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Canada > Diabetes > Resource Center > Managing Diabetes with Insulin > What Your Blood Glucose Numbers Mean

WHAT YOUR BLOOD GLUCOSE NUMBERS MEAN

In order to get a complete picture of your blood glucose throughout the day, it is useful to test at different times.
Your doctor will help you set your blood glucose targets. Here is what the numbers can mean.  These examples
are based upon the American Diabetes Association guidelines.

Fasting blood glucose before breakfast.  This

breakfast reading on an empty stomach shows how well you use the long-
acting insulin that you take.  The number should be between 5 and 7 mmol/L. 

Pre-meal blood glucose before lunch and dinner. 

dinner This reading shows the effectiveness of your breakfast and
lunch insulin doses. The number should be between 5 and 7.

Two hours after eating.

eating Your blood glucose peaks a few hours after you eat. This reading shows if the insulin
you took was enough to cover the carbs you ate. The reading should be less than 10 mmol/L.

Just before bedtime. 

bedtime A target range for someone with diabetes is 6 to 8 mmol/L. You don't want to go to bed
with blood glucose that is too low, because that puts you at risk of having a severe low blood sugar episode
during the night.

Blood Glucose Level Ask Your Doctor

If your blood glucose before breakfast is lower than 5 Ask your doctor if you should eat a small snack before
mmol/L, that may be too low.  you go to bed or reduce your bedtime dose of long-
acting insulin. You might want to do a 3:00 am blood
glucose check.

If the reading before breakfast is over 7 mmol/L, and Ask your doctor if your supper or bedtime NPH
several 3:00 am readings are in your target range, you insulin dose needs to be increased, or if you would
may be experiencing "Dawn Phenomenon". do better using a different type of insulin.

Sometimes, only an insulin pump can address Dawn

This happens when levels of growth hormone begin to Phenomenon.
rise in the early morning hours, stimulating the liver to
release glucose into the bloodstream.

If the reading before breakfast is over 7 mmol/L, and This effect may be caused by too much supper or
several 3:00 am readings are below 4.5 mmol/L, you bedtime insulin.  Ask your doctor about reducing the
may be experiencing "Rebound Hyperglycemia". dose.

If blood sugar falls rapidly during the night, the liver Ask your doctor about splitting the evening insulin
may be triggered into releasing glucose into the into two separate doses. Take the fast-acting insulin
bloodstream. Sometimes when this happens, too with supper, and wait for bedtime to take the long-
much glucose is released.  acting insulin. Studies show that people who split
their evening insulin dose have fewer episodes of
nighttime low blood glucose.

If the reading before breakfast is over 7 mmol/L, and Often, 1 or 2 additional units of insulin at bedtime can
the 3:00 am readings are above the target range, your bring the morning blood glucose readings to target
bedtime insulin dose may need to be increased. levels.

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If the reading before lunch or dinner is over 7 mmol/L, The insulin dose taken at breakfast or lunch was too
that's too high. small in relation to the carbs you ate.  Ask your doctor
about a dose adjustment, or reduce the number of
carbs in that meal.

If your blood glucose 2 hours after eating is less than Did you cut back on a meal, or skip it completely? It
4.5, that's too low. is important to eat the carbs that are listed in your
meal plan in order to be in balance with the insulin
you take.

Did you exercise a lot after eating?  Tell your doctor

if you regularly exercise after a meal, so that your
insulin dose for that meal can be reduced.

If the reading 2 hours after eating is over 10 mmol/L, The meal contained too much carbohydrate in relation
that's too high. to the amount of insulin. Either reduce the carb count,
or increase the insulin dose to cover the higher carb
count.

If your blood glucose is often lower than 6 mmol/L at Ask your doctor if your supper and bedtime insulin
bedtime, and your fasting blood glucose in the doses need to be lowered, or split into two separate
morning is often lower than 4.5 mmol/L, that's too doses.
low.
Studies show that people who split their evening
insulin dose have fewer episodes of nighttime low
blood glucose. Also, you may need a larger bedtime
snack.

If your bedtime level is above 8.5 mmol/L, that's too You may need to cut down on food at supper, or
high. increase your supper insulin dose, or cut back on
evening snacks - especially high-carb foods like chips,
crackers and cookies.

Many doctors ask their patients to report the following information.  Ask your doctor if you should report them,
too:

• A severe low blood sugar that requires treatment by another person

• Blood sugar consistently running below 4–4.5 mmol/L more than 2–3 times in a row

• More than one unexplained low blood sugar reaction in a week

• Blood sugars consistently higher than 16 mmol/L (more than 2–3 days)

• If you are ill with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or fever

Do not worry if one reading is out of range by a small amount. However, if a number of readings are out of
target, then look for a pattern. Does the blood glucose tend to be too high or low at the same time each day? If
you spot a pattern, ask your doctor whether you need to adjust your food intake, your exercise, or your
medications.

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