 mg/dL. Low blood glucose can happen if:
Your body needs enough glucose in order to keep you functioning normally throughout the day. If you go long periods with low blood sugar, serious problems can arise like coma or death. Some people with low blood glucose experience symptoms such as:
Seek emergency help if you have diabetes or a history of hypoglycemia and have symptoms of severe hypoglycemia or lose consciousness.
If you have diabetes, your provider will likely recommend at-home blood glucose monitoring to help ensure you are maintaining healthy levels.
How often you need to check your blood glucose levels depends on many things, including what type of diabetes you have and the medications you take.
To monitor blood glucose levels at home, you can use a blood glucose meter — also known as a glucometer — or a continuous glucose monitor (CGM). A glucometer is a handheld device that measures blood sugar levels by pricking your finger and placing a drop of blood on a test strip. The test strip contains an enzyme that reacts with the glucose in your blood to produce a reading.
A CGM attaches to the body using a fine needle and checks your levels every few minutes through a thin plastic tube that stays underneath your skin. A CGM may alert you if your levels are getting too low or too high, which can prevent any complications before they happen. Certain glucometers, CGMs, and insulin pumps are covered under the Compass Rose Health Plan, when medically necessary. You can find more information on coverage in our FEHB Plan brochure.
Talk with your provider about how often you should check your blood sugar. To help you keep track, log the time, results, what you ate and your activity level. This information helps your provider to manage your diabetes.
It is important to take care of your diabetes, even if you feel good. Talk to your health care team if you need help staying on track with a meal plan, activity advice or medications.
Here are some tips to help you manage your diabetes effectively:
Commit to managing your diabetes with help from Compass Rose Living Well. The Living Well team offers personalized support to help you reach your nutrition and exercise goals. Plus, they can help coordinate care to help you better manage your diabetes.
Visit our Diabetes Resource page for more information on how you can help prevent and manage diabetes.