.jpg)
Each day, millions of diabetics walk a tightrope between too little sugar in the bloodstream and too much.Left unchecked this can have disastrous consequences.
Again, if you are just joining us for this series: Diabetes is a malfunction in the body’s ability to convert carbohydrates (sweet and starchy foods such as fruit, bread and vegetables) into energy to power the body.
In a normal body, carbohydrates are converted to glucose and other simple sugars in the stomach and small intestine, which circulate in the blood through the body and goes to the liver, muscle and fat cells, either to be stored for later use or to be used immediately as energy. In a person with Diabetes the process is interrupted and the glucose is unable to enter the cells. This process relies on a hormone called insulin which is produced by the pancreas – a six inch long gland located behind the stomach.
Normal Blood Glucose Levels
The answer to determining your normal blood sugar depends on whether you have eaten food in the last six hours. Before breakfast, when you have not had food for 8 or more hours, normal blood sugar would be between 70 and 100 mg/dl. However, after a meal, normal blood sugar rarely goes above 200 mg/dl.
| Normal Blood Glucose Levels | |
| Fasting blood glucose | Less than 100 mg/dl |
| After-meal blood glucose (2-hrs) | 140 mg/dl |
| Bedtime glucose | Less than 120 mg/dl |
| Haemoglobin A 1c | Less than 6 % |
Blood sugar goals for people with Diabetes
The ‘1001 tips for living well with Diabetes’ published by the American Diabetes Association encourage Diabetics to try for nearly normal blood sugar levels with few episodes of low blood sugar.
| Blood sugar goals for people with Diabetes | |||
| Non-diabetic | Good | Action needed | |
| Before-meal blood sugar | Less than 100 | 90-130 | Less than 70 more than 200 |
| After-meal blood sugar | Less than 140 | 160 | Less than 100 or more than 180 |
| Haemoglobin A 1c | Less than 6% | 7 % | 8% |
Keeping a Diabetes programme
Keep track of your Diabetes the same way you do your checking account – by keeping tabs on the balance. With Diabetes, the balance is the sum of:
– Your blood sugar
– Your daily weight
– Your blood pressure
– Your exercise
– How you feel
If all of these items meet your goals, then you are doing fine. Keep a daily record of your blood glucose and weight. You can check your blood pressure at home or have it done at private pharmacies for only a small fee, normally $ 40 (US 20 cents). Make daily exercise one of your goals. When you monitor your health daily, you help yourself succeed.
| Date | Weight | Blood Pressure | Average Glucose | Feelings | Excercise |
| 2014/02/27 | 150 | 122/80 | 102 | Good | Yes |
| 2014/02/28 | 150 | 120/175 | 111 | Good | No |
| 2014/02/29 | 149 | 115/80 | 98 | So-so | Yes |
If you’re wondering if there is a level of average blood sugar below where you do not have to worry about complications from diabetes – there isn’t according to “1001 tips…” The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) looked at the relationship between average blood sugar levels (as measured by A1c) and the beginning of complications. There is no level below which the risk disappears. However the lower your A1C (also known as haemoglobin A1c), the lower your risk of eye, kidney and nerve disease. Therefore you can try for the best average blood sugar that you can.
Improving your blood sugar level is important because you will feel more energy and a greater sense of well being when your blood sugar enters the normal range.
Sources:
1. Diabetes Questions you have… Answers you need. Published by: Peoples Medical Society: Pennsylvania in 1997.
2. 1001 tips for living well with Diabetes. Published by: American Diabetes Association: Virginia, 2004.
3. The Home Remedies Handbook: Over 1000 ways to heal yourself. With John Renner, M.D and the Consumer Health Research Institute. Illinois: Publication International Ltd, 1993.
By Michelle Gonsalves
