what is a normal blood glucose level for non-diabetic?
I recently did my fasting lab-work and my blood glucose level was 124. My dr says it is elevated and wants me to retest.
I just tested my blood-sugar with a glucometer and it was 145. I ate a small sandwich about 2 hours ago. I am worried that I might be diabetic, or border line.
What is a normal number?
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4 Responses to “what is a normal blood glucose level for non-diabetic?”
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Normal glucose levels fall between 70 and 150 mg. Levels typically are lower in the morning, and rise after meals. Blood sugar levels falling consistently above 150 are indicative of hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar. Chronic low levels, falling below 70, characterize hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar.
Diabetes is diagnosed with 2 or more fasting numbers over 125. Fasting glucose should be under 110. Home glucometers are not accurate enough to diagnose with. Ask your doc for an A1c test. You don’t have to fast for it. The number should be under 7.
A ‘normal’ fasting blood glucose level for a non-diabetic is between 70 and 99 mg/dL. Obviously, with yours being higher than this, you can see why your doctor wants you to be retested.
Even after eating, a non-diabetics blood glucose level wouldn’t normally be higher than 140 mg/dL. This is because blood glucose control is kept within tight constraints by the autonomic nervous system.
After eating and breakdown of carbohydrates, by way of digestion and absorption, blood glucose rises. A signal is sent to the pancreas to produce more insulin. Insulin allows the transport of glucose into the body’s tissues in order to make energy. It’s this that keeps us alive. Because glucose is being used in this manner, the blood glucose level falls. This, in turn, sends another signal to the pancreas to produce glucagon. This stimulates the liver to release some of it’s store of glycogen … the way it stores glucose … which, obviously, raises the blood sugar level. As I say, this happens automatically … via the autonomic nervous system … in a non-diabetic, that is.
The reason your doctor wishes you to be retested is because a single high reading would not be sufficient to make a diagnosis. There are a number of reasons why blood sugar levels may increase including such things as, whether or not you have an infection, stress and anxiety suffered by yourself, various medical conditions, etc. etc.
If your second test also comes back that you have a raised blood glucose level, your doctor may, yet again, consider further testing … specifically an OGTT (Oral Glucose Tolerance Test), and maybe an HbA1c (Gycated haemoglobin [hemoglobin]), which would give your doctor a picture of what your blood sugar levels have been like over the previous three months.
Please note, the terms blood glucose and blood sugar are used interchangeably.
A blood sugar level for a NORMAL person is the same as that expected for a diabetic — 80-120. ALL people need to keep their blood sugar in that range.
So you are very slightly high. Did not FAST (8 hours no food or dink, only water) before taking the test? What did you eat at your last meal? When was your last meal?
it is also EXTREMELY important that you take the reading at the proper times. You MUST take your reading FIVE MINUTES before you eat. DO NOT take readings AFTER you eat, unless the doctor ask for it.
When you eat, you blood sugar WILL go higher, but should drop back to normal before your next meal. Unless you are specially trained to interpret non-fasting blood sugar results, the information will be misleading and scary.
This one slightly-high reading is probably just a fluke, and if you make minor corrections in your diet (drink only DIET colas, no sports drinks or energy drinks (which contain high amounts of sugar ), learn to drink you tea with no sugar or only artificial sweeteners, give up the snacks, and eat less bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes) you should be fine.