What should your blood sugar be when you wake up? Whenever possible, aim to keep your glucose levels in range between 70 and 130 mg/dL in the morning before you eat breakfast, and between 70 and 180 mg/dL at other times.
Normal blood sugar levels when you wake up
According to the American Diabetes Association, your blood sugar when you wake should be below 100 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/L) if you don't have diabetes.
What we call fasting blood sugar or blood glucose levels is usually done six to eight hours after the last meal. So it's most commonly done before breakfast in the morning; and the normal range there is 70 to 100 milligrams per deciliter.
Target blood sugar levels differ for everyone, but generally speaking: if you monitor yourself at home – a normal target is 4-7mmol/l before eating and under 8.5-9mmol/l two hours after a meal.
For most people without diabetes, normal blood sugar levels are: between 4 and to 6 mmol/L before meals. less than 8 mmol/L two hours after eating.
An A1C below 5.7% is normal, between 5.7 and 6.4% indicates you have prediabetes, and 6.5% or higher indicates you have diabetes.
A normal A1C level is below 5.7%, a level of 5.7% to 6.4% indicates prediabetes, and a level of 6.5% or more indicates diabetes. Within the 5.7% to 6.4% prediabetes range, the higher your A1C, the greater your risk is for developing type 2 diabetes.
The dawn phenomenon
In the early hours of the morning, hormones, including cortisol and growth hormone, signal the liver to boost the production of glucose, which provides energy that helps you wake up. This triggers beta cells in the pancreas to release insulin in order to keep blood glucose levels in check.
Before meals, the suggested target blood glucose range is 4.0 to 8.0 mmol/L. At 2 hours after meals, the range is 5.0 to 10.0 mmol/L.
Extreme thirst. Light-headedness. Flushed, hot, dry skin. Restlessness, drowsiness, or difficulty waking up.
People with diabetes should eat dinner between 8 and 9 pm. Eating close to bedtime or late at night must be avoided.
The dawn phenomenon is an early-morning rise in blood sugar, also called blood glucose, in people with diabetes. The dawn phenomenon leads to high levels of blood sugar, a condition called hyperglycemia. It usually happens between 4 a.m. and 8 a.m.
Avoid Dangerous Blood Sugar if You Have Diabetes. Skipping a meal is typically no big deal. But if you're a person with diabetes, skipping meals or a lack of meal structure could result in dangerously low or high blood sugar levels.
Fasting blood sugar test.
Less than 100 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/L ) is considered healthy. 100 to 125 mg/dL (5.6 to 6.9 mmol/L ) is diagnosed as prediabetes. 126 mg/dL (7 mmol/L ) or higher on two separate tests is diagnosed as diabetes.
Dawn phenomenon happens when hormones your body naturally makes in the early morning increase your blood sugar. Dawn phenomenon only affects people with diabetes. It's a common cause of high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) in the morning.
Caffeine can cause a spike in blood sugar levels. This happens because caffeine triggers a hormonal response in our bodies. First, it blocks adenosine receptors. These receptors help us fall asleep by binding to our cells.
A normal fasting blood sugar level is below 100; whereas, the level of a person with prediabetes is between 100 and 126. Once levels have surpassed 126, it's classified as Type 2 diabetes.
A fasting blood sugar level less than 100 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/L) is normal. A fasting blood sugar level from 100 to 125 mg/dL (5.6 to 6.9 mmol/L) is considered prediabetes. If it's 126 mg/dL (7 mmol/L) or higher on two separate tests, you have diabetes.
Squeezing your finger
When you do that, you are getting some interstitial fluid rather than blood. A study shows that this “may lead to unreliable readings." Gently warming the hands ahead of time can help so you don't have squeeze so hard.
For the average senior, normal blood sugar levels are considered to be less than 100 mg/dL after not eating for around eight hours. After eating, they should be less than 140 mg/dL. However, keep in mind that a physician is the best person to state when your aging loved one's glucose levels are off.
It's common. And most importantly, it's reversible. You can prevent or delay prediabetes from turning into type 2 diabetes with simple, proven lifestyle changes.