Your blood glucose (sugar) levels are a critical part of your overall health and your body’s ability to function properly.
For those of us with diabetes, striving to achieve “normal” blood sugar levels is a constant, hour-by-hour pursuit. And it isn’t easy.
In this article, we’ll look at normal blood sugar levels and goal ranges for people without diabetes and recommended blood sugar goals for people with prediabetes, type 1 diabetes, and type 2 diabetes.
Table of Contents
- Normal blood sugar ranges in people without diabetes (chart)
- Recommended blood sugar ranges in people with diabetes (chart)
- How do you know what your blood glucose level is?
- Diagnosing prediabetes, type 1, and type 2 diabetes
- Your A1c and blood sugar goals
- Your blood sugar isn’t just because of what you eat
- Final thoughts: Still frustrated with your blood sugar and A1c results?
Normal blood sugar ranges in people without diabetes (chart)
For a person without any type of diabetes, blood sugar levels are generally between 70 to 99 mg/dL (3.9 to 5.5 mmol/L) fasting and under 140 mg/dL (7.8 mmol/L) after a meal.
Here are the normal blood sugar ranges for a person without diabetes according to the NIH:
Fasting Blood Sugar (e.g., In the Morning Before Eating) | Less than 100 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/L) |
1 to 2 Hours After a Meal | Less than 140 mg/dL (7.8 mmol/L) |
2 to 3 Hours After a Meal | Less than 100 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/L) |
Recommended blood sugar ranges in people with diabetes (chart)
Here are the generally recommended blood sugar ranges for a person with diabetes according to the ADA:
Fasting Blood Sugar (e.g., In the Morning Before Eating) | 80 to 130 mg/dL (4.4 to 7.2 mmol/L) |
1 to 2 Hours After a Meal | Less than 180 mg/dL (10.0 mmol/L) |
Learn more about fasting and after-meal blood sugar levels in: Blood Sugar Chart: Blood Sugar and A1c Targets.
How do you know what your blood glucose level is?
Unless it’s fairly high or low, you generally can’t feel what your blood sugar level is. And in fact, you may not even be able to tell from physical symptoms when it is high or low.
The best way to know your blood sugar level is to either check it with a traditional glucose meter or use a CGM (continuous glucose monitor) device.
For a glucose meter, you do a finger-stick with a lancet, put a drop of blood onto a test strip, and then insert the strip into the meter for a reading. With a CGM, readings are taken from the interstitial fluid (the fluid between the cells) about every 5 minutes via a sensor inserted just under the skin.
Diagnosing prediabetes, type 1, and type 2 diabetes
The following are tests that may be used by your healthcare provider to determine if you have diabetes:
Tests used to diagnose diabetes
Fasting plasma glucose test
This test measures your glucose level at a single point in time, typically after you have been fasting (nothing to eat or drink except water) for at least 8 hours.
Random glucose test
This test measures your glucose level at a single point in time and may be given at any time, whether you have fasted or not.
Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT)
For this test, you will have a blood sample taken after fasting for at least 8 hours. Next, you will drink a liquid high in sugar and will have another blood sample taken after 2 hours to see how your blood glucose levels have changed.
(In those who are pregnant, glucose will be checked every hour for 2 to 3 hours to test for gestational diabetes.)
A1c test
This blood test reflects your average glucose levels over the previous 2 to 3 months. You can eat and drink prior to having an A1c test.
A repeat of these tests is typically required to confirm a diabetes diagnosis.
Test results for diagnosing diabetes (chart)
The following blood sugar and A1c results (a measure of glucose control over the previous 2 to 3 months) are used to diagnose prediabetes and diabetes, according to the ADA:
A1c | Fasting Glucose | 2 Hours After a Meal | |
Prediabetes | 5.7 to 6.4 percent | 100 to 125 mg/dL (5.6 to 6.9 mmol/L) | 140 mg/dL to 199 mg to dL (7.8 to 11.1 mmol/L) |
Diabetes (type 1 or type 2) | 6.5 percent or higher | 126 mg/dL (7.0 mmol/L) or higher | 200 mg/dL (11.1 mmol/L) or higher |
Learn more about diagnosing diabetes in: Types of Diabetes.
Please note: Type 1 diabetes tends to develop very quickly, which means that by the time symptoms are felt, blood sugar levels are often well above 200 mg/dL all the time. For many people, symptoms come on so quickly that they are dismissed as a lingering flu or another seemingly ordinary virus.
