Fasting Blood Sugar Levels and Random Blood Sugar Levels

Living a Healthy Life with Diabetes

Manage Your Blood Glucose Levels to Manage Your Diabetes!

Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a condition in which excess glucose or sugar is circulating in your blood. You can manage it well despite it being in a stable condition. The key is to keep your blood glucose levels in check, whether it is fasting, random, or post-meal blood glucose.

When you eat food, your body’s metabolism breaks it into glucose with the help of a hormone called insulin. Glucose is used by your cells and gives you energy. You develop diabetes when your body has less insulin or if your cells can not use glucose well. Three main types of diabetes are

Type 1 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes

Gestational diabetes

Test, Check, Go!

In diabetes, your blood glucose or blood sugar levels get very high. Test fasting blood sugar levels using a testing kit called a glucose meter or have them tested at a laboratory. Do not eat anything 12 hours before the test.

The normal range for fasting blood sugar:

Type 1 diabetes
Adults	90–150 mg/dL
Adolescents 13–19 years	90–150 mg/dL
Children 6–12 years	100–180 mg/dL
Children under 6 years	110–200 mg/dL
Type 2 diabetes	70–130 mg/dL

Manage Numbers to Manage Your Diabetes

You may be diagnosed with diabetes if your blood sugar levels are above the normal range for your age. You might have visited your doctor for symptoms like excessive thirst, tiredness, or weakness. You might not have noticed any symptoms, but your doctor detected high sugar levels during a routine blood test. It might have been a random blood sugar test in which your blood sugar was tested at any time of the day, irrespective of the time of eating. Your doctor may recommend a few more tests to confirm the diagnosis of diabetes, like fasting, post-meal blood glucose, HbA1C, and urine examination. Once diagnosed with diabetes, your healthcare provider will guide you on keeping these levels within the normal range and protect you from any complications of diabetes. The blood glucose levels in different health conditions are

Result	Fasting Blood Glucose Test	Random Blood Glucose Test
Normal	99 mg/dL or less	Variable
Prediabetes	100–125 mg/dL	Variable
Diabetes	126 mg/dL or more	200 mg/dL or more

Wondering How You Developed Diabetes?

Understand diabetes and get moving. You may have been overwhelmed when your doctor first diagnosed you with diabetes, and you would have questioned why you got it. Several factors can make a person more at risk of developing diabetes. For Type 2 diabetes, you are at risk of developing diabetes if someone in your family has had it, you are overweight, or you have a sedentary lifestyle. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder where your body destroys insulin-making cells. It is usually detected in children and young people. Gestational diabetes develops when you are pregnant and usually goes away after the child’s birth. Confirmation of diabetes is done by a simple and inexpensive test called fasting blood sugar. Your blood is tested when you have not eaten anything for the last 12 hours. Other tests for measuring blood sugar levels are post-meal blood glucose tests, HbA1C, and urine tests.

Why Is Your Doctor Talking About Complications Of High Blood Glucose Levels?

Once diagnosed with diabetes, your doctor wants you to know that you can live a healthy life and prevent the long and short-term poor health effects of diabetes. You may be advised to monitor your blood sugar and reduce sugar. You may also get an immediate random blood sugar test if you feel dizzy or very sweaty while under treatment for diabetes. Higher glucose levels in your blood for a long time may damage your blood vessels and nerves. Your doctor may recommend regular check-ups to prevent or early detect any complications related to

Eyes – the development of retinopathy that may lead to blindness. It can be prevented.

Feet – the lack of blood and nerve supply may result in foot sores and gangrene. This can also be prevented.

Kidneys – damage to the kidneys needing dialysis can also be prevented.

Very high or low blood sugar levels leading to life-threatening emergency conditions can be controlled.

Stay On Top Of Your Diabetes!

Have a firm grip on your blood sugar levels, and stay healthy.

Millions are living with diabetes across the globe, and 90%–95% of them have Type 2 diabetes. However, the good news is that you can live well with diabetes if you learn to manage random, post-meal, and fasting blood sugar. This may seem challenging, but it is doable. The solution lies in combining healthy eating habits, exercising, staying physically active, and reducing weight. You can take the help of support groups and your healthcare provider to plan your meals and exercise routine. When physically active, your cells are more sensitive to insulin and use glucose well. The changes you bring to your lifestyle go a long way in keeping your heart, kidneys, nerves, and eyes healthy.

Key Facts

Regardless of the type of diabetes, excess glucose in the blood requires control. Managing diabetes includes understanding whether your pancreas is secreting less insulin or if cells have become less sensitive to it. When you test your blood sugar, excess glucose in the blood is reflected in a number that exceeds the normal range for your age. Your doctor may want to test your random blood sugar if you suddenly fall sick during the treatment. Keep a check on your condition by staying aware and up to date. Millions of people live happily and healthily with diabetes. You, too, can! Stay active, eat healthily, exercise, control your weight and take your medicines regularly. You can keep the long and short-term consequences of diabetes at bay. You are more likely to live a healthy and long sugar free life with better control of your blood sugar levels.