Target Blood Levels for Diabetics

The number of individuals with diabetes is in the millions and there are many more individuals who have no idea that they have high levels of glucose. Diabetes is a chronic disorder and when the blood sugar levels are neglected, the consequences can be severe. Anyone who has been diagnosed with diabetes or has elevated levels of glucose needs to monitor the levels. Patients who take charge of their own glucose monitoring have been shown to have fewer complications, less hospital admissions and it is cost effective in the long run.

Target Blood glucose levels

All diabetic patients should have some idea about their target levels before and after meals. These target levels are generally determined by your health care professional. Healthy non-diabetic individuals generally have blood glucose levels in-between 70-120 mg/dl before a meal and less than 120 mg/dl 2 hours after a meal. Individuals who have diabetes should target the following levels:

Levels before meals (also known as fasting blood sugars) should range from 90-130 mg/dl or 5-7 mmol/l.

After meals the sugar levels generally go up. One should measure the levels 2 hrs after a meal and these levels should be less than 180 mg/dl or 10mmol/l.

Just before bedtime, the blood glucose levels should range from 110-160 mg/dl or 6-8 mmol/l.

Before exercise the levels of blood sugar should be above or close to 70 mg/dl but not more than 250 mg/dl. The high levels of glucose before an exercise can increase the chance of precipitating ketoacidosis in type 1 diabetics. The high levels of glucose also cause severe polyuria and polydipsia.

The target levels of blood sugars do vary depending on the situation. For those who are sick, pregnant or receiving drugs like corticosteroids, the target levels may be on the higher side. With age, the blood glucose levels do tend to be on the higher side. It is highly recommended that all diabetics make an effort to have their blood glucose within the target range. However, in many cases this can be difficult but one should try and get as close to the target levels as possible.

There is a lot of evidence that diabetic individuals who maintain their blood glucose levels on the low side generally have fewer complications. Even when the complications do develop they are not as severe and can be more easily managed.

At Medexsupply one can obtain a wide range of diabetic supplies including blood glucose monitors, kits, lancets, infusion sets, test strips and glucose tablets.