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  • With Mayo Clinic diabetes educators

    Nancy Klobassa, R.N., and Peggy Moreland, R.N.

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  • Living with diabetes blog

  • Dec. 31, 2008

    Know your blood glucose target range

    By Nancy Klobassa, R.N., and Peggy Moreland, R.N.

59 comments posted

Wow, what a tremendous response to the new diabetes blog. You are showing the huge impact diabetes has on an individual's life, family, community, and society as a whole.

Peggy and I would like to thank all of you for sharing your stories about living with diabetes. As you all know, diabetes is a complex issue and there are many facets involved in managing and living with the disease.

In viewing the comments, we would like to thank you for sharing your personal experiences, challenges, burdens, and successes. This is your opportunity to share information and tips, and Peggy and I plan on choosing a couple items each week to respond to.

This week I would like to talk about the blood glucose target range. What should it be? A normal fasting blood glucose target range for an individual without diabetes is 70-100 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or 3.9-5.6 millimoles per liter (mmol/L). The American Diabetes Association recommends a fasting plasma glucose level of 90-130 mg/dL (5.0-7.2 mmol/L) and after meals less than 180 mg/dL (10 mmol/L). The Mayo Clinic endocrinology department has 3 standardized blood glucose target ranges.

Fasting blood glucose targets:

Standard target 80-120 mg/dL (4.4-6.7 mmol/L)
Modified target 100-140 mg/dL (5.6-7.8 mmol/L)
Pregnancy target 60-100 mg/dL (3.3-5.6 mmol/L)

*Individuals with hypoglycemic unawareness (limited or no awareness of low blood glucose symptoms) are in the modified blood glucose target. Your healthcare provider may personalize your blood glucose target for specific medical conditions. Blood glucose targets should be in a healthy range to prevent diabetes complications, but also keep you safe from serious low blood glucoses.

Remember, blood glucose targets are targets. Diabetes is a balancing acting and blood glucoses will fluctuate; even sharpshooters don't hit the bull's-eye every time.

Once again, thank you. Keep the comments coming. We will try to address some of your concerns in the upcoming weeks.

- Nancy

59 comments posted

blog index

  • January 8, 2009 11:13 a.m.

    I'd like to hear from Type 1's living with insulin therapy for more than 25 years. I am a complication-free diabetic after 30 years. My A1C's for a year have been around a 7%. Recently numbers like 64 and 71 have been making me have symptoms of a 30 or 40. (Yes! I'm still awake at those numbers.) Is anyone else experiencing these symptoms at low-average blood-sugar numbers? Barb

    - Barbara

  • January 7, 2009 5:10 p.m.

    I appreciate the info on this site however, being from Canada we don't use mg/dl. How do I convert?

    - Bev

  • January 6, 2009 10:42 p.m.

    I would like information on what types of food to avoid when in Prediabetes so you don't go into diabetes. I read labels but everything has sugar of some amount. I can't take sugar substitutes they give me diarreah. My recipes are old and need a way to adjust them and reduce the sugar????

    - Mary

  • January 6, 2009 10:08 p.m.

    I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes 2-3 years ago and for most of that time my blood sugar readings have been a little high, but within reasonable limits. However over the last 6 months they have deteriorated significantly, and I have been getting non fasting readings averaging around 250, with my non-fasting readings frequently going over the 350 mark. This at a time when I have been more scrupulous than ever about my diet. As I also have sleep apnoea and have noticed a similar deterioration in this over the same period, I am wondering if this can account for the increase in blood sugar levels. Are the two things possibly connected?

    - Jeff K

  • January 6, 2009 2:35 p.m.

    I was diagnosed with type 2 diabeties in September 2008. I have not had much problem keeping my sugar level within the target range, but this morning, 2 hrs. after breakfast my level was 76, which really shocked me. I ate basicly the same thing I eat every morning. Usually I am in the 110 to 120 level after breakfast. This has really thrown me for a loop, any insight as to why?

    - Sharon

  • January 6, 2009 1:21 p.m.

    Suzy M.: "I don't know my glucose fasting level; however my non fasting level is almost 400 which seems very high. Is this something to be concerned about." Yes, Suzy, a glucose reading of almost 400 is high, even non-fasting. You should immediately contact your health care provider for evaluation.

    - Peggy Moreland

  • January 6, 2009 11:01 a.m.

    I have difficulty with my fasting blood sugar in the morning. Whether I've eaten a ton of carbs or nothing the night before, whether I'm on med or not, my reading is always in the high 200s. I've read about this "dawn phenomenon" but it's very frustrating not being able to get ahold of this problem. I'd love to see even a 140 reading on occasion.

    - Sara

  • January 5, 2009 1:03 p.m.

    I don't know my glucose fasting level; however my non fasting level is almost 400 which seems very high. Is this something to be concerned about.

    - Suzy M

  • December 31, 2008 8:34 p.m.

    Thank you for this information and I'm looking forward to much more! I am a recently diagnosed diabetic and have had a hard time knowing what to eat and how it will effect me. It seems that even when I've eaten well, (low carbs) my blood sugar can still spike. I can't understand why. Can something I ate yesterday effect my glucose levels, today-24 hours later? That is a puzzle I would love to solve. Thanks again!

    - Sarah C.

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