Blood Glucose Levels Chart: What’s Normal, High, and Dangerous?

Using a Blood Glucose Levels Chart for Diabetes Management

As a diabetic, it is very important for you to be aware of and regulate your blood sugar levels.

This is because if glucose levels are not managed and as a result, stay elevated, this can severely compromise your health and lead to detrimental long term complications of uncontrolled diabetes. 

Utilizing a blood glucose levels chart is very helpful in tracking blood sugar trends and being able to prevent complications, by being aware and making necessary changes to keep glucose levels in range.

There are many different factors that impact our blood sugar values and it is important to know what the healthy ranges are and when our levels are within these ranges or being negatively impacted by outside factors.

Some of the factors that affect blood glucose levels include: diet, medication, activity, and stress. 

What a Blood Glucose Levels Chart Measures in Diabetes

Blood glucose is the level of sugar (glucose) in your bloodstream at any given time. Some glucose in the blood is normal, as it is the primary source of energy for the cells of the body. 

However, elevated blood sugar levels, above what is considered a normal range of blood glucose, can cause serious health risks.

Using a blood glucose levels chart to be aware if your glucose levels are above normal range is very important in the effective management of diabetes. 

There are different types of blood sugar readings that are used in managing diabetes and knowing if you are in range or not. Listed below are a few:

• Fasting blood glucose - this is the glucose level taken first thing in the morning, before eating or drinking anything. I like to say - “feet on the floor”, as this is a true fasting number. 

• Post-meal (also called “postprandial”) glucose - this is taken 1-2 hours after starting a meal. 

• Random glucose (also called non-fasting glucose) - taken basically at any time during the day aside from first thing in the morning or 1-2 hours following a meal. This is often what helps healthcare providers dig deeper into a possible diagnosis of diabetes. Many times, people will go to their family doctor complaining of symptoms of high blood sugar and the doctor will perform a random glucose test. If elevated, they will send them to get the next one on our list - an A1C. 

• A1C levels - this test is a good indicator of how your blood sugar control has been managed in the long-term. 

Being consistent with the above testing for a diabetic is very critical in helping to make informed decisions on lifestyle adjustments, medication changes, and meal choices. 

Being aware of your blood glucose levels gives you the ability to discern, with the help of your diabetes team, if specific aspects are working or not working and what must be changed to avoid complications. 

This is where I help as a diabetes coach!

I help you assess your blood glucose levels at various times throughout the day to determine helpful or hindering habits and trends and we discuss adjustments together to get on the right track.

We then implement these adjustments to get you in range and work to avoid long term complications of diabetes. 

Blood Glucose Levels Chart: Normal, Prediabetic, and Diabetic Ranges

Blood sugar levels often rise and dip for even individuals without diabetes. Their fluctuations just tend to be a lot less extreme and their glucose levels come back to normal in optimal time to protect the body from complications of sustained elevated glucose levels.

For prediabetics, their blood glucose levels rise more than a person without diabetes, but not to the extent that a diabetic’s glucose will rise. 

Target glucose ranges do vary from person to person based on different individual factors such as age, other health conditions, and pregnancy.

Your diabetes team can help you to determine your target glucose levels at the different times they suggest you to monitor your blood sugar. 

Below is a detailed blood glucose levels chart that provides normal and diabetic blood glucose levels. 

Category	Fasting (mg/dL)	Post-Meal (mg/dL)	A1C (%)
Normal	70 - 99	< 140	< 5.7%
Prediabetes	100 - 125	140 - 199	5.7 - 6.4%
Diabetes (Target)	80 - 130	< 180	< 7.0%
Hypoglycemia	< 70	-	-

How to Use a Blood Glucose Levels Chart for Diabetes Management

Using a glucose levels chart can help simplify the diabetes management process of identifying trends, understanding the trends, and making necessary adjustments to treatment. 

You can monitor and track fasting, pre and post-meal glucose levels and then use the chart to see if you are hitting your targets or need to make adjustments in order to do so. 

It is also very helpful to use a glucometer, or better yet, a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) to check your blood sugar levels at these different times of the day.

Having a glucose log is very helpful to keep and then reflect back on to have a better understanding of what is impacting your blood sugar.

It is important to work with your diabetes team to determine your individual glucose targets and what specifically you should be monitoring to assist in hitting goals. 

High Blood Glucose Levels in Diabetes: Causes, Risks, and Solutions

Some of the common causes of hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) in diabetes are excess carbs, or lack of balanced food consumption, stress, missed medication, and inactivity. 

