Sugar levels throughout the day can vary in one direction or another, and the lowest blood glucose level occurs between 3-4 hours of the night. Correct disease-specific figures can be obtained at 7 o’clock in the morning.
On an empty stomach, the norm is set from 3.4 to 5.5 units. The maximum glucose level is recorded in the daytime at about 15:00. Its value can be in the range from 6.4 to 7.9 units. That is why it is recommended to measure your blood glucose after a meal exactly two hours later. After this interval, glucose begins to decrease gradually.
A sugar test is carried out in order to reject or verify the presence of diabetes, to identify any disease, as well as to control the sugar level when diagnosing an ailment, as well as to reveal gestational diabetes during pregnancy .
It is necessary to find out how much sugar should be in the blood after a meal, as well as on an empty stomach, what is their norm in a child and an adult? When is type 2 diabetes mellitus diagnosed in adults and children, and why is a glucometer needed ?
What should be the glucose rate?
Usually, the blood glucose level is found out a couple of times – an analysis is carried out throughout the day, every time the patient has taken food.
For any type of disease, the required number of studies is determined during one day. Sugar levels can rise or fall during the day, and this is a normal process in the human body. For example, it is slightly higher in the evening and lower in the morning.
When a person has eaten, his blood glucose level rises, but this does not mean that he has a disease. The normal indicator of a healthy person, regardless of gender, is 5.5 units on an empty stomach.
If the blood sugar is elevated, then repeated studies are carried out (3 times), allowing a more detailed examination of the dynamics of changes. In addition, due to control, you can control the patient’s condition, and avoid serious complications.
It is also permissible to measure blood sugar at home; a special device – a glucometer – will help with this .
Normal blood sugar table:
- During the day, the sugar in the biological fluid of a person should be from 3.4 to 5.6 units on an empty stomach (in children too).
- In the lunchtime, before meals, as well as before dinner in the evening, the norm is considered to be up to 6.1 units.
- One hour after the patient has eaten, the sugar rises to 8.9 units, and this is the norm.
- Two hours after eating, blood glucose has already dropped to 6.8 units.
- At night, if you measure blood sugar in a healthy person, then it can be up to 3.9 units, everything above this figure is not normal.
When blood sugar levels exceed 7-10 units on an empty stomach, then a second study is performed, a glucose tolerance test. When a second result is obtained with data such as 7-10 units, type 2 or type 1 diabetes is diagnosed.
In the first stages, in order to normalize a person’s condition, and his sugar to normal, it is recommended to change the lifestyle, in particular, a certain health-improving diet and physical activity. When sugar is kept at 10 units or more, insulin is prescribed. It is also important for the diabetic to know what to do if the blood sugar is 20.
Doctors recommend that patients with suspected diabetes of any type buy a blood glucose meter to further monitor their blood sugar levels. The glucometer must be used not only in cases when the patient is unwell, but also as a prophylaxis, in order to track changes in their indicators in time.
Sugar rate after meals in men, women, children
Unambiguously, it is believed that the level of glucose in the blood does not depend on gender, but in a number of situations in medical practice there is a table that shows minor differences among men and women, which allows one to suspect the development of diabetes mellitus.
Based on statistics, we can say that the fairer sex is more susceptible to diabetes of the first and second types, this is due to the physiological characteristics and functioning of the female body.
Fasting sugar in the weaker sex normally has a value of up to 5.5 units. If the amount of sugar in the blood is exceeded, then a second study is carried out. Sugar after eating rises, and can reach 8.8 units. However, despite such a high rate, this is still the norm.
Every hour, the amount of glucose in the blood gradually changes, and after about two or three hours it returns to its original value. It is after such a period of time that the body requires food.
It is worth noting an interesting point that it is in the female sex that sugar is quickly transformed into an energy component, so they cannot live without sweets. The same can be said about a child who will never give up candy or ice cream. Many parents, worried about the health of their child, are interested in how much sugar should children have? What is the normal indicator of the level of glucose in the blood of a child, to answer this question the following list:
- The normal indicator for a child is up to 5.6 units. If it is high, then the assumption that there is diabetes is fully justified.
- Immediately after the patient has eaten, the amount of glucose can rise to 7.9 units, and it will be so for an hour.
If you use a glucometer and measure blood sugar in a child for one hour (after he has eaten), then you can see that he is kept almost at the same level, and after two hours he begins to gradually decrease.
Sadly, but the fact is indisputable, in the last 10 years, diabetes mellitus type 1 and 2 has been more and more often diagnosed in primary school children. If you previously suspected diabetes mellitus, you need to purchase a glucometer that allows you to find out your indicators at any time.
If after a meal the glucose level is high and exceeds the figure of 10 units, a re-analysis is prescribed, in which case we can preliminarily talk about diabetes.
What information does the analysis of tolerance give?
Before taking a test for diabetes, they first take an analysis on an empty stomach (do not eat for 8-10 hours). An analysis is then carried out to determine the sugar tolerance. The patient is offered to take 75 ml of glucose, an analysis is taken, after two hours it must be taken again.
Two hours later, after the patient has drunk glucose, the norm is less than 10 units (venous blood), and the capillary more than 10 units, in particular 11 units. A violation of tolerance is considered to be an indicator of 10 units (venous blood), and more than 11 units – capillary blood.
If the indicator is high on an empty stomach, then a second test is carried out after two hours. When sugar levels are still elevated, type 1 or type 2 diabetes is suspected. In this situation, it is recommended to take tests again, you can control your blood sugar level at any time at home, a glucometer will help with this .
Blood sugar can rise as well as critically decrease both on an empty stomach and after meals. With 3 units of glucose, which is considered an extreme mark, the clinical picture is as follows:
- Weakness, general malaise.
- Increased sweating.
- It’s hard to listen to the pulse.
- The heart muscles are overloaded, there are malfunctions of the heart.
- Tremor of the limbs.
- Confusion of consciousness.
It should be noted that patients with diabetes are at risk of developing cancer, since high sugar affects the human immune system.
Diabetes advice
Having learned what is the norm for diabetes, and what tests need to be taken, and why you need a glucometer , you need to consider the basic recommendations for lowering blood sugar.
In order to normalize your sugar level in the morning, in the evening and in general, forever, it is recommended to adhere to a special diet, which is prescribed for diabetes of any type.
Patient reviews claim that after a diet, the analysis shows a reduced value, and the sugar level gradually decreases.
It is necessary to exclude ordinary bread from your diet, giving preference to whole grain . Enrich your menu with fresh vegetables and fruits that are high in fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.
Basic diet rules:
- Fractional food, overeating is not recommended.
- Limit your intake of saturated fat.
- Eat fermented milk products every day.
In summing up, it is important to note that if the analysis showed a high sugar content, you should not panic and immediately diagnose yourself with diabetes. Since glucose is influenced by stressful situations, nervous tension, and a number of other factors.