What is considered a “normal” blood sugar range?
Blood sugar levels are normally between 70-100 mg/dl in the morning after an overnight fast. They are usually lower than 120-140 mg/dl two hours after eating foods or drinking liquids containing sugar or other carbohydrates.* American Diabetic Association (ADA) guidelines recommend diabetics on treatment to have a fasting blood sugar of 90-130 mg/dl and a peak postprandial of less than 180 mg/dl.
Blood sugar, or blood glucose, levels are typically measured using a scale of grams per deciliter (g/dL) or millimoles per liter (mmol/L). This level will tend to fluctuate throughout the course of a day, with the lowest readings during periods of fasting and the highest coming shortly after a meal. The normal blood sugar range for a healthy person is about 83 mg/dl (4.6 mmol/L) to 120 mg/dl (6.6 mmol/L).
