What article? It might be a bit high for a non diabetic, so if that is not "normal" it must by definition be "abnormal" it doesn't mean very high.Just want to verify. What reading is "abnormally high" after fasting?
An article is scaring me - it says 5.6 mmol and above is abnormally high.
Is that true?
For some reason anything below 6.0 gives me chest pains. I have been diabetic for 11 yrs. and in the beginning I could tolerate "hypos" but now a "hypo" is very painful in my heart at 6.0 or 5's. I don't understand it and if it is cardiac or common to all here.Just want to verify. What reading is "abnormally high" after fasting?
An article is scaring me - it says 5.6 mmol and above is abnormally high.
Is that true?
For some reason anything below 6.0 gives me chest pains. I have been diabetic for 11 yrs. and in the beginning I could tolerate "hypos" but now a "hypo" is very painful in my heart at 6.0 or 5's. I don't understand it and if it is cardiac or common to all here.
Hi @angustia,
In many countries, prediabetes is diagnosed at fasting levels above 5.6 mmol/l. So, this is probably where this number is from.
This being said, I believe that being somewhat above 5.6 mmol/l in the morning is probably not harmful if you otherwise have stable blood sugars and don't experience huge spikes after meals. Also note that fasting blood sugars tend to be the last to come down after changing your way of life.
You might also want to have a look at Jenny Ruhl's website https://www.bloodsugar101.com/complications for a discussion on the effects of spikes rather than somewhat higher fasting levels on diabetes-related complications. This might somewhat help put your mind at ease.
Edited for grammar.
For people with normal insulin production it should be < 6 (5.5). That too varies from person to person and other things. <7.2 is widely considered normal in sense that it is non-diabetic range. But once you have diabetes and your body does not produce insulin there is no more "normal". Diabetes means you blood sugar level is abnormal, even when the value is in range of non-diabetes people. Depending on who you ask T2 patients fasting value shoul be 5 or 6. And it varies on person and their situaton. Your doctor *should* know that value you should aim for. Anything over 7 is in most cases too high. Occationally going to this value should not be that alarming. Anything above that is progressively more dangerous. 15 is often considered quite alarming value. As a rule of thumb you should never, ever let your blood glucose level go to double digits. Even right after eating. And as mentioned before stability is most important. Huge rapid changes in blood sugal levels are most dangerous.
Jim I thank you once again, for writing this. I am in, exactly this position, you state above.Paradoxically, some carnivores and ultra low-carbers run fasting sugars in the ~5.5mmol/L range, but they will stay virtually flatlined at that level all day, every day. Personally I wouldn't want to wake up to more than ~5, but I'd rather be at ~5.5 24/7 than wake up to ~4 and have excursions to ~8 after meals. Stability is King.
Jim I thank you once again, for writing this. I am in, exactly this position, you state above.
I woke this morning to 5.1mmol/L. I have stayed around that, from 06:30 this morning. I just tested at 12hrs later... It is still the same at 5.1
It was 5.2 at 13:00. which was 2hrs after I had 4 gherkins, individually wrapped/rolled in thinly sliced beef, spread with horseradish sauce, and 3 thin pieces of chorizo spread very thinly with cream cheese wrapped around a small piece of cheddar & chilli cheese. for my mid-morning snack.
I disagree. If you can achieve non-diabetic levels by whatever methods you use to manage your own diabetes, then you have normal BG levels.Diabetes means you blood sugar level is abnormal, even when the value is in range of non-diabetes people.
Just want to verify. What reading is "abnormally high" after fasting?
An article is scaring me - it says 5.6 mmol and above is abnormally high.
Is that true?
Could you let us know your sources for this information?
Different parts of the world have different standard figures that they use.
Giving sources is particularly important if you are going to state that figures above a certain level are 'alarming', or give out 'rules of thumb'.
I would also suggest that you specify which country's figures you are using, the units, and which type of diabetes you are talking about.
Sorry if these seems pedantic to you, but I am sure you can appreciate that if someone reading this experiences any of the numbers you mention, they want to be able to get facts, not opinion, in order to set their mind at rest.
That is on
My source are the Diabetes nurse and couple doctors. Also national diabetes association of Finland. I assume we are talking about T2 as this forum is called "Type 2 diabetes". It is good to be accurate. None of the diabetes professional have said to me 5.6 mmol would be in no way bad. On my last visit my doctor actually told me that the 5.0 I was aiming for was too low and I should let my morning reading raise to 6-7 mmol range. In Finland non-diabetic fasting Blood Glucose value range is 3.9-7.2. As is in my my Bauer Contour BG meter software and it's manual. After eating values both say should be under 10 and that 8.2 is upper limit of non diabetic after eating. So BG should never go to double figures. My insulin medication (Lantus) manual says to contact doctor immediately if fasting BG is over 15. So this is from 3-5 official sources. Also empiric knowledge as my BG was 15,3 mmol when I was diagnosed and I having symptoms of nephropathy only few months after being diagnosed. So I can tell with at absolute ***** certainty that >15 mmol is bad.
The OP is diet controlled, the rules are different for those on Insulin as doctors would rather you have a slightly higher HbA1c rather than risk hypos.That is on
My source are the Diabetes nurse and couple doctors. Also national diabetes association of Finland. I assume we are talking about T2 as this forum is called "Type 2 diabetes". It is good to be accurate. None of the diabetes professional have said to me 5.6 mmol would be in no way bad. On my last visit my doctor actually told me that the 5.0 I was aiming for was too low and I should let my morning reading raise to 6-7 mmol range. In Finland non-diabetic fasting Blood Glucose value range is 3.9-7.2. As is in my my Bauer Contour BG meter software and it's manual. After eating values both say should be under 10 and that 8.2 is upper limit of non diabetic after eating. So BG should never go to double figures. My insulin medication (Lantus) manual says to contact doctor immediately if fasting BG is over 15. So this is from 3-5 official sources. Also empiric knowledge as my BG was 15,3 mmol when I was diagnosed and I having symptoms of nephropathy only few months after being diagnosed. So I can tell with at absolute ***** certainty that >15 mmol is bad.
That is on
My source are the Diabetes nurse and couple doctors. Also national diabetes association of Finland. I assume we are talking about T2 as this forum is called "Type 2 diabetes". It is good to be accurate. None of the diabetes professional have said to me 5.6 mmol would be in no way bad. On my last visit my doctor actually told me that the 5.0 I was aiming for was too low and I should let my morning reading raise to 6-7 mmol range. In Finland non-diabetic fasting Blood Glucose value range is 3.9-7.2. As is in my my Bauer Contour BG meter software and it's manual. After eating values both say should be under 10 and that 8.2 is upper limit of non diabetic after eating. So BG should never go to double figures. My insulin medication (Lantus) manual says to contact doctor immediately if fasting BG is over 15. So this is from 3-5 official sources. Also empiric knowledge as my BG was 15,3 mmol when I was diagnosed and I having symptoms of nephropathy only few months after being diagnosed. So I can tell with at absolute ***** certainty that >15 mmol is bad.
mmol/L surely?
Sorry? did you mean T1 or?
I just meant "5.6 mmol and above is abnormally high." is just a one fancy way of saying "diabetic" (or "pre-diabetic" if you want to split hairs).
Since there are no context for those words (and maybe even not in correct order) we can keep questing forever what that could mean.
It is vague enough that it can mean so many other things too, but I was just applying Occam's Razor.