For people with diabetes, this balance is thrown off due to problems withinsulin.
Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that helps keep blood glucose levels stable.
Intype 1 diabetes, the pancreas either does not produce enough insulin or does not produce insulin at all.
Intype 2 diabetes, it produces too little insulin and/or the body isn’t able to use it properly.
The same is true forgestational diabetes, a temporary form of the disease that develops during pregnancy.
This article looks at blood glucose and what your ideal levels should be before and after a meal.
It also discusseswhat your target glucose levels should be before exercise.
That said, there are some general guidelines worth knowing about.
Preprandial (Pre-Meal)
Thelevel of sugar in your bloodstream before eatingis calledpreprandialblood glucose.
It is very important to track your pre-meal blood glucose with an app or in a journal.
This will help you and your healthcare provider identify trends in how yourblood sugar levels riseand fall over time.
This is an indication of how well your diabetes treatment is working.
Fasting Blood Glucose
Everyone experiences a hormone surge each morning several hours before waking.
This is known as thedawn phenomenon.
The dawn phenomenon happens because there is this natural overnight release of hormones that increase insulin resistance.
As with preprandial blood glucose testing, it’s important to record your level each time you take it.
You also should write down everything you ate and how much of it you ate.
This provides further information about how your body responds tocertain foods.
This will help you and your healthcare provider fine-tune your diet and other aspects of your diabetes management plan.
Before and After Exercise
Regular physical activityis a key part of managing diabetes.
For those with jot down 1 diabetes, exercise can help increase sensitivity to insulin and control blood sugar.
Because physical activity uses energy, it depletes glucose cells, drawing glucose from the bloodstream.
This can potentially lead tohypoglycemia(low blood sugar).
This is why checking your blood sugar levels before activity and immediately afterward is important.
After you work out, test your blood glucose right away.
Test again two to four hours afterward to check for a delayed drop in your level.
A1C Test Levels
It is important to regularly self-monitor your glucose levels.
It’s important to work with your healthcare team to set your own individual A1C goal.
Your healthcare provider will work with you to determine what blood glucose targets are right for you.
It is important to monitor your blood glucose levels before and after meals and before exercise.
This can give you important information about how your body responds to different foods and activities.
A Word From Verywell
Testing your blood glucosethroughout the daywill help you control it.
That way, you might deal with them and then go on with your day.
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American Diabetes Association.The big picture: checking your blood glucose.
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American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee.5.
Facilitating behavior change and well-being to improve health outcomes: Standards of medical care in diabetes2022.Diabetes Care.
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