By the time blood sugar levels are checked, many people with undiagnosed type 1 diabetes may have levels above 400 mg/dL or higher.
If you suspect that you or a loved one has type 1 diabetes, visit your primary care or urgent care immediately and ask for a urine test to measure ketones in addition to checking blood sugar levels and A1c.
Read more about ketones at diagnosis in: How to Avoid Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA).
Your A1c and blood sugar goals
Managing any type of diabetes is far more complicated than giving a person some insulin and telling them to keep their blood sugars within X and X mg/dL. If you’ve lived with diabetes for more than a few days, you probably already know this.
What is A1c?
“A1c, also known as hemoglobin A1c, HbA1c, glycated hemoglobin, or glycohemoglobin, is a blood test that measures your average blood sugar over the last 2 to 3 months,” explains Christel Oerum, MS, in Diabetes Strong’s guide to lowering your A1c.
Although the test reflects the glucose attached to hemoglobin (the protein in your red blood cells) over the past 2 to 3 months, the blood sugar levels in the 2 weeks leading up to your A1c test influence the results the most. Essentially, higher blood sugar levels during this period result in more glucose binding to hemoglobin.
Translating your A1c to a blood sugar level
Using this simple calculator from the ADA, you can translate your most recent A1c result to an “eAG,” or “estimated average glucose level.”
You can also use this translation when working to improve your A1c and achieve closer to normal blood sugar levels.
For instance, if you know an A1c of 6.0 percent equates to an average blood sugar level of 126 mg/dL (7.0 mmol/L), then you can look at your current blood sugar results on your CGM and meter and pinpoint what time of day you’re frequently higher than that level.
A1c | eAG |
6 percent | 126 mg/dL |
7 percent | 154 mg/dL |
8 percent | 183 mg/dL |
9 percent | 212 mg/dL |
10 percent | 240 mg/dL |
11 percent | 269 mg/dL |
12 percent | 298 mg/dL |
Normal blood sugar levels in a person without diabetes can result in an A1c of 5.6 percent or lower.
Just a decade or two ago, it was rare for a person with type 1 diabetes to achieve an A1c result below 6.0 percent.
Thanks to new and improved insulin and better technology like CGMs, smarter insulin pumps, and hybrid closed-loop technology (which allows some insulin doses to be automatically delivered), more people with diabetes are now able to safely achieve A1c levels in the higher 5 percent range.
Why your A1c matters
In a nutshell: Your A1c is one of the clearest indicators of your risk for developing diabetes complications like neuropathy (nerve damage), retinopathy (a type of eye disease), nephropathy (kidney disease), cardiovascular disease, and severe infection in any part of your body that requires healing.
For instance, a small cut on your toe could become infected due to high blood sugars, struggle to heal, and become severe enough that the infection could require an amputation.
The general guidelines from the ADA recommend an A1c level of less than 7.0 percent to help prevent diabetes-related complications. Lowering your A1c closer to 6.0 percent may further reduce the risk of microvascular complications (those impacting the small blood vessels), such as those affecting the eyes (retinopathy), kidneys (nephropathy), and nerves (neuropathy).
Some people with diabetes aim for A1c levels in the 5s and lower — especially those who follow strict low-carb diets like the ketogenic diet and the Bernstein diet. However, this hasn’t been proven in research as especially necessary, nor is it reasonably achievable for the larger population of people with diabetes.
It’s also important to remember that your blood sugar levels and your A1c are just information that tells you whether your body needs changes in factors like insulin, other diabetes medications like metformin, your nutrition, or your physical activity.
If you don’t like the number you’re seeing on your glucose meter or your A1c results, use that number as motivation to make changes (with the support of your diabetes healthcare team) in how you safely manage your diabetes in order to get different results.
Determining the right A1c goal for you
Just because a blood sugar range of 70 to 130 mg/dL (3.9 to 7.2 mmol/L) is considered the healthiest for people with diabetes doesn’t necessarily mean that’s the appropriate goal range for you — especially if you have type 1 diabetes, or take insulin as a person with type 2 diabetes.
The reason this may not be the right goal for you is that extremely tight blood sugar management in people taking insulin can potentially lead to frequent hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), which can be dangerous.
Achieving extremely tight blood sugar management also generally requires a strict nutrition plan, very frequent blood sugar monitoring, precise medication management, and, often, years of experience studying your blood sugar levels.
Your A1c goals should be set in close consultation with your medical team, who can help balance the benefits and risks of different targets based on your health status, lifestyle, and preferences.
