The REAL Normal Range for Your Blood Glucose

The normal range for a diabetic's fasting blood glucose level before meals is 80 to 100 mg/dl.  And, the postprandial blood glucose level (2 hours after meals) should be 90 to 110 mg/dl.

Optimally, a diabetic's should target his/her average fasting blood glucose level to be less than 100 mg/dl, ideally: 80 to 90 mg/dl.

Now, I realize that these numbers are a tighter and lower than the numbers given to you by your doctor.

When I was diabetic, I was told that "normal" for a diabetic was 90 to 120 mg/dl. My endocrinologist told me that it was unrealistic to give me the "real" normal numbers for a non-diabetic. He believed that giving me the real numbers would only frustrate me and make me angry.  Wow!

Note: If you take a look at the chart (below) of my blood glucose readings during my first week after I left the hospital, my readings were all over the place.  If I had accepted this as "normal", I would either still be diabetic or facing some major complication such as amputation, or, maybe I would be dead. Luckily, I didn't listen to the doctor.

As the chart depicts, the optimum range for managing one's blood glucose should be 80 to 100 (the green region); while avoiding the yellow and red regions.

Because of this misunderstanding of blood glucose readings, many diabetics have a false sense of security that they're managing their diabetes within the proper blood glucose range; or, that they're close to the proper range.

So, why is it so important to know the "real" numbers?

Because if your average fasting blood glucose is consistently outside the normal range, your diabetes is gradually rotting out the inside of your body! Sure, you may feel fine (at this time), but, in several years, you'll begin to experience the following  symptoms: weight gain, tiredness, cravings, vision problems, an increase in blood pressure, an increase in cholesterol, low glucose readings (hypoglycemia), dry mouth, thirstiness, tingling or pain in your feet, an increase in belly fat or your waist line, an increase in urination, protein leaking in your urine, etc.

You will also be taking more drugs within a few years. Most diabetics end up taking at least 3 different drugs, one each for their diabetes, blood pressure, and cholesterol.

Warning: These symptoms are the precursor to more serious diabetic complications including: kidney failure (dialysis), blindness, amputation, stroke, heart attack.

The sad thing is that all of these complications could have been prevented!! So, don't become comfortable or satisfied with higher than normal blood glucose readings -- you deserve better ...

FYI: Here's a video of me speaking about my endocrinologist and his denial that I could improve my blood glucose readings: