Post Time: 2025-09-01
Understanding Your Blood Sugar Range: A Guide to Healthy Living
Maintaining a healthy blood sugar range is crucial for optimal health, and it's essential to understand what this means in terms of numbers. The American Diabetes Association recommends that fasting blood glucose levels should be less than 100 mg/dL, while post-meal levels should be below 140 mg/dL.
In individuals with diabetes, the goal is often to keep these numbers as close to normal as possible through a combination of diet, exercise, and medication. For those without diabetes but at risk due to family history or other factors, maintaining healthy blood sugar ranges can help prevent complications like heart disease and kidney damage. Monitoring techniques such as glucometers and Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGM) are commonly used for this purpose.
The Science Behind Normal Blood Sugar Range Explained
Insulin sensitivity plays a vital role in regulating blood sugar levels. When you eat, your body breaks down carbohydrates into glucose, which is then absorbed by the bloodstream. Insulin helps facilitate this process by unlocking cells to absorb excess glucose. However, as we age or become overweight/obese, our bodies may develop insulin resistance – making it more challenging for insulin to do its job effectively.
This can lead to fluctuations in blood sugar levels, both high and low. High blood sugar is often a sign that the body isn't responding well to insulin (a hallmark of type 2 diabetes), while low blood sugar typically indicates an imbalance between glucose production and usage by cells.
Maintaining Your Blood Sugar Range: What You Should Know
Dietary choices significantly impact blood sugar levels, making nutrition expertise invaluable in managing them. Focus on consuming whole foods rich in fiber like vegetables, fruits, whole grains (brown rice), lean proteins (chicken breast) and healthy fats found in nuts/nut butters/avocados.
Starchy vegetables such as potatoes are often misunderstood – they actually contribute significantly less to the glycemic load compared with refined starches. Some popular diets aimed at stabilizing blood sugar levels include low-carb, keto or Mediterranean eating plans that prioritize whole foods over processed ones.
Fluctuations in Blood Sugar and Their Consequences
Blood glucose fluctuates throughout the day due to various factors including meal timing, physical activity level (especially aerobic exercise), sleep patterns, stress levels as well as hormone fluctuations experienced by women – notably during menstrual cycles. These variations might go unnoticed but can impact blood vessel function.
In extreme cases of prolonged high/low blood sugar episodes known medically as diabetic ketoacidosis or hypoglycemia respectively; the body may become overwhelmed leading to life-threatening health issues such as heart failure, kidney damage etc., underlining why maintaining optimal ranges is essential for overall well-being.
Diabetes in pregnancy is common in women of all shapes and sizes during pregnancy and you will likely be tested for it at ~24-28 weeks along. This week we dive into what this testing is and how it went for Sarah, in addition to the big things you should know about managing gestational diabetes while pregnant and how diabetes blood sugar 181 before eating can affect mom, the baby, and your delivery date! Key information and ms and blood sugar levels graphics used in this video came from the ACOG Practice Bulletin "Gestational Diabetes Mellitus" Number 190, February 2018 Affiliate links to all products mentioned in video here: Also check out our video to learn about the key does beef raise blood sugar steps to staying healthy in pregnancy: Intro Music: A WAY FOR ME - Nicolai Heidlas by Chem Ocampo Images from: Keywords: pregnancy update, the doctors bjorkman, second trimester pregnancy, third trimester pregnancy, pregnancy vlog obgyn, OBGYN, healthy pregnancy, newborn, new mom, pregnancy