Glucose levels are a daily discussion among diabetics. Whether you’ve recently been diagnosed with diabetes or you’re non-diabetic, you may be curious to find out what the normal glucose level for adults is. Let’s take a look at what the normal levels are and what affects glucose levels.
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What are Glucose Levels?
Glucose is a molecule that comes from the food you eat. It’s the primary source of energy that powers your body at the cellular level. Your blood glucose level describes the amount of glucose (sugar) you have in your blood. Glucose levels are tested to find out if your blood sugar levels are healthy and are often used to help diagnose and monitor diabetes.
What is a Normal Glucose Level for Adults?
It’s important for your blood glucose levels to stay in a healthy range because if it gets too low, you can lose the ability to think and function normally. If your blood glucose levels get too high and stay high over a course of years, then it can cause serious damage or complications to the body, which can lead to obesity and heart disease. The following are normal blood sugar levels chart for adults 20 years and older.
- A glucose reading below 70 mg/dL is considered low
- When fasting blood glucose level should be between 70 – 150 mg/dL
- Before a meal, the reading should be between 80 and 90 mg/dL
- After a meal (1-2 hours after), a reading should be between 80 and 140 mg/dL
Symptoms of low blood glucose levels include:
- Feeling shaky
- Hunger
- Fatigue
- Feeling dizzy, confused, or irritable
- Headache
Symptoms of high blood glucose levels include:
- Blurred vision
- Fatigue
- Sores that don’t heal
- Numbness or tingling in your feet or hands
- Increased thirst and urination
Eating low-carbohydrate vegetables and protein-rich foods will impact your health positively.
What Affects Glucose Levels?
Your glucose levels are affected by many factors throughout the day, some without your control—genetics, for example. But in many cases, your daily health habits can play a major role.
1. Types of Food Consumed
Excess Sugar: Consuming sugary foods will quickly raise your blood sugar. Sugar breaks down glucose easily, so avoiding food or drinks with added sugar can help you decrease your glucose level. This includes coffee or tea that has added table sugar and sweetened cream.
Carb Intake: Our bodies convert carbohydrates like oatmeal, pasta, fruit, sweet potatoes, or a donut into glucose. When carbohydrates are the primary meal and not balanced with fat or protein, we call them “naked carbohydrates,” which has a more significant impact on blood sugar. For example, when eating a sweet potato, add some protein and maybe some flax seeds to balance it out.
Processed Foods: Processed and packaged foods are more likely to have added sugar or other damaging additives that lead to nutritional content being stripped away.
Try to Eat:
- Low-carbohydrate vegetables – greens, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, brussels sprouts
- Fiber and protein-rich foods – beans, lentils, nuts, and seeds
- Health fats in their whole form – nuts, seeds, coconut, and olives
2. Physical activity
Just doing moderate exercises can help lower your glucose levels. This includes walking, biking, dancing, or even gardening. All these exercises help make you breathe a little harder and your heart beats a little faster. Doing these physical activities for just 30 minutes, three times a week can help lower your glucose levels.
3. Stress
Stress is caused by multiple factors, and it can increase your glucose level. Fortunately, there are ways you can lower stress. Weekly meditations and daily breathing exercises can help reduce it.
4. Other Factors that Affect Glucose Levels
- Not enough sleep
- Medications
- Medical conditions
- Age
- Stress
- Illnesses
- Genetics
- Dehydration
- Alcohol
Normal blood sugar levels can vary based on many factors, including age and health conditions. The ranges for normal glucose levels for adults provide a general guideline, but it is still important to talk to a healthcare provider to set goals and maintain a balanced glucose level. At OnSite Health, we provide on-site nurses at workplaces to help employees stay healthy; we provide screenings—including glucose levels—to help your employees prevent long-term health complications.