Older adults with cognitive or functional limitations or severe comorbidities (major additional health issues) may have a less-stringent A1c goal of less than 8 percent.
It is also worth noting that your A1c targets can change over time as your diabetes management evolves.
A1c goals should be individualized
“A1c goals should be individualized based on the individual capabilities, risks, and prior experiences,” explains Gary Scheiner, MS, CDCES, founder of Integrated Diabetes and author of Think Like a Pancreas.
“For example, we generally aim for very tight A1c levels during pregnancy and more conservative targets in young children and the elderly.”
Scheiner highlights important factors that could justify aiming for a higher A1c, like hypoglycemia unawareness, a condition in which a person with diabetes no longer feels the typical warning signs of low blood sugar.
Hypoglycemia unawareness can put you at significant risk for severe low blood sugars that have the potential to be life-threatening. To reduce that risk, you would aim for higher target blood sugar ranges.
“Someone with significant hypoglycemia unawareness and a history of severe lows should target higher blood glucose levels than someone who can detect and manage their lows more effectively,” adds Scheiner.
“And certainly, someone who has been running A1cs in double digits [like 10 percent or higher] for quite some time should not be targeting an A1c of 6 percent … better to set modest, realistic, achievable goals.”
Read about reducing your A1c in: How to Lower Your A1c and How to Lower A1c Naturally.
Your blood sugar isn’t just because of what you eat
It’s easy to believe that your blood sugar levels are impacted only by what you eat and how much you exercise, but people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes who check their blood sugars frequently could tell you otherwise.
It’s especially important to keep this in mind when looking at your own blood sugars and your goals, because there are certain variables and challenges that impact blood sugar levels that you can’t always control.
For example:
- Menstrual cycles: often raise blood sugar and insulin needs
- Adrenaline rushes from competitive sports, heated arguments, roller coaster rides, and other intense situations: raise blood sugar and insulin needs
- The common cold and other illnesses: usually raise blood sugar and insulin needs
- Hormonal changes due to puberty and healthy growth in young adults: raise blood sugar and insulin needs
- An injury that increases overall inflammation levels: raises blood sugar and insulin needs
- Gluconeogenesis during anaerobic exercise: raises blood sugar and insulin needs
While you can’t necessarily prevent these factors that affect your blood sugar from occurring, you can work with your diabetes healthcare team to adjust your insulin, other diabetes medications, nutrition, and activity levels to help compensate for them when they do occur.
For example, when engaging in anaerobic exercise such as weightlifting, many people with type 1 diabetes find it necessary to take a small bolus of insulin prior to or during their workout because anaerobic exercise can actually raise blood sugar.
Final thoughts: Still frustrated with your blood sugar and A1c results?
Your blood sugars and your insulin or medication needs never stay in one place. If you gain weight or lose weight, your insulin and medication needs will change. If you become more active or less active, your needs will change. If you make drastic or even small changes to your nutrition, your needs will change.
Working with your diabetes healthcare team and diabetes coaches who can teach you how to make changes in your overall diabetes management plan is essential. Diabetes is a lifelong learning process.
Take a deep breath and be patient. If you don’t like what you’re seeing on your glucose meter, don’t get mad … get studying! Take good notes and work with your team to make changes to reach your goals.
Reema
I checked my A1c and it’s 7.0, I also checked my random blood sugar and it is 139.. after 2hrs of lunch the reading was 135.. fasting for 10hrs the reading was 123.. am I diabetic?
Christel Oerum
With blood sugar reading at that level I’d suggest you quickly see a medical professional to receive a proper diagnosis. A lot can be done if you catch it early
Reema
Can I reduce my A1c without medications.. I am not on medications currently.. but have been drinking bitter gourd juice and fenugreek seeds water every morning on empty stomach..
Christel Oerum
First step is to see a medical professional and there is a chance he/she will tell you to first try and lower your blood sugars through diet and exercise. But you need a medical opinion. If you’re sent home with a “prescription” for exercise and diet, this article could be of help: https://diabetesstrong.com/how-to-lower-your-a1c/
Zery
I am 38years,diagnosed of type 2 Diabetes,I stopped taking drugs after one month of my diagnosis,because I was having low blood sugar level,for close to five months I have not taken any drugs and my blood sugar is within normal range both fasting blood sugar and 2hours post-meal,Is it possible to reverse it?,I am on diabetic meal plan and regular exercise.
Christel Oerum
That’s a great question and something that’s covered extensively in this article: https://diabetesstrong.com/is-type-2-diabetes-reversible/
Sounds like you are part of the approximately 50% of the type 2 population who can achieve “normal” blood sugars without medication
Lynda
Recent A1C shows 7.6 and fasting glucose 4.6
Should I be concerned?
