It somewhat depends on what target range you are looking at for "your specific" control.

Dangerous would be "below 50" - that is when you should seek "medical help".

Between 50 and 72 is generally seen as "low - keep any eye" but (treat) to get back above 72 - either eat or take a glucose tablet ect.

Between 72 and 126 would be a "good" fasting number, with a "normal" fasting number being "below 100"..

And any number below 140 "at anytime" is NORMAL

The above are "non-diabetic" numbers.

And this is where you end up with "different sets of numbers". The Diabetes organizations put out guidelines for "medicated" people with diabetes.

The low/dangerous numbers remain the same but their "tolerable" levels are different.

Generally, below 180 is seen as "normal for a diabetic". Between 200-300 is "cause for concern" and if you see a number over 300 you should be headed to the hospital to go on rapid insulin to bring the number down.

At any sugar level above 140 you are doing "damage" to your macrovascular system - heart and large veins. At levels above 156 you are doing damage to your microvascular system which includes kidneys, eyes, brain, nerves.

Which is why that I find it almost "negligent" that the Diabetes associations would say that "up to 180" is "OK", because it really isn't. It's like they are conceding that you "will" have some complications and with just a little better sugar control you can live out your days complication free.

In general the target in the medical community is an A1C of "less than 7". To achieve that you would have to maintain an "average" blood glucose level of 154.

Average means "half the time above, half the time below" yet that number is at the threshold of "doing damage" - so they are saying it's "ok" to be damaging your veins "half the time".

An A1C of below 6.5 is considered "controlled", requiring an average blood glucose level of 140. At this level you have a good chance of minimizing or avoiding long term diabetes complications.

was running out of room)

Your Blood Glucose targets should always be based on YOUR target A1C.

It's "normal" that your target would be different then mine or Bob's or Mary's.

It is usually (determined) by your overall health, your age, length of time you have had diabetes, life expectancy and possibly a few other variables.

The tighter the control you can achieve, the better long term outcome.

In younger (under 60), otherwise generally healthy, no other risk factors etc, A1C targets "below 6" would be preferred. And moving up from there, someone in their 80's may not need to control better than an A1C of 8.0 because they are (unlikely) to live long enough to prevent a complication that takes 20 years to develop.

So there is "some latitude" in what your health (team) might decide is appropriate "for you".

Also, people with heart conditions/disease can die suddenly if they target too "controlled" a blood sugar level.

That's why it is important that your Doctor/Health Team recommend a "number for you" and then treat to achieve that goal/range.

(and yes, to post a jpeg you just click on the little "camera" button at the bottom of your post and link it)

Try this link - nice online calculator so that you can go back and forth between eAG and A1C in either the US or the Metric Scale.

https://professional.diabetes.org/diapro/glucos...

So if you and your Doc decide that you are going to target an A1C of 6.8 as your next goal you can plug that in and see that you and see that your average blood sugar would have to be 148.

From there your overall range "might be" say 80 - 216 where 148 would be right in the middle.

If you never experience blood sugars down into the the 80's, let's say (like me) 95'ish is about as low as you go "typically".

If your lowest was 95 then you could work in a "tighter range" of 95 - 201 where 148 would still be the "average".

Then you might say, well I never usually go over 175 so I could make my range 95 - 175 and that's good because if that is your "tight range" the average in that range is 135 and that would result in a much better A1C of 6.3

And that is how you go about figuring out a range for yourself. You either put in a target A1C and find the average OR you figure out the range you are working within and calculate "what A1C" that would give you and see if you need to adjust from there.

Graham, I agree with you. My bs usually runs from 74-80 and I was prediabetic and A1C was 5.7 in May and my doctor and I are pleased. Now in November A1C is 5.4 normal and bs 72-76. My nurse said my A1C shouldn't be over 5.6 for normal and great numbers.

Been off this site for awhile, as my husband had a heart attack in mid Dec and got a stent. Trying to get him back on track. Cardiologist insists he go to cardiac rehab 3 x a week, and that consistent exercise has helped stabalize his blood sugar and he has more energy. His A1C was 6.4 about 1 month ago, which is very good for an 82 yr old man who was diagnosed as diabetic in July 2021. He takes a long acting insulin injection 1x a day in the evening. The dose is now 13 units, down from 20 units at the start. .