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Target range
- Thread starter marlyn7
- Start date
Martin.A
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- In remission from Type 2
I wouldn't consider any reading in that range to be a spike.
rebrascora
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- She/Her
The 8.5 upper limit was I believe for 2 hours after eating, however this was intended for using finger pricks and was not a case of saying that was the peak of any spike, but that at 2 hours post meal your body was dealing with it. So if you were finger pricking and you went from 6mmols up to 10 by 1.5 hours post meal (which of course you would not know if you were finger pricking at 2 hours but were back down to 8.5 by 2 hours post meal, that would be acceptable. It isn't the highest point of the spike you are necessarily looking for but that your body was able to deal with it promptly and be bringing it down.
What I am saying is that if you set the top of your range at 8.5 and trying to keep your levels under that the whole time, you might be being unreasonably strict.
For those of us with Type 1 we usually have our range set at 3.9-10 and we aim to keep within that range 70% of the time, so there is an acceptance that we will go above 10 quite a bit of the time and occasionally below it but still be managing our diabetes really well.
Not sure if I have explained that very well, but the 2 hour post meal level of 8.5 was not specifically designed to catch the peak of each spike which will vary anyway according to the food eaten and the speed of digestion, but is more a test of the body's ability to be bringing levels back down promptly.
What I am saying is that if you set the top of your range at 8.5 and trying to keep your levels under that the whole time, you might be being unreasonably strict.
For those of us with Type 1 we usually have our range set at 3.9-10 and we aim to keep within that range 70% of the time, so there is an acceptance that we will go above 10 quite a bit of the time and occasionally below it but still be managing our diabetes really well.
Not sure if I have explained that very well, but the 2 hour post meal level of 8.5 was not specifically designed to catch the peak of each spike which will vary anyway according to the food eaten and the speed of digestion, but is more a test of the body's ability to be bringing levels back down promptly.
Leadinglights
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I can't see whether you are on any medication and are managing your condition with diet or just metformin.
The rule of thumb is 4-7mmol/l fasting and before meals and no more than 8-8.5mmol/l 2 hours post meal or no more than a 2-3mmol/l increase after the 2 hours. That is a good measure as to whether you have tolerated the meal OK as at the start people may be having considerably higher before meal readings than 8mmol/l.
The rule of thumb is 4-7mmol/l fasting and before meals and no more than 8-8.5mmol/l 2 hours post meal or no more than a 2-3mmol/l increase after the 2 hours. That is a good measure as to whether you have tolerated the meal OK as at the start people may be having considerably higher before meal readings than 8mmol/l.
@marlyn7 I am T2D and have struggled with how best to monitor my BG. As Leadinglights says if you are using a finger prick test then immediately before and after meals is the best measure as this allows you to see what the impact of the meal was and whether there is anything in the meal that your body finds hard to tolerate.
If you are using a CGM, which I am currently doing as part of my monitoring before my next check up, I find it important not get hung up on the spikes but to focus on the overall movement of the BG levels. As your HbA1c measure takes the average glucose over a period of 2-3 months, and finger prick checks a are moment in time view looking at averages is the best way to determine where I am with my diabetes control.
It has taken me a few months to stop panicking when my BG rockets to 10 or even 11 on odd occasions (normally when I do the after meal test due to going out) and to look at how things are going over a period of time like a month or even a week.
If you can persuade your local GP surgery or DNS to give you one of their freebie sensors that pharma companies have dished out or even ask Abbott for one of their free trials then this would really help you figure out things. Because the CGM constantly monitors, you can see the changes that occur in your BG over the day, week and fortnight. I have found looking at the Average Glucose chart under Reports really helpful as that shows me what my average reading is after each of my three meals a day and has massively reassured me that the odd peak I might see is an outlier not the norm. My wife has pointed out to me that she is always telling me this, but its nice to have the evidence to confirm it
However, you manage this, finger prick tests, CGM or quarterly/half yearly HbA1c check, the important thing I have found is to relax, don't get hung up on the exceptions and focus on the steps you know are the right thing to do (in my case remembering to drink at least 3 litres of water per day otherwise my BG rockets up to 9 & 10).
If you are using a CGM, which I am currently doing as part of my monitoring before my next check up, I find it important not get hung up on the spikes but to focus on the overall movement of the BG levels. As your HbA1c measure takes the average glucose over a period of 2-3 months, and finger prick checks a are moment in time view looking at averages is the best way to determine where I am with my diabetes control.
It has taken me a few months to stop panicking when my BG rockets to 10 or even 11 on odd occasions (normally when I do the after meal test due to going out) and to look at how things are going over a period of time like a month or even a week.
