Diabetes Blood Sugar Level

Blood sugar level can be defined as the quantity of sugar or glucose in blood. Blood sugar level is expressed in terms of millimoles per liter (mmol/l). Blood sugar level is also known as serum glucose level.

For a normal person the blood sugar level stays between 4 and 8 mmol/l (70 to 150 mg/dL in the U.S.) throughout the day. This means that about 3.3 to 7 grams of glucose circulates in a normal person. The blood sugar level is the maximum after meals and is the lowest in the morning before breakfast. In normal conditions the blood sugar level is:

1. 4-7 mmol/l before a meal

2. less that 10mmol/l 90 minutes after a meal has been taken

3. and around 8 mmol/l at bed time

But for a diabetic the blood sugar level is higher than the normal. This is because the either sufficient insulin is not being produced or the insulin produced is able to bring the blood sugar level to normal in a diabetic's body. Though, blood sugar refers to all types (like fructose and galactose) of sugars present in the blood only glucose levels can be modulated by insulin.

For measuring the glucose level, there are two different tests that can be conducted. One is the frequent measurement of blood glucose and measurement of glycohemoglobin. The frequent measurement of blood glucose can further be done as a random blood sugar test or as a fasting blood sugar test. Generally, the fasting blood glucose level is between 70 and 100 g/dl. The general readings (may vary from lab to lab) for the glycohemoglobin test is as follows:

Normal: Less than 6.5

Excellent: 6.5 - 7.5

Good: 7.5 - 8.5

Fair: 8.5 - 9.5

Poor: greater than 9.5

The reason for the necessity to keep the blood sugar level at normal is the fact that in the long run other parts of the body like kidneys, heart and eyes may get affected.

Kidneys: If the blood sugar level is high, then the kidneys have to work overtime to absorb the sugar from the blood. This is the reason why the kidneys may get damaged in the long run if the blood sugar level is not kept in check.

Eyes and skin: High level of sugar in blood generally causes the dehydration of fluids from tissues in the eyes and skin due to which one may suffer from blurry vision and dry skin.

Feet and Hands: High level of sugar may also cause an abnormal and decreased sensation in the feet and hands as the nervous system gets affected.

Heart: The arteries get thickened due to abnormally high sugar levels in the blood, affecting the heart indirectly.

So, it is a must to keep the blood sugar level as normal as possible.