What should my blood sugar levels be?

Your blood sugar levels vary based on fasting and eating. Endocrinologist Jack Merendino, MD, explains the normal ranges for blood sugar and how medication and lifestyle may be interfering with good blood sugar levels.

Transcript

00:00

Some medications like metformin carry very little risk of low blood sugar. And people can get their sugars lower

00:06

if that's the only medication they're taking. If they're on insulin or certain oral medications, they have to be more careful about preventing low sugars.

00:14

[MUSIC PLAYING]

00:22

Normal blood sugar levels when you're fasting or before you eat are under 100, generally, between about 70 and 100.

00:29

Now after you eat, if you don't have diabetes, typically they'll rise to about 130 an hour or two after you eat.

00:37

If you look at recommendations that are made by the American Diabetes Association or other organizations, you'll be given numbers.

00:43

For example, the American Diabetes Association usually says that before meals, you should have a blood sugar of between about 80 and 130,

00:51

and after a meal, an hour or two after a meal, you shouldn't go higher than 180. But then we have to ask ourselves

00:58

if those numbers are higher than normal, why is it that we can't achieve normal blood sugars? And the answer is hypoglycemia, low blood sugar.

01:06

What always limits your ability to get the sugar down is the possibility that you'll go too low. And low blood sugars are a serious problem.

01:14

Instead of giving a number, a lot of times I'll say to them that the general point is to get your blood sugars as close to normal as you can

01:22

provided you don't have a big risk of a low blood sugar reaction. And to a large extent, that depends on what medications you're taking because really,

01:30

in most people with diabetes, the cause of low blood sugar is medications. Some medications like metformin carry very little risk

01:37

of low blood sugar. And people can get their sugars lower if that's the only medication they're taking. If they're on insulin or certain oral medications,

01:45

they have to be more careful about preventing low sugars. [AUDIO LOGO]