Blood sugar, or blood glucose, is essential to life. When you eat carbohydrates, your body breaks them down and converts them to sugar, which is then released into your bloodstream. Your pancreas secretes a hormone known as insulin, which helps those sugars enter your cells, where they are used for energy. But if you have diabetes or prediabetes, this system doesn’t work as it should. Depending on the type of diabetes you have, your pancreas may not produce enough insulin, or your body may be unable to use it effectively. Either way, the result is that your blood sugar will rise to unsafe levels. High blood sugar over long periods can cause extensive damage to your body, so it’s crucial to keep yours in check. But what does that mean? How can you maintain blood sugar level control, and what are typical target levels? How is it tracked? Let’s break it all down.
Learn your baseline blood sugar level
The first step is to determine your current blood sugar level. Your EHE exam includes a hemoglobin A1C test. This measures your average blood sugar over several months. It involves a simple blood draw, and your result is reported as a percentage. An A1C of less than 5.7% is considered normal. If yours is 5.7% to 6.4%, you have prediabetes, which means that you don’t yet have diabetes, but you’ll need to make some significant lifestyle changes to prevent it. An A1C of 6.5% or higher is considered diabetes, and the higher the number, the higher your risk of complications.
Know your targets
If you have diabetes or prediabetes, your doctor will help you set goals for lowering your blood sugar. While an A1C of less than 5.7% is the gold standard, it’s not realistic for many people with diabetes. Generally, for people with existing diabetes, an A1C of less than 7.0% is considered well-controlled, while an A1C of less than 6% is considered excellent. But these targets can vary widely depending on your personal profile, so only your doctor can tell you what’s right for you.
Since A1C is only measured every few months, if yours is elevated, you’ll also need to track your blood sugar daily to determine if you’re on the right track. There are various methods for doing this, from finger sticks to wearable continuous blood sugar monitors. Discuss your target numbers with your doctor and determine which technology is best suited for you. As a general rule of thumb, your fasting blood sugar (typically tested first thing in the morning) should be between 80 and 130, and your sugar should rise no higher than 180 two hours after any meal. But like A1C, your personal targets may be slightly different than average based on your unique health profile.
Consider your diet
Controlling your blood sugar starts with the foods you consume. The more carbohydrates you eat, the higher your blood sugar will rise. But there’s also a danger of not consuming enough carbs, especially if you’re taking insulin or oral diabetes medication. In general, you’ll want to eat about 60 to 75 grams of carbs in each of three meals during the day, along with two snacks of no more than 25 grams. Again, these specific targets might change depending on your personal needs.
It’s important to maintain a generally healthy diet, consisting primarily of whole foods, lean proteins, and a variety of fruits and vegetables. But eating for diabetes doesn’t mean giving up everything you love. It’s fine to indulge in your favorite dessert or holiday hot dog now and then. The secret is portion control. For example, you could eat a healthy, low-carb dinner followed by a half-slice of cake. Read food packaging, look up nutritional information for your favorite restaurant meals, and calculate the total carbs for each meal and snack.
Get moving
The CDC recommends that all adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week, which translates to just 30 minutes, five days a week. For people with diabetes, exercise is even more critical. Physical activity can help you maintain a healthy weight, which is crucial for effective diabetes management. Exercise can also help your body utilize insulin more effectively. Of course, you’ll want to check your blood sugar before and after exercising, especially if you take insulin, to ensure that it doesn’t go too high or too low.
Remember, physical activity doesn’t have to mean hitting the gym. Walking, dancing, shooting hoops, and anything else that elevates your heart rate and breathing all count. An easy way to get some extra exercise is simply to start parking in the back of parking lots. Depending on your destination, you could easily log 10 minutes of walking just going to and from the car!
Consider diabetes education
If you have diabetes or prediabetes, your doctor may recommend a diabetes education class. Managing this condition can be complex, but diabetes educators are masters at breaking it all down into an easy-to-follow plan that meets each person’s unique needs. You can also work with an EHE Health Coach throughout the year on ways to meet your blood sugar goals.