If you can persuade your local GP surgery or DNS to give you one of their freebie sensors that pharma companies have dished out or even ask Abbott for one of their free trials then this would really help you figure out things. Because the CGM constantly monitors, you can see the changes that occur in your BG over the day, week and fortnight. I have found looking at the Average Glucose chart under Reports really helpful as that shows me what my average reading is after each of my three meals a day and has massively reassured me that the odd peak I might see is an outlier not the norm. My wife has pointed out to me that she is always telling me this, but its nice to have the evidence to confirm it
However, you manage this, finger prick tests, CGM or quarterly/half yearly HbA1c check, the important thing I have found is to relax, don't get hung up on the exceptions and focus on the steps you know are the right thing to do (in my case remembering to drink at least 3 litres of water per day otherwise my BG rockets up to 9 & 10).
OK thanks, am using a cgm at present, but they are expensive, an not able to get them on nhs, am starting to make changes each week an see where I am in 3 months, when my next appointment is due.@marlyn7 I am T2D and have struggled with how best to monitor my BG. As Leadinglights says if you are using a finger prick test then immediately before and after meals is the best measure as this allows you to see what the impact of the meal was and whether there is anything in the meal that your body finds hard to tolerate.
If you are using a CGM, which I am currently doing as part of my monitoring before my next check up, I find it important not get hung up on the spikes but to focus on the overall movement of the BG levels. As your HbA1c measure takes the average glucose over a period of 2-3 months, and finger prick checks a are moment in time view looking at averages is the best way to determine where I am with my diabetes control.
It has taken me a few months to stop panicking when my BG rockets to 10 or even 11 on odd occasions (normally when I do the after meal test due to going out) and to look at how things are going over a period of time like a month or even a week.
If you can persuade your local GP surgery or DNS to give you one of their freebie sensors that pharma companies have dished out or even ask Abbott for one of their free trials then this would really help you figure out things. Because the CGM constantly monitors, you can see the changes that occur in your BG over the day, week and fortnight. I have found looking at the Average Glucose chart under Reports really helpful as that shows me what my average reading is after each of my three meals a day and has massively reassured me that the odd peak I might see is an outlier not the norm. My wife has pointed out to me that she is always telling me this, but its nice to have the evidence to confirm it
However, you manage this, finger prick tests, CGM or quarterly/half yearly HbA1c check, the important thing I have found is to relax, don't get hung up on the exceptions and focus on the steps you know are the right thing to do (in my case remembering to drink at least 3 litres of water per day otherwise my BG rockets up to 9 & 10).
OK thanks.
Leadinglights
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
- Pronouns
- She/Her
In some ways although the CGM gives you lots of information it is almost too much and can cause people to over react to what is actually quite normal thing to happen after eating. It is expensive and perhaps spending the money on strips and better quality low carb food. My personal opinion.
OK thanks
OK thanks
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Hope you are finding the information from your sensors helpful @marlyn7
It can be so good to see what your BG levels are doing in near real-time, but that flow of data cab be a bit overwhelming at times too.
As a reference point, you might find this fairly large study into the glucose profiles of healthy people without diabetes interesting? It shows that there is always variation in BG levels, and that we shouldn’t be trying to chase flat lines.
Trying to keep our undulations fairly gentle, and within reasonable limits seems to be the best option, along with not panicking if we stray outside the lines a little from time to time 🙂
academic.oup.com
A fairly large study from 2019 seeking to map out what "normal" BG profiles look like during the day and overnight, using CGM measures; often see it cited. Perhaps useful resource for people looking to benchmark themselves against "normal" etc.
Units are mainly in American for BG (mg/dl: divide by 18 for mmol/l) and for HbA1c (%; easy to find tools on-line for conversion to mmol/mol).
There is some circularity: the main thing for deciding whether somebody is "non-diabetic" is their HbA1c, so no surprise if BG profiles are...
It can be so good to see what your BG levels are doing in near real-time, but that flow of data cab be a bit overwhelming at times too.
As a reference point, you might find this fairly large study into the glucose profiles of healthy people without diabetes interesting? It shows that there is always variation in BG levels, and that we shouldn’t be trying to chase flat lines.
Trying to keep our undulations fairly gentle, and within reasonable limits seems to be the best option, along with not panicking if we stray outside the lines a little from time to time 🙂
Continuous Glucose Monitoring Profiles in Healthy Nondiabetic Participants: A Multicenter Prospective Study
This study provides normative sensor glucose data in a healthy, nondiabetic population of children and adults.
academic.oup.com
A fairly large study from 2019 seeking to map out what "normal" BG profiles look like during the day and overnight, using CGM measures; often see it cited. Perhaps useful resource for people looking to benchmark themselves against "normal" etc.
Units are mainly in American for BG (mg/dl: divide by 18 for mmol/l) and for HbA1c (%; easy to find tools on-line for conversion to mmol/mol).
There is some circularity: the main thing for deciding whether somebody is "non-diabetic" is their HbA1c, so no surprise if BG profiles are...
