Whatshouldmy bloodsugar level be?

When you're first diagnosed with diabetes, your diabetes care teamwill usually tell you what your bloodsugar level is and what you should aim to get it down to.

You may be advised to use a testing device to monitor your blood sugar level regularly at home. Alternatively, you may have an appointment with a nurse or doctor every few months to see what your average blood sugar level is this is known as yourHbA1c level.

Target bloodsugar levels differ for everyone, but generally speaking:

  • if you monitor yourself at home with a self-testing kit a normal target is 4-7mmol/l before eating and under 8.5-9mmol/l two hours after a meal
  • if yourHbA1c level istested every few months a normal HbA1c target is below 48mmol/mol (or 6.5% on the older measurement scale)

The Diabetes UK website has more about blood sugar levels and testing .

Content supplied by the NHS Website

Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 21 Dec 2018