The issue with chronically elevated blood sugar levels is the risk it places the individual for longer term diabetes complications such as foot ulcers, retinopathy, neuropathy, and heart disease. 

If you are not consuming a well balanced diet and tend to overconsume simple carbs, this is very likely contributing to the elevated glucose levels.

Instead of consuming carb heavy meals and snacks, try to eat more balanced meals that include fiber, protein, and healthy fats. 

If medications are being missed, you can try a calendar reminder on your phone, or if you prefer a physical calendar - you can check off the days/times the medications were taken.

If medications are not being missed, perhaps your diabetes team needs to address medication adjustments.

Adding or increasing consistent activity is another simple, effective, and very beneficial way to  help drive your blood sugar down.

Pro tip: try for a 15 - 20 min walk after your largest meal of the day. 

Low Blood Glucose Levels in Diabetes: Understanding Hypoglycemia

Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) is when your blood sugar drops to a level that is below the standard range (typically < 70 mg/dL) and is unhealthy for the individual. 

This happens for various reasons, but some of the common factors include: when people skip meals, over-medication, excessive exercise, or alcohol consumption.

Often when diabetics have low blood sugar, they experience several different very uncomfortable symptoms that are important to be aware of, to detect it early.

Immediate treatment is necessary when a diabetic is hypoglycemic. 

The warning signs that people often experience are shakiness, confusion, sweating, hunger, elevated heart rate, trouble speaking clearly, and irritability. 

If your blood sugar is very low, it may become a very dangerous situation and may lead to loss of consciousness or you may have a seizure. This is very dangerous and requires treatment right away. 

I remember vividly, one of the scariest times in my life was realizing one of my loved ones was in one of these very dangerous situations experiencing the lowest glucose level I had ever seen (11 mg/dL), while still remaining somewhat conscious, but starting to seize. 

In this particular case, this individual experienced hypoglycemia unawareness, which is where the diabetic doesn’t feel the symptoms of a low blood sugar as most typically would. This is often caused by frequent hypoglycemic episodes. 

It is very important for diabetics and those close to them to know how to treat hypoglycemia and severe hypoglycemia.

Having a CGM with low alarms set and or checking your blood sugar, especially if experiencing any of these symptoms, is vital in the effective treatment of a low.

If glucose is < 70 mg/dL and the person is conscious, use the 15-15 rule of consuming 15 grams of fast acting carbs such as 3-4 glucose tabs or 4 oz of regular juice and recheck your blood sugar after 15 minutes.

It is very important to carry emergency glucose tabs with you at all times. 

Tips for Maintaining Blood Glucose Levels in a Healthy Range

Using a blood glucose levels chart to assist in tracking trends is extremely helpful in optimizing your blood sugar management and avoiding severe lows or highs. 

In addition to using a glucose chart and monitoring your glucose consistently, some key lifestyle adjustments that can significantly improve glucose are:

• Diet - consume well balanced meals that include lean protein, healthy fat, fiber, and low- glycemic foods. 

• Exercise: regular activity and movement can improve glucose levels by improving insulin sensitivity.

• Hydration and Sleep: staying well hydrated can help flush glucose and getting quality sleep can help prevent cortisol spikes, which cause elevated glucose levels also. 

• Stress Management: similar to trouble sleeping, high stress levels can cause a spike in cortisol and result in glucose spikes.

  
  

Blood Glucose Levels Chart as a Tool for Diabetes Control

I can’t stress enough how important it is to monitor your blood sugar regularly and use a blood glucose levels chart to understand your trends and know if adjustments need to be made to your management plan. 

If you do not have a diabetes management team, I highly recommend that you get one.

Having the support and additional expertise assessing your data and reviewing your plan can help you gain control of your diabetes and feel less controlled by your diabetes. 

If you or a loved one could benefit from me joining your diabetes management team, don’t wait, book a call with me today! 

I would love to join you in your diabetes journey and walk beside you providing support along the way. 

Meet the Author

Hi! I’m Beth, a Registered Nurse and Certified Diabetes Educator. I provide diabetes coaching for newly diagnosed people with diabetes and also work with people who have been living with diabetes for some time.

With 1:1 coaching, you will feel empowered and supported to confidently manage your diabetes effectively - without it controlling your life! I can help you make sure that you feel good, stay in optimal health and take care of your well-being at all times.

First call is on me! Let’s talk.