Christel Oerum
That high of an A1c does indicate type 2 diabetes. I’d suggest you book an appointment with a specialist and discuss your blood work. Your fasting glucose is nicely within the normal range, so the A1c could be an error
kumar
Hi
After 2 days of low carb diet and 12 hour fasting my glucose is 69 mg/dL .
Is below 70 is considered hypoglycemia ?
Should i consult doctor?
Christel Oerum
Probably wouldn’t hurt. If you’re on medication your doctor might want to adjust it based on your low readings
Sue
Hello, I needa help trying to understand blood sugar testing. I don’t have diabetes. Runs very heavily on both sides if my family and I am super cautious. I also heard stabilizing blood sugars can help me loose a few pounds so I decided to buy a tester and see where I was at. I am finding that my 2 hour test after a meal is 97ish but my 3 hour test is 153?? Why is my 3 hour test SO much higher than the 2 hour test? Do I digest food that much slower? I’m confused and nervous.
Christel Oerum
If it’s a one-off reading of 153 mg/dl it might be an error. Make sure your hands are clean and dry. If you see it consistently it could be that you have some delayed digestion. Digestion can also be slowed down by the fat content in your food.
If you’re nervous or tend to see high readings, I’d recommend seeing your doctor and get an A1C blood test done
Amanda
I have had gestational diabetes, but returned to normal after giving birth. Today I had a meal with 170 carbs. About 30 mins after eating (but still drinking my high sugar drink) my glucose was 228. An hour later it had come down to 183. This amount of carbs is obviously very high, but should my glucose be lower?
Christel Oerum
With that kind of response to carbohydrates, it’s worth having a conversation with your doctor. As you probably know, having had gestational diabetes puts you at increased risk of developing diabetes. It might however by nothing, but can’t hurt to consult with your medical team
Janet
I need a good diabetic diet, new o this, confused.
Christel Oerum
I don’t believe there is such a thing as a “diabetic diet”. However, you can reduce blood sugar fluctuations by selecting low/medium glycemic food and managing your carbohydrate portion sizes. Examples on what that can look like can be found in our selection of meal plans (HERE)
Harry Mitchell
I have just been labeled diabetic, A1c 6.6, I have been over 6 for years, and 6.5 is a presumptive AO disease with the VA. I have been monitoring my blood sugar levels for 2 weeks, before and after meals. From all meals my average is 116-132, 118-121, 114-144. I guess I am a little confused by all this, because I have not done sugar in 25 years that is intentionally not in my drinks, I don’t do cereal or processed foods and I am a avid label reader, yes I do sweets in moderation not going to stop that, but never HFCS or even CS or added sugars to something that has sugars naturally and just Peanuts in my peanut butter, thank you very much. Do I like my whiskey, you bet, but I have backed way off on the beer and I don’t drink every day or even weekly. I have another test in May, so I guess we will see where I am then, Thanks for letting this scared Vietnam Vet vent.
Christel Oerum
I’m sorry that you are feeling like that and (it sounds like) not given a lot of information. It’s not just sugar that impacts blood sugar, everything you consume that breaks down into energy will end up in your bloodstream.
Carbohydrates are what will impact your blood sugar most drastically, so that’s usually what is recommended that you monitor and potentially cut back on. Most things have some level of carbohydrates (and you don’t have to cut it out completely) but try paying attention to what you eat most frequently, look up what’s in it and measure your blood sugar to see how that food impacts you. For example, you might really like (just examples) potatoes, oranges or something else that’s healthy but impacts your blood sugar more than you’d like, so you might want to cut back a little on that.
Another good read for you could also be this article: https://diabetesstrong.com/how-to-lower-your-a1c/
And hang in there, all you can do is your best
S.K.SINGH
Very helpful articles. I am diabetic plz suggest if any new development in this area.
Afsar
Very helpful article. I just started monitoring my blood sugar, and looks like it’s in normal range. I’m considered prediabetic, and trying to stay with low carb. If I keep working towards getting normal, how long it takes before knowing that I’m no longer prediabetic?
Christel Oerum
You’ll have to have that discussion with the medical professional who diagnosed you. And it will be something you’ll have to be mindful of for the rest of your life
Abhinav Ahuja
Great article shared by you! As a new health blogger, I always eager to know about health problems and their solutions. Your post helped me to find new things.
Thanks for the post.