Fasting Blood Sugar levels and What They Mean

Fasting blood sugar levels are the ones that are tested after 8-10 hours of not consuming any food. Commonly known as pre-breakfast levels, these give an indicator of how well your body regulates insulin and sugar levels. This test is also used as a diagnostic test for diabetes and prediabetes. A proper level of fasting blood sugar can be a huge sign of relief for people as can abnormal levels be a cause for alarm. 

You can get these levels checked using a glucometer at home or can also visit a lab to get it tested. For any diagnostic purposes, it would be vital to visit a lab. In case you are already diagnosed, checking these levels at home to be able to optimally manage your sugar levels would also be a good idea. Also know about pre diabetes levels.

Fasting Blood Sugar < 60 mg/dL

Low blood sugar levels can be a cause for panic for most people, and rightfully so. They can be fatal if they are not caught or treated on time. One of the times when one should be extra careful about low sugars is at night in their sleep. Imagine what would happen in you are unable to recognize signs of a low blood sugar level at night! Often, night-time lows are also reflected in fasting blood sugars. 

If the fasting sugar is below 60 mg/dL, it needs to be treated immediately. Persistent episodes of low or untreated low sugars can cause damage to the organs as they might suck the sugar that might originally be reserved for the optimal functioning of the organs. Also know about pp blood sugar

What are Low blood sugar levels?

Any reading of below blood sugar 70 can be characterized as low blood sugar levels. The body requires a certain amount of sugar in the bloodstream to function normally. When the body is deprived of these levels, it leads to several issues like:

• Dizziness and feeling faint
• Blurred vision 
• Lethargy
• Trembling of hands
• Rapid heartbeats, etc

If you wake up with low fasting blood sugar, immediately consume 15 grams of sugar to bring them back up. This would slowly help the body recuperate from the symptoms of hypoglycemia. Do not exercise with low blood sugars.

Are Low levels of blood sugar dangerous?

If you are newly diagnosed and are looking to understand what are low levels of sugars and have questions like – is 80 low blood sugar, your doctors might be able to help you out. In general, episodes of hypoglycemia are much more dangerous than high sugars as the former can be immediately fatal if not treated on time. The stress and pressure that lows can put on the heart can cause it to stop. Recognizing signs of low blood sugars would be vital at any time of the day. You may have different symptoms each time, therefore, keep a glucometer handy. Also know about glucometer use.

Fasting Blood Sugar between 100-125 mg/dL

Usually, a blood sugar 90 is considered normal. The unicorn number, 100, can be looked at as a baseline for normal sugar levels. A normal range of fasting sugars would take a lot of stress off the person with diabetes. It would mean a lot of different things like – 

• The dose of insulin is correct
• Your meal carb counting is accurate
• Your body is not going into night-time highs or lows 

A good range of fasting blood sugar can help with the maintenance of healthy blood sugar levels throughout the day. Know about high blood sugar level

Achieve Normal Fasting Blood Sugar Levels

To get a blood sugar 97 fasting or a number within the normal range would be a goal that each person with diabetes would set for themselves. There are several ways in which that can be achieved. 

1. Follow a strict diet with limited carb intake and elimination of sugars. 
2. Engage in diligent carb counting before each meal and take the units of insulin accordingly. 
3. Include a lot of fibers and proteins in the diet along with fruits and vegetables.
4. Physical activities in the day would be a must – 30-40 minutes of medium-intensity exercise would be helpful.
5. Eating a snack before meals to avoid night-time lows.
6. Checking 3 am levels occasionally to ensure that there are no highs or lows in the night. Also read about urine sugar level

What are High Fasting Blood Sugars?

Any blood sugar reading above 130mg/dL like 180 fasting blood sugar can be considered high. These levels, in case they are high, can cause severe discomfort and lethargy throughout the day. Since the sugars start shooting up during the night, frequent urination and thirst between sleep can also disrupt the sleep cycle. Additionally, the person might wake up with a headache the next morning owing to the high levels of blood sugar. 

Understand the reason why these high levels are occurring in the morning. In case they persist, it could be because the dose of insulin at night is not proper. It could also be because of the Dawn phenomenon or the Somogyi phenomenon. Identifying what is leading to this issue might help to mitigate the problem. Visiting your doctor in case you are unable to bring these levels down by yourself would be important. 

Are High Levels of Blood Sugar dangerous?

High levels of blood sugars can be dangerous, if not immediately, then in the long run. The primary issue with hyperglycemia is that it does not show symptoms until the glucose values increase to a significantly high value (180-200mg/dL). In a person with diabetes, if you can understand your symptoms, you will recognize when your body starts to feel a little tired and you feel like you are feeling excessively thirsty or are urinating frequently, it could be signs of high blood sugar levels. 

In case these levels are persistently high, here is how they can become dangerous:

• Fruity-smelling breath
• Nausea and vomiting
• Shortness of breath
• Dry mouth
• Confusion
• Abdominal pain
• Coma

Higher levels of sugar like 300 blood sugar level can lead to a build-up of acids called ketones in the body. These ketones develop into a condition called diabetic ketoacidosis which can be fatal. 

Fasting Blood Sugar Chart 

The importance of fasting blood sugars and keeping them in the normal range has been stressed enough. However, depending on the condition of the person, the age of diagnosis, the body weight, their age, their sex (female hormones can affect blood sugars), etc certain values may be flexible within a reasonable range. 

Here is an approximate range of blood sugar levels that you can maintain after fasting for 8-10 hours before breakfast. 

There is some level of flexibility between these levels. That is because, for certain people depending on their situation, even a blood sugar 85 after eating in the morning might be normal. However, the closer the numbers are towards 90, the better from both the ends – high and low.

Bottomline

Keeping your fasting blood sugars within the normal and optimal range might be a task that is worth mastering for every person with diabetes. Not only will this be beneficial in the day-to-day management of diabetes but it will also help greatly in minimizing or preventing the long-term effects of this condition. The more your diabetes is under control, the better it would be for you as you age. 

FAQs

Is fasting sugar 60 normal?

No, a fasting sugar of 60mg/dL is not considered normal, it is very low. This means that it would need to be corrected with 15 grams of sugar immediately. If this is not done, it might lead to fainting and loss of consciousness in some people. 

What happens when your blood sugar is 60?

Low levels of blood sugar – like 60mg/dL can have pretty bad consequences in some people. They may experience symptoms like – trembling hands, blurred vision, loss of consciousness, heavy breathing, rapid heartbeats, anxiety, etc. Have 15 grams of glucose and check your levels again after 15 minutes to understand if your levels have come back to the optimal range. 

What causes low fasting blood sugar?

Low fasting blood sugars can be caused due to – extra insulin during the night, incorrect carb counting before dinner, reaction to some medication, consumption of alcohol the previous night, etc

What is dangerously low blood sugar?

Anything below the level of 60mg/dL would be dangerously low

Is 140 sugar level normal?

Yes, 140 sugar level can be considered normal and nothing to worry about,

Is 180 sugar level normal?

If you have had a carb-filled meal, the answer to is 180 sugar level normal would be yes. However, on the fasting test or a blood sugar random test, this may be a number on the higher side.